Jaigarh Fort

Jaigarh Fort crowns Cheel ka Teela, the 'Hill of Eagles', on the ridge above Amber Fort and Maota Lake. Where Amber was the palace, Jaigarh was the military stronghold, and the two are linked by walls and passages so closely that they were treated as a single complex. Its origins go back centuries, and Sawai Jai Singh II added palace apartments in the 18th century. The fort is long and narrow, stretching about 3 km along the hilltop, with thick red sandstone walls and bastions.

The main draw is the Jaivana cannon, cast at the fort's own foundry in 1720. It sits on a pair of large wheels, has a barrel more than 6 m long and is said to weigh around 50 tonnes. It was never used in battle. Jaigarh was a working cannon foundry, and you can still see parts of the casting works.

Inside the walls there is plenty to explore. An armoury displays swords, shields, muskets and cannonballs, along with photographs of Jaipur's maharajas. A small museum beside the Awami Gate shows royal photographs, artefacts and a hand-drawn plan of the palaces. Underground, three large tanks collected rainwater channelled from the hills; the largest held millions of gallons. In the 1970s a rumour that the royal treasure was hidden in them led to an official search, which found nothing. Two old temples, Ram Harihar and Kal Bhairav, stand within the fort.

Jaigarh is usually less crowded than Amber, and the views down onto Amber Fort and the lake are among the best around Jaipur. Allow one and a half to two hours. The site is spread out and involves walking on uneven ground in full sun, so bring water and a hat. The surrounding forest is not a place to linger after dark.

For anyone interested in military history, Jaigarh is the most rewarding of the three hill forts above Jaipur, because so much of its practical machinery survives: gun emplacements, the foundry, the water system and long stretches of wall that you can follow along the ridge.

You can reach the fort by road or by a steep walking track up from Amber that arrives at the Awami Gate. Many visitors see Amber in the morning and then drive up to Jaigarh; the ridge road also continues on to Nahargarh Fort.