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Jaipur Heritage Monuments : Hawa Mahal

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Hawa Mahal Jaipur

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Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) at Bari Chaupar, Pink City Jaipur was built in 1799 A.D. by Maharaja Pratap Singh (1778-1803 A.D.).  The chief architect was Usta Lal Chand.

This five storied building has two large courts.  The names of the five stories are: Sharad Mandir, the first one where the autumn celebrations took place.  The second storey is known as Ratan Mandir because of the dazzling glasswork on its walls.  The third storey is called Vichitra Mandir, where the maharaja worshipped his deity Lord Krishna and the fourth Prakash Mandir with an open terrace on both sides.  The fifth storey is known as Hawa Mandir after which the whole structure came to be known as Hawa Mahal.

Hawa Mahal is a remarkable structure which overlooks one of the main streets and also provides some excellence views of the city. Hawa Mahal is an icon of Jaipur the Pink City and hence always in "must to visit" list of tourists on Jaipur tour.

Sawai Pratap Singh was a devotee of Lord Krishna and he dedicated this palace to his deity.  It is shaped like a "Mukut" or crown, which adorns the Lords's head.  This five storied pyramid shaped structure is made up of small casements, each with tine windows and arched roofs with hanging cornices, exquisitely modeled and carved.  This unusual structure is more like a screen than a palace, its top three stories are just a single room thick and at the base are two courtyards.  Basically, it is 87 feet high thin shield which is less than a foot in thickness but have over 900 niches and a mass of semi-octagonal bays, carved sandstone grills, finials and domes which give this palace its unique facade.

One very interesting feature of Hawa Mahal is the fact that the elaborate and decorative element exists only on one side.  There is a total lack of ornamentation on the inner face of the building.  The chambers are plain and more a mass of pillars and passages leading to the top storey.

Built at a time when ladies of the royal household observed very strict "pardaa", this unusual palace, with its screened balconies provided them with an opportunity to watch processions and other activities on the streets without being observed themselves.  The openings here are more like peep holes, partially blocked by fine lattice work in lime plaster and some with plain wooden windows.  Hawa Mahal, the place of winds, still lives upto its name - one is almost swept away by the cool breeze as one climbs up to the balconies.

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