HAWA MAHAL , JAIPUR

HAWA MAHAL , JAIPUR

Jaipur’s most-distinctive landmark, the Hawa Mahal is an extraordinary pink-painted, delicately honeycombed hive that rises a dizzying five storeys. It was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh to enable ladies of the royal household to watch the life and processions of the city. The top offers stunning views over Jantar Mantar and the City Palace in one direction and over Sireh Deori Bazaar in the other.

The main reason behind the making of Hawa Mahal was to felicitate Rajput women who were not allowed to appear in public places. Through this fort all the women used to catch the glimpses of royal processions, hustles and bustles of the city. It is for the women's benefit that the Hawa Mahal was built, complete with small windows and screened balconies. This gave the women a sense of freedom, without appearing in public.

Hawa Mahal is one of the most famous ancient monuments of Rajasthan. Hawa Mahal was built in 1799 A.D by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. ... Hawa Mahal is so called because it has about 953 windows through which breeze flows and keeps the palace cool.

Situated at Badi Choupad, Pink City of Jaipur, Hawa Mahal was built in 1799. It has 953 windows on the outside walls. The honeycomb shaped and beautifully carved windows allow breeze to blow through the palace and makes it a perfect summer palace. It was built as an extension to the City Palace nearby.


Speciality of Hawa Mahal:

The Name Hawa Mahal Means 'Palace Of Winds' Hawa Mahal is known so because it unique five-storey exterior is akin to the honeycomb of a beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas through which the breeze flows in and keeps the palace cool.Hawa Mahal means the 'Palace of Winds' or the 'Wind Palace'. It has 953 small windows (Jharokas), they were built to keep the wind blowing inside the palace. It was a summer retreat for many Rajputs families during olden times. Hawa Mahal is one of the major attractions in Jaipur.


Construction of Hawa Mahal: 

The palace is a five-storey pyramidal shaped monument that rises to about 50 feet (15 m). The top three floors of the structure have the width of a single room, while the first and second floors have patios in front of them. The front elevation, as seen from the street, is like a honeycomb with small portholes. Each porthole has miniature windows and carved sandstone grills, finials and domes. It gives the appearance of a mass of semi-octagonal bays, giving the monument its unique façade. The inner face on the back side of the building consists of chambers built with pillars and corridors with minimal ornamentation, and reach up to the top floor. The interior of the Mahal has been described as "having rooms of different coloured marbles, relieved by inlaid panels or gilding; while fountains adorn the centre of the courtyard".

Lal Chand Ustad was the architect of this unique structure. Built in red and pink coloured sandstone, in keeping with the décor of the other monuments in the city, its colour is a full testimony to the epithet of "Pink City" given to Jaipur. Its façade depicting 953 niches with intricately carved jharokhas (some are made of wood) is a stark contrast to the plain looking rear side of the structure. Its cultural and architectural heritage is a true reflection of a fusion of Hindu Rajput architecture and Islamic Mughal architecture; the Rajput style is seen in the form of domed canopies, fluted pillars, lotus, and floral patterns, and the Islamic style as evident in its stone inlay filigree work and arches (as distinguished from its similarity with the Panch Mahal at Fatehpur Sikri).

The entry to the Hawa Mahal from the city palace side is through an imperial door. It opens into a large courtyard, which has double storeyed buildings on three sides, with the Hawa Mahal enclosing it on the east side. An archaeological museum is also housed in this courtyard.

Hawa Mahal was also known as the chef-d'œuvre of Maharaja Jai Singh as it was his favourite resort because of the elegance and built-in interior of the Mahal. The cooling effect in the chambers, provided by the breeze passing through the small windows of the façade, was enhanced by the fountains provided at the centre of each of the chambers.

The top two floors of the Hawa Mahal are accessed only through ramps. The Mahal is maintained by the archaeological Department of the Government of Rajasthan.