Jaipur
Price $15
Min age 0
Rating 4.97 / 5 [256 ratings]
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Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
The intricate lattice-screened and salmon-pink facade of the Hawa Mahal, or the ‘Palace of Winds’, is probably the most iconic image of Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital.
Constructed in 1799 as an extension of the maharaja’s City Palace, it was designed to permit ladies of the royal court to see the comings and goings of the outside world without themselves being seen by strangers. This tradition of purdah – essentially female seclusion – was strictly observed by the royals.
Its hundreds of tiny arched windows and niches with decorative dome-like mouldings and balcony-like brackets are rather fetching. The entire mahal is reputedly shaped like the god Krishna’s crown. Surprisingly, there’s not much to see behind the facade.
Hawa Mahal is in the centre of Jaipur, just around the corner from City Palace and next to Badi Chaupar metro station.
Many visitors content themselves with a (free) look at the facade from the public road it overlooks. Iconic though it is, the Hawa Mahal is really just about its remarkable facade.
However, you can visit the interior and, just as the courtly ladies once did, gaze out through its diminutive windows and screens. Buy tickets on the spot; access is via a small lane off Tripolia Bazar.
The Palace is open all year round, seven days a week. It’s worth noting that as the building faces east, you’ll want to be there in the morning – the earlier the better – to catch the best sun-lit pictures of its photogenic facade.
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