Ambar, Amber or Amer, situated on a hillside and overlooking a lake, is only 11 km out of Jaipur on the Delhi to Jaipur road. It  was once the capital of Jaipur state, and its construction started in 1592 by Raja Man Singh, commandeer of Mughal Emperor Akbar's army. Later the Jai Singhs completed and extended it but eventually moved to Jaipur on the plains below. Earlier one could reach Ambar Palace only after a ten-minute climb on elephant-back. Jeeps have now made the ascent easier and quicker. At the top, the view all around is simply breathtaking. The `Diwan-I-Am'(General Hall) has o be reached after an imposing flight of stairs. It has a double row of columns and latticed galleries. There are two temples in the palace complex, the white marble Sila Devi temple and the smaller Kali temple.

Beyond a gateway decorated with mosaics and scriptures, lies a higher terrace upon which the royal apartments , the Jai Mandir (Victory Hall) with its walls and ceilings inlaid with mirrors, and the Sukh Niwas(Pleasure Hall) with an ivory-inlaid sandalwood door, and a channel right through the room carrying(once upon a time) water.