History of the Amber Fort 

Raja Alan Singh, who once ruled the Chanda clan of the Meenas, was probably the first king to ever set foot on Amer. He set up his palace on top of the hill, which currently holds the Amber fort, and started to rule over his subjects in the new town. He named his town Khogong. One day, an old woman with a child approached Raja Alan Singh, seeking refuge in his kingdom. The king took them in openheartedly, and even raised the child who was named Dhola Rae. Dhola Rae was then sent to Delhi to spread the legacy of the Meena kingdom. Instead of obeying his king’s orders, he came back with a small army of his own, which comprised of Rajputs. The Rajputs then slayed everyone belonging to the clad of Meenas, without showing them any sign of mercy. It is said that the massacre took place on the day of Diwali, when the Meenas were conducting a special ritual known as ‘Pitra Trapan.’ Back then, it was customary for the Meenas to set aside all their weapons while performing ‘Pitra Trapan.’ The Rajputs, who were aware of this practice, took advantage of the situation and made Khogong their own. This act of theirs was considered as coward and despicable. The town along with the beautiful hill which held the palace like fort now belonged to the Kachwaha Rajputs.

Raja Man Singh of the Kachwaha house took over the throne from his predecessor in the early 1600s. He then started building the Amber fort after destroying the structure that was already built on top of the hill. The fort was further developed by the successor of Raja Man Singh, Jai Singh I. Over the next two centuries or so, the fort underwent continuous renovations and improvements under the reign of various Rajput Maharajas including Mirza Raja Jai Singh I. The present fort was completed in the late 16th century. In 1727, the Maharajas of Rajput decided to shift their capital from Amer to Jaipur, leaving no further changes to the appearance of the fort.

Construction

The construction of Amber Fort was started in 1592. It was modified on regular intervals by several rulers and the trend continued up until late 1600. The fort was mostly constructed using red sandstone and white marble. Though basically a fort, it also served as the main residence of the Rajput Maharajas. Hence, in its subsequent modifications, the fort was deliberately made to look more like a lavish palace. There is also another palace, which was constructed before the construction of Amber fort. The older palace rests on a valley behind the fort. This palace is one of the oldest in India.