Hawa Mahal Jaipur

About Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal also known as Palace of the Wind, is a magnum opus of Rajput artistry. Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh constructed the palace in 1799. This 5 story magnificent palace built in red and pink sandstone is exquisitely bordered with motifs painted with quick lime. Hawa Mahal is an indispensable part of the City Palace, a dilatation of the Zenana Mahal a women's chambers, standing away from the main complex. The Mahal with a marvelous panorama of Jaipur City and kaleidoscopic view of market place was primarily entrenched with the aim of enabling ladies of the royal court to watch the royal processions and other activities on road without being seen by others.

Architecture of Hawa Mahal
This exquisitely modeled and carved structure was designed by Lal Chand Usta, is a remarkable example of Rajput artistry. Its camouflage from the roadside makes Hawa Mahal look more like a delicate screen than a palace. This five-story, pyramid-shaped structure has 953 small carapace with beautiful latticework on pink windows, small balconies and curvilinear roofs. These small windows circulate cool air even in the hottest summer months.

Entrance / Courtyard
Famous for it's Beehive like structure, the Hawa Mahal entrance is in the rear side of the main building, there is no entrance at the front portion of the Palace. There is a small archaeological museum in courtyard girdled by double story building on three sides. The building stands over a high lectern. It is a 50ft high thin shield, not even a foot in thickness, with small intimate chambers, which give the unique exterior to the structure. He upper floors can only be accessed by a ramp, as there are no regular stairs.

Important Information
Best Time to Visit : October- March
Timings : 9:00 hrs- 17:00hrs. Hawa Mahal can be visited during these hours.

Accessibility
Air : Jaipur can easily be accessed as there are regular flights connecting Jaipur to Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Varanasi.
Rail : Trains to Jaipur are available from all the major parts of the country. There are also special trains from Delhi such as the Palace on Wheels and Royal Orient Express, which makes a royal ride for the travelers.
Road : There are excellent bus services from all the major places in Rajasthan, Delhi and Mumbai.
To reach Hawa Mahal tourists' taxis, horse carts, rickshaws are also easily available.