Hawa Mahal

History

The renowned 'Palace Of The Winds', or Hawa Mahal, is one of the outstanding tourist attractions in Jaipur city. It is located in the heart of Jaipur, beautiful five-storey palace was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who belonged to Kachhwaha Rajput dynasty. It is made of red and pink sandstone and was built by Lal Chand Ustad. This palace is believed to have been constructed in the form of the crown of Krishna. The attraction of Mahal is its pyramid shape and  953 windows (Jharokhas) which are decorated with beautiful designs. The main motive behind the creation of Mahal was to facilitate the royal women and provide them a view of everyday life through the windows, as they never carry in public.

History

It was in 1799, the Kachhwaha Rajput ruler, Sawai Pratap Singh, grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh who built Jaipur.Sawai Pratap Singh's devotion to Lord Krishna is conspicuous in the palace's construction as it resemble the lord's crown. Many reasons behind the construction of the fort, Purdah system followed by the Rajputs is said to be one of the main reason. During those days, Rajput royal women did not came in public or in front of crowed or strangers because of fear. They were follow the day-to-day events and royal processions occurring on the streets of every city. It is for their benefit that the Hawa Mahal was constructed so that nobody can harm them, they complete with small windows and screened balconies. This gave the women a sense of freedom, without appearing in public.

Architecture

Hawa Mahal is constructed as a beehive castle with many small windows, which has a height of 50 feet from its base. This structure, erected on a thin shield or podium approximately 50 feet high, has walls less than a foot thick from the ground. Construction of red and pink sand stones by Lal Chand Ustad, Hawa Mahal is well known for its windows or (Jharokhas) which enable free rotation of air. Its entrance is a door which is spacious courtyard surrounded by two-storey buildings on three sides of every portion.The top three storeys have a single room while the bottom storeys have courtyards. The building does not have stairs to reach the upper floors, the storeys are connected with slopes. At the top of Hawa Mahal, you have an beautiful view of the city.

Nearby Tourist Attractions

The various attractive and beautiful, well decorated places around Hawa Mahal like the Govind Devji temple,Jantar Mantar, Ram Niwas Bagh, Amar fort, BM Birla Planetarium, Statue Circle, Sisodia Rani Garden, Jain Temple and so on which are very beautiful and attractive places. This also tells us the various old stories of these places.Hope this article about Hawa Mahal familiarizes you with Hawa Mahal and its historic significance.