Where is the Hawa Mahal?
The Hawa Mahal is located in the city of Jaipur in the northwestern Indian
state of Rajasthan. The Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds, a major landmark
of the city, ropes in hordes of tourists and travellers from all across the
globe.
How will you gain access?
The Sanganer Airport (Jaipur) is located at the a distance of 11 km from
the city centre. There are direct flight services available to Delhi,
Mumbai, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Aurangabad. By rail-route, the city of Jaipur
has direct links with Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Secundarabad,
Agra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The Delhi-Jaipur National
Highway is one of the finest in the country. The Rajasthan Roadways plies
regular AC and deluxe coaches from Delhi.
What are the timings and the entry charges?
The Hawa Mahal can be visited from 09-30 to 16-30 hours. The entry charges
for both Indians and foreign national is Rs 5.
What does the past say?
The Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds was erected by Maharaja Sawai Pratap
Singh in the year 1799. The palace stands abutting the outside of the City
Palace. Sawai Pratap Singh was a devotee of Lord Krishna and he dedicated
the palace to the lord. The exterior of the palace looks like a Mukut
(Crown), which adorns Lord Krishna's head. It is believed that this palace
provided the royal ladies with an opportunity to watch processions and other
activities in the streets below.
What goes behind the architecture?
The pyramidal structure of the Hawa Mahal has five storeys, consisting of
small casements with tiny windows and arched roofs with hanging cornices.
The frontage of the palace resembles a screen. The top three storeys are
just a single-room thick but the base has two courtyards. The palace is a
fifty foot high thin shield, measuring less than a foot in thickness. The
massive structure has over 900 niches, a mass of semi-octagonal bays,
sandstone grills, finials and domes. One can easily observe a total lack of
ornamentation on the inner surface of the building. The chambers do not bear
any particular design. They are plain and do not appear to be part of the
same building. The palace symbolises a wonderful mix of the Hindu and the
Mughal style of architecture.
What are the nearby attractions?
» City Palace
The city palace acquires a position in the heart of the Pink City of
Jaipur. The palace comprises of numerous pavillions, courtyards, chambers,
gardens and palaces. The construction of the palace was begun by Maharaja
Jai Singh II. The present Maharaja still resides with his family in a
portion of the palace. The rest part of the palace is open for public
visits.
» Jantar Mantar
The Jantar Mantar is an observatory which was built by the astronomer king
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh in the year 1726. The observatory is a store-house
of futuristic scientific instruments or Yantras.
» Gaitor
At a distance of 15 km from Jaipur lies the place called Gaitor. It
is popular for the cenotaphs or the Chhatris of the Jaipur rulers. Here, one
can find the cenotaphs of Maharaja Pr atap Singh, Maharaja Madho Singh II
and Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II besides others. Built in white marble, the
cenotaph of Maharaja Jai Singh II, is the most prominent.
