Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal in English is also known as "Places of winds" is a palace in Jaipur, India. It is built of red and pink sandstone. The palace site is in the vicinity of City Place of Jaipur, Rajasthan.

The intricate construction was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. He was so intimidated and inspired by the unique structure of Khetri Mahal and which leads to building the grand and historical Hawa Mahal.

The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to see everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen since they had to obey strict "purdah".

The lattice also allows blown of cool air from the Venturi effect through the intricate pattern, air conditioning the whole area during the high temperatures at the summers.

The architecture of Hawa Mahal

The palace is a five-story pyramidal shaped monument and has a height of 50 feet. The above 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 of Hawa Mahal, as seen from the street, is like a honeycomb with small portholes.

Each porthole has miniature windows and intricately carved sandstone grills, finials and domes. It gives the appearance of a mass of semi-octagonal bays, giving the monument its unique front.

The inner face on the backside of the building have chambers built with pillars and corridors with minimal ornamentation and reach up to the top floor.

Lal Chand Ustad was the architect of this structure. Built-in red and pink coloured sandstone, in keeping with the décor of the other monuments in the city, its colour is full evidence to the epithet of Jaipur.

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Its front depicting 953 niches with intricately carved jharokhas is a dark 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.

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

Hawa Mahal was also known as the chef-d’œuvre of Maharaja Jai Singh due to 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 front side, was enhanced by the fountains provided at the centre of each of the chambers.

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