JAIPUR
Skip the elephant ride up the ramp - elephants are still offered, but the practice draws serious animal-welfare concerns; walk up the ramp or take a jeep instead. Arrive near the 8am opening to beat the tour buses and heat. Unofficial 'guides' cluster at the entrance claiming to be government-licensed; only trust the ID-badged guides from the official counter inside.
Amber (Amer) was ruled by the Kachhwaha Rajputs from the 11th century, and the fort-palace seen today was begun in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I, a general in Akbar's Mughal army, on the site of an earlier Meena-era fort. Successive rulers, especially Jai Singh I, expanded it over the next 150 years until the capital shifted to the new city of Jaipur in 1727 under Sawai Jai Singh II. Built of red sandstone and marble, it blends Rajput and Mughal architectural styles across four courtyards, including the mirrored Sheesh Mahal and the naturally cooled Sukh Niwas, and is inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Hill Forts of Rajasthan.'
