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PINK MAHAL JAIPUR

Castle Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan !!

PINK MAHAL JAIPUR

The Hawa Mahal is a palace in the city of Jaipur, India. Built from red and pink sandstone, it is on the edge of the City Palace, Jaipur, and extends to the Zenana, or women’s chambers. The Hawa Mahal. Eastern façade of the Hawa Mahal, 2022. Built in 1799, Hawa Mahal, or ‘The Palace of Winds’ has 953 intricately designed windows situated on its outside walls. These windows are also called ‘Jharokhas’. The gorgeous red and pink sandstone windows are perfectly shaped to allow a free flow of breeze through the palace, making summers seem more pleasant.

Architects: Pratap Singh of Jaipur, Lal Chand Ustad
Main Contractor: Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh
Height: 15 m
Opened: 1799
Architectural Styles: Mughal architecture, Rajput architecture
Floors: 5
Function: Palace

The structure was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of the city of Jaipur, India. He was so inspired by the unique structure of Khetri Mahal that he built this grand and historical palace. It was designed by Lal Chand Ustad. Its five-floor exterior is akin to a honeycomb with its 953 small windows called Jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework. The original intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen since they had to obey the strict rules of “purdah”, which forbade them to appear in public without face coverings. This architectural feature also allowed cool air from the Venturi effect to pass through, thus making the whole area more pleasant during the high temperatures in summer. Many people see the Hawa Mahal from the street view and think it is the front of the palace, but it is the back.

PINK MAHAL JAIPUR ADDRESS, CONTACT AND TIMINGS INFORMATION

Pink Mahal Jaipur Address: Hawa Mahal Rd, Badi Choupad, J.D.A. Market, Pink City, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302002

Pink Mahal Jaipur Contact/Phone/Mobile Number: 0141 261 8033

Pink Mahal Jaipur Timings/Opening Hours:

  • Sunday: 9am–5pm
  • Monday: 9am–5pm
  • Tuesday: 9am–5pm
  • Wednesday: 9am–5pm
  • Thursday: 9am–5pm
  • Friday: 9am–5pm
  • Saturday: 9am–5pm

    PINK MAHAL JAIPUR DIRECTION/LOCATION/MAP

    PINK CITY HAWA MAHAL

    In 2006, renovation works on the Mahal were undertaken, after a gap of 50 years, to give a facelift to the monument at an estimated cost of Rs 4.568 million. The corporate sector lent a hand to preserve the historical monuments of Jaipur and the Unit Trust of India has adopted Hawa Mahal to maintain it. The palace is an extended part of a huge complex. The stone-carved screens, small casements, and arched roofs are some of the features of this popular tourist spot. The monument also has delicately modeled hanging cornices.

    Designed in red and pink sandstone, this one-of-its-kind palace boasts a pyramidal shape. It has five stories and rises to a height of 50 feet. The 953 windows featured on the front part of the palace lend it a honeycombed hive look. Thanks to the exceptional latticework on these windows, the palace experiences a cooling effect as the breeze blows in through them. Delicately designed hanging cornices are another attractive aspect of Hawa Mahal’s architecture. The best time to visit Hawa Mahal is during the sunrise and sunset hours when the golden sun rays light up the whole red and pink structure in a spellbinding manner.

    HAWA MAHAL PINK CITY

    Hawa Mahal is also famous as the “Palace of Winds”. It is one of the outstanding destinations for tourists which is situated in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was constructed by the king of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799. It allows royal ladies to see the life of people in street without appearing in public. Hawa Mahal is popular for its 953 windows also known as jharokhas which are decorated with an intricate design by the main architect Lal Chand Ustad. The whole palace is constructed in pink and red-colored stone just like other palaces of Jaipur. The architecture of Hawa Mahal, the surrounding environment, and the great history of the palace attracts tourism the most.

    Lal Chand Ustad was the architect of this unique structure who also planned Jaipur city, considered then as one of the best-planned cities in India. Built-in red and pink colored sandstone, in keeping with the décor of the other monuments in the city, its color is a full testimony to the epithet of “Pink City” given to Jaipur. Its façade depicts 953 inches with intricately carved Jharokhas (some are made of wood) is a stark contrast to the plain-looking rear side of the structure. Its cultural and architectural heritage is a true reflection of a fusion of Hindu Rajput architecture and Islamic Mughal architecture; the Rajput style is seen in the form of domed canopies, fluted pillars, lotus and floral patterns, and the Islamic style as evident in its stone inlay filigree work and arches (as distinguished from its similarity with the Panch Mahal – the palace of winds – at Fatehpur Sikri).

    This palace is a five-story pyramidal-shaped monument that rises to about 50 feet (15 m). The top three floors of the structure have the width of a single room, while the first and second floors have patios in front of them. The front elevation, as seen from the street, is like a honeycomb with small portholes. Each porthole has miniature windows and carved sandstone grills, finials, and domes. It gives the appearance of a mass of semi-octagonal bays, giving the monument its unique façade. The inner face on the back side of the building consists of chambers built with pillars and corridors with minimal ornamentation, and reach up to the top floor. The interior of the palace has been described as “having rooms of different colored marbles, relieved by inlaid panels or gilding; while fountains adorn the center of the courtyard”.

    JAIPUR PINK CITY HAWA MAHAL

    Lal Chand Usta was the architect. Built-in red and pink colored sandstone, in keeping with the décor of the other monuments in the city, its color is a full testimony to the epithet of “Pink City” given to Jaipur. Its façade with 953 niches with intricately carved jharokhas (some are made of wood) is a stark contrast to the plain-looking rear side of the structure. Its cultural and architectural heritage is a reflection of a fusion of Hindu Rajput architecture and Islamic Mughal architecture; the Rajput style is seen in the form of domed canopies, fluted pillars, lotus, and floral patterns, and the Islamic style as evident in its stone inlay filigree work and arches (as distinguished from its similarity with the Panch Mahal at Fatehpur Sikri). The entry to the Hawa Mahal from the city palace side is through an imperial door. It opens into a large courtyard, which has double-storeyed buildings on three sides, with the Hawa Mahal enclosing it on the east side. An archaeological museum is also housed in this courtyard.

    Hawa Mahal was also known as the chef-d’œuvre of Maharaja Jai Singh as it was his favorite resort because of the elegance and built-in interior of the Mahal. The cooling effect in the chambers, provided by the breeze passing through the small windows of the façade, was enhanced by the fountains provided at the center of each of the chambers. The top two floors of the Hawa Mahal are accessed only through ramps. The Mahal is maintained by the archaeological department of the Government of Rajasthan.

    One can only imagine the royal gossip exchanged behind the pink sandstone screen of Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal when women of the royal household gathered on the upper floors of the five-story palace to watch street festivals below while they remained invisible to the outside world. Built-in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as an extension to the Royal Palace, the iconic structure reflects the maharaja’s devotion to Lord Krishna as its honeycomb pattern resembles the Hindu god’s crown. Intricate stone inlays and filigree work reminiscent of Islamic architecture blend with floral patterns and fluted pillars to make it one of the finest examples of Rajput design. Named “Palace of Winds” for a clever cooling system that sent breezes through the inner rooms during the intense Rajasthan summers, the Hawa Mahal remains the Pink City’s most distinctive landmark even lacking the winds for which it was named. (In modern times, the clever cooling design was lost when a renovation added windows behind each of the lattice openings.) A small museum offers small paintings, ceremonial relics, and other souvenirs evocative of Jaipur’s royal past.