Simply ethereal !

Gr8 info as alwys Ameeta... kudos!

@ Amita, i hope you dint mean to say that about Jaigarh Fort.

Beautiful but incorrect depiction of the Amber fort and so also the narration.Amber as a citadel has been around since the 11th century A.D.. It was a Meena (aboriginal tribe of Rajasthan) stronghold which was annexed and developed by the Kachwahas as their capital until they moved their capital in the plains and named it Jaipur in 1727 A.D. Amber has no minarets. This fort palace complex lies abandoned since the capital moved to Jaipur but is in a surprising state of very good repair.The fort , Jaigarh on a even higher hill towards it's west housed the legendary Kachwaha treasury and the garrison.It housed a cannon making kaarkhana which is unique in India. It still has the largest cannon of Asia on wheels called Jaivaan. The greatest embellishments to Amber were indeed made during the times of Maharaja Maan Singh first who was a contemporary of Emperor Akbar. On the extreme right (not visible in this picture) hanging gardens were added. And the island in the Maota lake as visible in the picture was converted into a Mughal garden (Dil-e-aaram bagh) where Akbar rested when he was on pilgrimage to Ajmer Sharief.This floating garden is today called "Kesar Kyari" as the rulers of Ambers brought Kesar (Saffron / Jaffraan) from Kashmir and planted it there. Akbar had made several pilgrimages to Ajmer and at least three bare-foot.Once the alliance of the princess of Amber Jodhbai as the principal wife of Akbar came about and she bore him an heir who ascended the throne by the name of Jehangir,the rulers of Amber became the commmanders-in-chief of the Mughal forces,a position they held for several generations, the fortunes of Amber changed forever. The Fort palace complex houses the best surviving specimen of the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Glass-embedded in stucco) in India and Stained glass window panel of Radha and Krishna so also enclosed gardens and a Diwan-e-aam (palace of publiv audience) in red stand-stone rivalling that at Agra .Several additions were made during the rule of succcessive rulers. A total of seventeen Kachwaha Kings ruled from Amber (between 1150 to 1700) and nine from Jaipur (between 1727 to 1972 A.D). Amber fort is with the ASI (Archeological Survey of India) but the temple of Shila Devi is the private property of the Maharaja so also is the Jaigarh fort.While being the commander-in-chief of the Mughal army once Raja Maan Singh was on the Bengal campaign.Raja Kedar, in present day Bangladesh, was able to repulse themight of the Mughal army. Maharaja Maan Singh had a vision in a dream where a goddess appeared to him and told him that "I am lying here in the form of a Shila" Maan Singh brought the idol and housed it a Amber.She has remained the 'isht devi" of all Rajawats since the 17th century while the kul-devi is Jamvai ma at Ramgarh .The priests of the Shila devi temple are Bengali Brahmins to this day and call her Jessoreshwari (from Jessore in Bangladesh) while locally she is called Mata Shila devi.

@Ameeta Roy: As per the rumours, the treasure was found in the fort of Jaigarh, under the water tank near the largest cannon-on-wheels in the world - as per the rumours. The Jaipur/Delhi highway was closed for days and army caravans moved the treasure. Of course the papers said that nothing was found. @Digvijay Singh Kushwaha: The Kachhwaha Rajputs were settled in Amber a lot earlier as you say but in an old fort behind the present day Amber fort, whose construction was begun in 1592AD after Raja Mansingh had captured and looted Kabul, when the territory belonged the Akbar and the treasures looted belonged to Raja Mansingh. So the fort of Amber's construction began in 1592 and carried on till 19th century as things were added to it but subsequent rulers.

The way I've been told the story, Raja Kedar Rai's troops supposedly held out that long because they were on rotation between the front and the Shila Devi temple at Jessore, where they drew strength from prayer! (probably a bit of R &R too) Eventually, Raja Man Singh took the temple by ambush from the other side, precipitating the fall of Bengal...and again, the way I've heard it told, Rajawats have been doing penance at the transported temple ever since! Ameeta, I heard Indira Gandhi sent the income tax collectors and their metal detectors to Moti Doongri- it was personal.

The fort is still held by the Jaipur Royals. And while the story is still extant, that the Road was closed and trucks were used to transport the treasure, it is held as apocryphal by many. Another legend is that the city of Jaipur was established by removing the treasure from the Great Tank by Sawai jaisingh, and as a result Sheela Devi turned her face in the opposite direction and the royal family was cursed.

it wd be nice if u cld mention the size of these pictures..thanks.

@Amrita Ghosh: We Rajawats are not indulging in any penance there. Only prayers.She is our 'isht-devi' for the last 400 years. Raja Kedar had offerred the hand in marriage of his daughter to Raja Maan Singh.Shila Devi and the princess of Bengal came together to Amber. In folklore and songs in the native language of Jaipur which is Dhundhari as distinguished from Marwari and Mewari, this event is still celebrated: सांगानेर को सांगो बाबो , जयपुर को हनुमान अम्बेर की शिला देवी ल्यायो राजा मान l (Sanganer's Sanga Baba, Jaipur's Hanuman Amber's Shila Devi were brought by Raja Maan?

Ladies and gentlemen i would rather you discuss the stupendous art, architecture and historical significance of the fort palace complex rather than indulging in speculations about what became of the treasure. It is really disturbing to us ,for whom this is the holiest place in the entire universe on account of our deity being housed there and also because generations of our forefathers who have laid down their lives in all the battles indulged in by the rulers of Amber/Jaipur, who are our clan chiefs and have a quasi-divine status for us.

@Digvijay Singh Kushwaha: Okay, nice to know there's no penance going on- I'm just telling it the way it was told to me. So which do you say it was, a dream, a battle or a wedding? Personally, I would not marry a man who killed my father...

@Amrita Ghosh : Battle and the vision both. As for the princess, Well she did come to Amber as a bride and was certainly not a spoil of war.Raja Kedar was defeated not killed for goodness sake. The history of Jaipur records that it was an arranged alliance.The second arranged alliance of a Jaipur Maharaja with a princess of Bengal (Cooch Behar) is the stuff of legend.....the marriage of Maharaja Man Singh with princess Gayatri devi.

@Digvijay Singh Kushwaha: I'm quite sure Raja Kedar Rai died in a conflict with Raja Man Singh's forces around 1603, though not in hand to hand combat! Yes, we all know about Raj Mata Ayesha- so romantic!