Located in the whimsically ancient city of Jaipur, the Hawa Mahal is an extraordinary landmark. With its pink sandstone exterior, delicately carved beehive-esque shape and unparalleled façade deluged in latticework, it’s easy to see why the palace is a bustling annex for the architecturally savvy.
The Hawa Mahal, also known as the ‘Palace of Winds’, was constructed in 1799 by the ruler Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as a ‘screen’ building so that the women of the royal household could observe parades and street festivals without being seen from the outside. The lattice that encases the 953 windows of the structure also allows cool air to pass through, serving an alternate purpose of an air conditioner to ventilate the whole interior during high temperatures in summers. Visitors are able to catch stunning views of Jantar Mantar and the City Palace from one side of the monument, while the other side showcases the Siredeori Bazaar.
The chiseled stone screens, small dormers and strikingly arched roofs are some of the prominent features of this palace. The five-storey edifice also boasts intricately modeled hanging cornices.
Lal Chand Ustad – the architect of this unique masterpiece – built the framework using red and pink coloured sand stone in order to keep up with the décor of the other monuments in the city. It would be accurate to say the Hawa Mahal’s colour is a full testimony to the epithet of “Pink City” given to Jaipur. In addition to façade, its cultural and architectural heritage is a strong representation of a synthesis between Hindu Rajput architecture and Islamic Mughal architecture; the Rajput style is illustrated through domed canopies, fluted pillars, lotus and floral patterns while the Islamic style is exhibited in its stone inlay filigree work and arches.
If you’d like a visit, make sure to plan it on a day between Saturday to Thursday so that you get a chance to to visit the small museum on the premises. It is known to display miniature paintings and some rich artifacts and relics such as ceremonial armours which contribute to the royal attribute of Hawa Mahal.
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