Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds, dominates the central business district of Jaipur, an incongruously attractive flashback in the midst of bustling contemporary commerce. Tradition has it that in 1799, Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh had it constructed in the shape of Krishna’s crown; its five-storey structure composed of red and pink sandstone and characterized by a honeycomb format featuring 953 latticed windows was intended to permit the royal ...
more Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds, dominates the central business district of Jaipur, an incongruously attractive flashback in the midst of bustling contemporary commerce. Tradition has it that in 1799, Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh had it constructed in the shape of Krishna’s crown; its five-storey structure composed of red and pink sandstone and characterized by a honeycomb format featuring 953 latticed windows was intended to permit the royal ladies to observe the citizens going about their daily lives while maintaining their own purdah. In keeping with its intended purpose, the Hawa Mahal seamlessly leads into the Zenana and the chambers of the harem. Best time to see it? At dawn, when the sun’s golden glow strikes it and brings out the richness of its pink and red stone.
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