A projector comprising: a light source that emits light including first color light and second color light; an illumination optical system that equalizes light emitted from the light source; a color separation and light guide optical system that separates light emitted from the light source into the first color light and the second color light; a light modulator including a first light modulator (61g, 61b) and a second light modulator that are illuminated by the first color light (LG, LB) and the second color light, respectively, separated by the color separation and light guide optical system; and a light combining optical system that combines the first color light (LG, LB) and the second color light passing through the first light modulator (61g, 61b) and the second light modulator and entering from a plurality of light receiving portions, respectively, and emitting the combined light from a light emission portion, wherein the length of a first optical path along which the first color light (LG, LB) is guided from the illumination optical system through the first light modulator to the light emission portion of the light combining optical system is shorter than the length of a second optical path along which the second color light is guided from the illumination optical system through the second light modulator to the light emission portion of the light combining optical system, wherein the color separation and light guide optical system includes at least one reflection surface, wherein the difference between the number of the reflection surfaces existing in the first optical path and the number of the reflection surfaces existing in the second optical path is an even number, characterized in that, when the first optical path is replaced by a linear optical path including none of the reflection surfaces, an inverted image of the illumination optical system is formed at the position of the first light modulator (61g, 61b) and an image of the illumination optical system is not formed on the way from the illumination optical system to the first light modulator (61g, 61b), and wherein, when the second optical path is replaced by a linear optical path including none of the reflection surfaces, an inverted image of the illumination optical system is formed at the position of the second light modulator and an image of the illumination optical system is not formed on the way from the illumination optical system to the second light modulator. a light source that emits light including first color light and second color light; an illumination optical system that equalizes light emitted from the light source; a color separation and light guide optical system that separates light emitted from the light source into the first color light and the second color light; a light modulator including a first light modulator (61g, 61b) and a second light modulator that are illuminated by the first color light (LG, LB) and the second color light, respectively, separated by the color separation and light guide optical system; and a light combining optical system that combines the first color light (LG, LB) and the second color light passing through the first light modulator (61g, 61b) and the second light modulator and entering from a plurality of light receiving portions, respectively, and emitting the combined light from a light emission portion,