"You have to take an elephant..."

The trek up to the Amber Fort

February 13, 2019 -

“We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.” – Albert Einstein

We traveled today to Amber Fort. This was a medieval fort and palace complex that was the home of Kachwaha of Amer. Of all 36 often warring Rajput clans they were considered one of the greatest. As mentioned earlier, the Rajputs were warrior Hindus of the Kshatriyas caste (see earlier posts).

The Kachwaha would later form close alliances with the Muslim Mughals and rule this area for centuries. The Fort sits on a high bluff overlooking Amer and is surrounded my yet another retaining wall that circles the surrounding hills like a version of the Great Wall of China.

Our elephant driver ( He asked for a tip right after this picture shortly before we pass the sign that said emphatically "Do NOT tip the drivers"

It is formidable and beautiful at the same time and because it is so high on the hill the main way you get to it is by elephant! Every morning, 120 female elephants decked out in face paintings and beautiful red drapes ferry travelers up the steep slope. They only work in the mornings. The rest of the day they eat.

Our elephant was a lovely 29 year old girl named Maria who was very gentle. Every now and then she would blow some spit on me from her trunk. And that is how it should be. I felt loved.

The Amber Fort

Waiting elephant taxis

Walking around the small town at the base of the fort - We found ancient deserted Hindu temples, another centuries old step well, and a market.