Built
in 1799, by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the Hawa Mahal Palace (Palace
of the Wind , or Pink palace ) is one of the major landmarks of Jaipur
(Rajasthan - India). The structure is an interplay of red and pink sand
stone, carefully and painstakingly outlined with white borders and
motifs.
Jaipur's signature building the Hawa Mahal, a multi layered palace, was
built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Famous for it's Beehive like
structure, the Mahal is an interplay of red and pink sand stone,
carefully and painstakingly outlined with white borders and motifs. The
palaces and forts of yesteryears which were witness to the royal
processions and splendors are now living monuments, accepted quite
naturally into the life-style of the people of the "Pink City".
If
one were to select the most outstanding of all buildings in the walled
city, or the most unusual, then the Hawa Mahal would easily stand out.
Built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, this remarkable structure
adjoins the outside of the City Palace wall. Sawai Pratap Singh was a
great devotee of Lord Krishna and he dedicated this mahal to the Lord,
its intricate exterior wall looks like a mukut (crown), which adorns
Lord Krishna’s head. It overlooks one of the main street and lies
sandwiched between more prosaic buildings.
StructureThis
five-story, pyramid-shaped structure is made up of small casements, each
with tiny windows and arched roofs with hanging cornices, exquisitely
modeled and carved. Its top three stories are just a single room thick
but at the base are two courtyards. It is a fifty-foot high thin shield,
less than a foot in thickness, but has over 900 niches and a mass of
semi-octagonal bays, carved sandstone grills, finials and domes, which
give this palace its unique fame. There is no definite record as to why
Hawa Mahal was built, only conjecture. It certainly was not meant for
residential purposes. That becomes clear if one were to view this
unusual structure from the rear side. There is a total lack of
ornamentation on the inner face of the building. The chambers are plain
and more mass of pillars and passages leading to the top story. It does
not seem to be part of the same building. The Hawa Mahal lives up to its
name as one climbs up to the balconies and is almost swept away by the
cool breeze. Today, Hawa Mahal provides the visitor with some excellent
views of the city and a bird’s eye view of the Jantar Mantar (a
medieval observatory and an important tourist place in Jaipur). The best
time to view Hawa Mahal is sunrise when it catches the early morning sun
and is bathed in its golden light making it glow like a gem. The
entrance to this strange building is on the rear side.
