by Jaipur has a history of its own. The capital city of Rajasthan has always been one of my favorites. The collage of colours that is evident in every aspect of Jaipur makes it truly exclusive to the core. Moreover, the city is home to numerous historic monuments and Hawa Mahal Jaipur is one of these.
Let me take you on a virtual trail of this exquisite location, we all know by the name of Hawa Mahal.
My first visit to Hawa Mahal Jaipur was during my school days. On a winter morning in December, we reached our first stop for the day Hawa Mahal. Well, I was fairly surprised to see that even such a monument could exist with so many open windows.
It was years later when I visited Jaipur on a professional trip that I got to know that Jaipur Hawa Mahal has 953 windows on its outer wall. No doubt, it is aptly named Hawa Mahal.
Hawa Mahal History
The might of the Rajput’s is clearly evident in the elegance of Hawa Mahal Jaipur. This mahal was build by Maharaja Sawai Partap in the year 1799. The red and pink sandstone structure is an excellent description of artistic instinct of rulers of 18th century. As the region also had some Mughal influence, Hawa Mahal Jaipur has impression of both these architectures. The honeycomb façade of Hawa Mahal Jaipur gives an insight into cultural richness that Rajput rulers possessed during that era.
The objective of Hawa Mahal was to offer a private space to royal ladies to get a glimpse of the vibrancy of Jaipur even while the privacy of royal ladies was preserved in its true eternity.
Images by Author
Inspiration Behind Hawa Mahal Jaipur
Ketri Mahal in Jhunjhunu Rajasthan is said to be the inspiring force behind Hawa Mahal Jaipur. This mahal was built by Raja Bhopal Singh and Raja Sawai Partap felt so impressed looking at Ketri mahal that he wanted something on these lines for himself too. Ketri mahal has a small archway opening that lets fresh air in and keeps the ambiance cooler. However, the royalty in Japur always wanted something of a bigger scale, this a lavish Hawa Mahal was also constructed in Jaipur.
Hawa Mahal is an extension of the Royal City Palace and was reserved for the royal ladies who enjoyed all the good will of Royal life even in those days when we all were ages away from technological boom.
Architecture of Jaipur Hawa Mahal
Once you are inside Hawa Mahal, the elegance of the place is likely to leave its lasting impression on you. This mahal has been designed in form of Krishna’s crown as Sarai Pratap Singh was a devotee of Lord Krishna.
The windows have been designed and placed in such a manner that cool summer breeze circulated through all 953 windows at the same time. This kept the inside ambiance cool and Royal ladies could enjoy within without coming in the gaze of public.
The Mahal does not has any stairs and instead ramps were constructed to take Royal ladies from one floor to other with help of Palanquin. Such were the days! Interestingly, as was the culture of those days that royal ladies had to remain in purdah so the king with help from Lal Chand designed a grill known as Aakash Patal Jali which kept the women in purdah even when they could enjoy the chit chat of the busy Johari bazar below.
The Rattan Mandir on the second floor of Hawa Mahal Jaipur is known for its colorful glasswork which has been preserved even today.
You can enter Hawa Mahal from the City Palace side, and it opens into a courtyard with double story building on its side and Hawa Mahal on its eastern side.
Each Floor with its Uniqueness
Hawa Mahal has five stories, and Sharad Mandir lies on first floor. The other floors in their order are known as Rattan Mandir, Vichitra Mandir, Parkash Mandir and Hawa Mandir.
You can also have a glimpse of the Rajasthani Miniature art within this Hawa Mahal.
When to Visit Hawa Mahal Jaipur
Ideally, early morning is the best time to plan a visit to Hawa Mahal Jaipur as the early morning sun creates a unique ambiance and the glow of the morning sun shall also reflect on your face.
The Mahal opens up at 9:00 am and you can visit the place till 4:30 in the evening. It is open on all days including Sunday and any other public holiday.
The city has much to offer to the visitors beyond Hawa Mahal and as I discovered over the years, you can also visit other architectural marvels in this city including Amber Fort, Nahargarh Fort and Jal Mahal.
More on these in the coming posts on the Royal Rajasthan!
