The Palace of Winds…. Hawa Mahal RememberRajasthan

Hawa Mahal

Situated right amidst the hustling and bustling centre of the Pink City – Jaipur, The honeycomb shaped Hawa Mahal or The Palace of Winds is one of the most beautiful and interesting architectural landmarks of entire Rajasthan! A visit to this beautiful architectural wonder is surely going to leave you surprised at the knowledge and wit of the “Civil engineers” of those days!

A Brief History

Built in 1799 under the orders of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh - grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the Hawa Mahal was primarily built for the queen and other royal ladies to witness every day street scenes and other royal processions on the street without being seen from outside. Owing to the prevalent culture in those days of the Royal ladies not stepping out in public places and avoid being seen by strangers – The Hawa Mahal served as a viewing auditorium for public life for the Royal ladies of the Kachhwaha Rajput dynasty

Photo of Hawa Mahal, Hawa Mahal Road, Badi Choupad, J.D.A. Market, Pink City, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India by ABHISHEK SANYAL

How to Reach

Hawa Mahal is located inside the walled boundary of the Pink City and can easily be reached by taxi or private cars from any part of Jaipur. It is located right on the edge of the Jaipur City Palace and stands as an extension to the women’s chambers. A grand door from the city palace side even to the entrance of the Hawa Mahal – amazing!

Visit Timing: Daily, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Ticket Price: INR 50 for Indians and INR 200 for Foreigners

Guide: INR 200

Hiring a guide is highly recommended to experience the important nook and corners and witness the places which offer the best views of the city

Architecture

Designed by the master Indian architect - Lal Chand Ustad, the pink and red sandstone made building rises to five stories and is a blend of Hindu Rajput architecture and Islamic Mughal architecture, with the fluted pillars, floral patterns and domed canopies representing the Hindu Rajput architecture and arches and stone inlay filigree work inspired by the Mughal Architecture

Built on the shape of the crown for Lord Krishna, the Hawa Mahal boasts of an impressive number of 953 honey comb shaped windows – or jharokhas as they were addressed in those days, some of which is also made of wood. It is through these beautifully and intricately designed windows that the Royal Rajput ladies would see the procession of Maharajas passing by the main street and also experience social lifestyle of the common people of those days.

An interesting fact lies in the design and build of these windows – jharokhas, these were designed and built in a manner which aids in air circulating naturally through them creating an air conditioning effect for the entire structure – even during the summers!

The interior consists of a number passages and stairways which lead you to the top of the building – offering magnificent views of the Pink city and almost all of its landmarks – including The City Palace , Jantar Mantar , Ganesh Temple and the hustling bustling Johri Bazar

The first two floors of this pyramid shaped building has small courtyards while the top three floors offer a single room width

The first floor houses the Sharad Mandir – where autumn celebrations took place.

The Beautifully designed glass work embedded second floor is known as Ratan Mandir. The top three floors are known as Vichitra Mandir – where it is said that the maharaja worshiped Lord Krishna, Prakash Mandir and Hawa Mandir.

There is also a large courtyard in the Hawa Mahal – surrounded by three two storied buildings. A present say archaeological museum is also housed in the courtyard.