Visiting and Photographing Jaipur, Rajasthan, India – Forts and Palaces

Jaipur is the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan.  Jaipur is referred to as the pink city due to the color of its architecture.  Jaipur is also known for its forts, palaces, and hospitality. In this blog post I will cover forts and palace attractions in and near the city of Jaipur Rajasthan.  This is part one of a two part blog series on photographing Jaipur and things to do in Jaipur India.

Jai Mahal Palace

We stayed at the Jai Mahal Palace hotel which is a 260 year old palace that was refurbished by the Taj Group of Hotels.  The Jai Mahal Palace is situated on 18 acres of gardens that are full of birds including Peacocks and wild parrots.  There is also nightly entertainment featuring traditional Rajasthani dance.  It’s worth wandering the halls and gardens of Jai Mahal for photo opportunities.  I would recommend the Jai Mahal when looking for a Jaipur Palace Hotel.

Amer Fort

Amer Fort is a large fort located 11 kilometers from the city of Jaipur.  Amer Fort is seated on a wooded hillside above Maota Lake.  There is a good photo composition if you stop in the parking area in front of the lake and photograph the fort and hill reflecting in Maota Lake.  There are also snake charmers in this parking lot if you want to get a shot.  These guys work for tips, so give them a tip if you take pictures.

Elephant rides can can also be taken from the Sun Gate at Amer Fort to the top of the palace.  A elephant ride can be bumpy and not easy to take photographs.  Tips are discouraged by the management, but encouraged by the elephant drivers.

Once you get to the top of Amer Fort, there are several nice compositions of the fort and the countryside.  Inside the fort, there are many doorways, windows, and other architecture representative of the Hindu and Muslim cultures that are worthy of photographing.

Jaigarh Fort

The Jaigarh Fort is located on the same set of hills as Amer Fort.  The two forts are considered to be part of the same complex as they are connected by a secret passage.

The fort was built in 1726 to protect the Amer Fort/palace.  The Jaigarh Fort is 3 KM long by 1 KM wide and has a similar architecture as the Amer Fort.

When walking along the walls of Jaigarh fort, watch for monkeys hanging out on the walls and trees.  There seems to be a large group of them living in this area.

Monkey at Jaigarh Fort

City Palace

The City Palace in Jaipur is composed of both the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces.  Some of the palace is now dedicated to museums.  However, the royal family still resides in a large Portion of the palace.

No photography is allowed inside the museums.  There are plenty of buildings, architecture, and people to photography at the city palace.

There is also a large handicraft gallery with select artists in the City Palace.  All the prices at this gallery at set, no haggling.

What else to Photograph in Jaipur?