Hawa Mahal

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For other uses, see Hawa (disambiguation).

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Hawa Mahal

Front of the Hawa Mahal, or "Palace of the Winds", Jaipur

Location within Rajasthan

General information

Architectural style

Rajput Architecture

Town or city

Jaipur

Country

India

Coordinates

26.923611N 75.826667E

Completed

1799

Client

Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh

Technical details

Structural system

Red and pink sandstone

Design and construction

Architect

Lal Chand Usta

Hawa Mahal (Hindi: English translation: "Palace of Winds" or "Palace of the Breeze"), is a palace
in Jaipur, India, so named because it was essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the
royal household could observe street festivities while unseen from the outside. Constructed of red
and pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, and extends to the zenana, or
women's chambers.
Contents
[hide]

1 History

2 Architecture

3 Visitor information

4 Gallery

5 Notes

6 References

7 External links

History[edit]

Hawa Mahal and the principal street, c. 1875

The structure was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh designed by Lal Chand Ustad in
the form of the crown of Krishna, the Hindu god. Its unique five-storey exterior is akin to the
honeycomb of a beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas decorated with
intricate latticework.[1] The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to observe
everyday life in the street below without being seen, since they had to obey strict "purdah" (face
cover). The lattice also allows cool air from the Venturi effect (doctor breeze) through the intricate
pattern, air conditioning the whole area during the high temperatures in summers. [1][2][3]
In 2006, restoration and renovation works on the Mahal were undertaken, after a gap of 50 years, to
give a face lift to the monument at an estimated cost of Rs 4568 million.[4] The corporate sector lent a
hand to preserve the historical monuments of Jaipur and the Unit Trust of India has adopted Hawa
Mahal to maintain it.[5] The palace is an extended part of a huge complex. The stone-carved screens,
small casements and arched roofs are some of the features of this popular tourist spot. The
monument also has delicately modeled hanging cornices. Just like the other monuments of Jaipur,
the palace is also constructed in pink and red colored stone.

Architecture[edit]

Detailed view of faade from the main road

Rear view with the two most ornate top storeys

The palace is a five-storey pyramidal shaped monument that rises 50 feet (15 m) from its high base.
The top three floors of the structure have a dimension of one room width while the first and second
floors have patios in front of them. The front elevation, as seen from the street, is like a honeycomb
web of a beehive, built 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 faade. The inner face on the back side of the building consists of
need-based 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". [6][7]
Lal Chand Ustad was the architect of this unique structure. Built in red and pink coloured sand stone,
in keeping with the dcor of the other monuments in the city, its colour is a full testimony to the
epithet of "Pink City" given to Jaipur. Its faade depicts 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
the 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 - the palace of winds - at Fatehpur
Sikri).[8]
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. [9]
Hawa Mahal was also known as the chef-d'uvre 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 faade, was enhanced by the
fountains provided at the centre of each of the chambers.[10]
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.[9]

Visitor information[edit]
The palace, called a "specimen of fanciful architecture",[citation needed] is located to the south of the Jaipur
city, at the main road intersection called the Badi Chaupad (big four square). Jaipur city is well
connected by road, rail and air links with the rest of the country.[8] Jaipur Railway Station is a central
main station on the broad gauge line of the Indian Railways. As well, Jaipur is connected by major
roads, and by the International Airport at Sanganer, at a distance of 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the
city.
Entry to the Hawa Mahal is not from the front but from a side road to the rear end. Facing the Hawa
Mahal, turning right and again to the first right, leads to an archway entry and then to the rear side of
the building.[11]
It is particularly striking when viewed early in the morning, lit with the golden light of sunrise. [2][3]

Gallery[edit]

A panoramic view of the Hawa Mahal

Interior

Jharoka, or latticed window

Coloured glass work. When the sun light enters, the entire chamber fills with the spectrum of various
colours.

View from the back part towards Samrat Yantra of Jantar Mantar in this photo at top right corner in the
form of inclined wall. Isarlat is also visible in this photo at left top corner as a large tower.

Hawa Mahal seen from the adjoining street

Detail view of exterior

Top west side on a stormy afternoon

Notes[edit]
1.

^ Jump up to:a b Rai, Vinay; William L. Simon (2007). Think India: the rise of the world's next
superpower and what it means for every American. Hawa Mahal (Dutton). p. 194.ISBN 0-525-950206. Retrieved 6 December 2009.

2.

^ Jump up to:a b "Hawa Mahal". Retrieved 6 December 2009.

3.

^ Jump up to:a b "Japiur, the Pink City". Retrieved 6 December 2009.

4.

Jump up^ "Restoration of Hawa Mahal in Jaipur". Snoop News. 22 March 2005. Retrieved10
December 2009.

5.

Jump up^ "INTACH Virasat" (pdf). Jaipur. Intach.org. p. 13.[dead link][dead link]

6.

Jump up^ "Hawa Mahal Jaipur". Retrieved 7 December 2009.

7.

Jump up^ Sitwell, Sacheverel (1962). The red chapels of Banteai Srei: and temples in
Cambodia, India, Siam, and Nepal. Hawa Mahal (Weidenfeld and Nicolson). p. 174. Retrieved7
December 2009.

8.

^ Jump up to:a b "Hawa Mahal of Jaipur in Rajasthan, this is wrongIndia". Retrieved 7

December2009.

9.

^ Jump up to:a b "Hawa Mahal". Retrieved 10 December 2009.

10.

Jump up^ Rousselet, Loius; Charles Randolph Buckle (2005). India and its native princes:
travels in Central India and in the presidencies of Bombay and Bengal. Hawa Mahal (Asian
Educational Services). p. 228. ISBN 81-206-1887-4. Retrieved 10 December 2009.

11.

Jump up^ Brown, Lindsay; Amelia Thomas (2008). Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra. Hawa
Mahal(Lonely Planet). pp. 15758. ISBN 1-74104-690-4. Retrieved 7 December 2009.