Hawa Mahal is a palace/haveli located in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Hawa Mahal is also one of the famous tourist places in Rajasthan. Hawa Mahal was built in 1798 by Sawai Pratap Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur. Hawa Mahal is 953 windows. Due to the cool cold air coming from these windows, he got the name, Hawa Mahal. This palace is located in JDA Road, Badi Chaupar Jaipur.
History
Hawa Mahal was built in 1798 by Sawai Pratap Singh, Maharaja of Jaipur. This palace was built for the Rajput women so that they could see the public activities and programs happening in the city. At that time, the curtain practice was prevalent in Rajasthan. In which Rajput women were not allowed to exit. It is also said that this palace was built to get rid of the heat.
This palace has 953 windows which receive a cool breeze. This five-story building fascinates Indian and foreign tourists. Hawa Mahal, one of the famous tourist places from Rajasthan, is the highest palace in the world.
Architecture
The palace is a five-story pyramid-shaped monument that rises to about 50 feet (15 m). The top three floors of the structure have a room width, while the first and second floors have slabs in front of them. The front elevation, as seen from the road, is like a hive with small portholes. Each porthole has miniature windows and carved sandstone grills, phenyl and domes. It gives the appearance of a mass of semi-octagonal segments, which gives the monument its unique identity. The interior of the backside of the building has rooms built with pillars and corridors with minimal adornment and reaches the floor above. The interior of the palace is described as having “rooms of different coloured stones, with relief from inlaid panels or gilding; while fountains adorn the centre of the courtyard”.
Lal Chand Ustad was the architect of this unique structure. The red and pink sandstone constructed, taking into account the decoration of the other monuments of the city, its color is a complete proof for the symbol “Pink City” given to Jaipur. Its forged carving depicts 953 fingernails with carved vents (some made of wood), in contrast to the plain-looking backside 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, fragrant pillars, lotuses, and floral patterns, and the Islamic style is evident in its stone rootwork and arches (distinguished by its similarity with the Panch Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri) .
Location: Badi Chaupad
Timing: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm; every day
Entry Fees: ₹ 50 for Indians; ₹ 200 for foreigners