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Places to See in India : Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan

by: Meenakshi

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, one of the most beautiful monuments of India and a landmark building of Jaipur built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. Hawa Mahal literally means “Palace of Breeze” or “Palace of wind”. The palace is designed in the shape of Lord Krishna’s crown. Lal Chand Usta was the main designer of Hawa Mahal. The front of the building is huge and magnificent with attention given to every minute detail. Decorated with intricate carvings the Hawa Mahal is the real look into the glorious past of Rajasthan. The whole structure is such a beautiful sight that you cannot actually describe it in words.

General Information:
State : Rajasthan
Location : It's located approximately 260 kilometers (160 miles) south west of Delhi.
Population : There are around 5 million residents
Area : 200.4 km² (77 sq mi)

Image credit: http://shyamhappytour.com/rajasthan-pictures/Hawa%20Mahal,Jaipur.jpg

How to Reach?
By Air:

Jaipur Airport (JAI/VIJP) is situated in Sanganer, Jaipur. Direct flights from Sharjah, Dubai, Dublin, Muscat and London land here. The flights coming from Singapore and Bangkok reach here via Delhi. The airport is well connected with almost all the major cities of India and has frequent service.

By Train:

The cheapest way to reach Jaipur is through train. Jaipur has a good network of trains connecting majority of cities and states of India. One can find daily trains heading towards Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Indore, Kanpur, Allahabad, Jammu etc.

By Road:

Buy Bus:
The Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation network connects Jaipur to all the major cities of India. There are some private buses also, that operate between the major cities and Jaipur.

By car :
This is the most popular way of reaching from Delhi. The journey by car from Delhi to Jaipur takes less than 4hrs. NH 8 connects Delhi to Jaipur via the industrial township of Gurgaon. The road is excellent.

Best Time to Visit Hawa Mahal :
The best time to visit Hawa Mahal is the early morning, when sun rises and the whole monument just glows up and is drenched in the golden and pink light. The sight is incredible and you can’t stop admiring the beauty. Looking at the sun from the windows is mesmerizing and a moment to cherish lifelong.

Image credit: http://images.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=img&q=http://www.jetwaysindia.com/indiatravelagent/tourist-places-rajasthan/images/hawa-mahal-jaipur.jpg&usg=AFQjCNEaKWYfZMgSdx_yoo3IDTrdm5BOmA

The front of the palace has 953 small windows called ‘Jharokha’. The main reason to construct these Jharokas was to allow the royal women to see the day-to-day life through these windows as royal women then were not allowed to move out or seen by general public. Through these windows, they were able to see the day-to-day life in the street below without being noticed by public. These windows are decorated with tiny latticework inspired by both i.e. Mughal and Rajputana style of architecture.

Image credit: http://images.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=img&q=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Hawa_Mahal_in_Jaipur.jpg&usg=AFQjCNEOrjbhoI3p4zxkEzGp-gIfAEUqrQ

The building is well maintained and it still speaks the glory of the royal family and you get a glimpse of a mix of Rajputana & Mughal architecture. The Hawa Mahal is a famous place among visitors from across the globe because of the amazing view it offers of the city and particularly Jantar Mantar, another famous tourist attraction in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Hawa Mahal tops the visitor’s list of “Palaces to see in India” and “Must visit destinations in India”.

Hawa Mahal is a pyramid shaped five-storey structure that stands 50 feet high above the ground. The Hawa Mahal is built in pink and red sandstone that gives it a beautiful color. Most of the buildings of Jaipur are made with pink and red sandstones and probably that’s the reason Jaipur is called the “Pink City of Rajasthan”. The rear side of the building is plain as compared to the front and it also lacks the intricate designs and decorations. More emphasis was given to the front details than to the rear view.

The top three floors of the building are not wider than the bottom two floors. Rather they are just as wide as a room. The bottom two floors are big, spacious and have patios in front of them, on the rear side of the structure. The front of the palace has a structure as that of a beehive built with small portholes. Each porthole has miniature window carved with sandstone grills, finials and domes. The semi-octagonal covered balconies give a unique look to the monument.

Image credit: http://images.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=img&q=http://www.sights-and-culture.com/India-Jaipur/Jaipur-Hawa-Mahal-detail.jpg&usg=AFQjCNFKImUWpQWqGnttQmbLsI-X5-0q1g