Place:Jaipur, Rajasthan
Best time to visit : October and March
Timings: 9:00 A.M.- 4:00 P.M.(Daily)
Nearest Airport: Sanganer Airport - Jaipur (domestic
flights)
Entry Fee for Indian: Rs. 10.00
Foreigners Fee: Rs.30.00
Hawa Mahal is the most popular monument of Jaipur, located in the
Tripolia Bazaar in the west of GPO. Hawa Mahal or "The Palace
of Winds"was built in 1799 A.D by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh
(grand son of Sawai Jai Singh and son of Sawai Madhoo Singh) and Mr.
Lal Chand Usta was the architect. Sawai Pratap Singh was a great
devotee of Lord Krishna and he dedicated this mahal to the Lord. The
exterior wall of Hawa Mahal looks like a mukut (crown), which adorns
Lord Krishna's head.
Constructed in pink sandstone, Hawa Mahal is intricately carved and
bordered with white motives. Motifs and carvings designed on the
walls of the Hawa Mahal are proof of the efforts, dedication and
skillfulness of the artists of that period.
This five-story, pyramid-shaped structure endorse 953 small
peepholes, each with tiny lattice worked (jali) pink windows and
arched roofs with hanging cornices. Its façade makes Hawa
Mahal look more like a screen than a palace. The uppermost three
stories are just a single room thick but at the base are two
courtyards. It is a fifty-foot high thin shield, less than a foot in
thickness, but has over 900 niches and a mass of semi-octagonal
bays, carved sandstone grills.
The interiors of Hawa Mahal are stark and plain with a mass of
pillars and passages that lead to the top storey. The main motive
behind the making of Hawa Mahal was to enable ladies of the royal
household to watch the everyday life and royal processions of the
city.
The entrance of Hawa Mahal is beautifully adorned with a stately
door that opens into a spacious courtyard. The entrance to Hawa
Mahal is from City Palace side. The beautifully carved doors open
into the courtyard of Hawa Mahal, surrounded by double storeyed
building on three sides. The exotic monument also boost an
archeological museum. Only the eastern wing has three more storeys
above, which are just a single room thick. No regular stairs to
reach the upper floors, but only are ramps.
The best time to view Hawa Mahal is sunrise when it catches the
early morning sun and is bathed in its golden light making it glow
like a gem. The entrance is on the rear side of this building.
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