Rajasthan's rich architectural vocabulary, the fanciful Hawa Mahal or 'Palace of Winds' was erected in
1799 by the aesthete Sawai Pratap Singh. Hawa Mahal is down the street from the City Palace, within
the Old City.
Built for the queen and her companions to inhabit it, it boasts of receiving the coolest breezes in town.
In all its 935-window glory, it may seem to be a letdown when you actually see it, mainly because the
windows are just larger facade of the pyramid shaped palace and not the place itself that rises over five
storeys. Each window decorated with tiny lattice work. From the outside it looks like a giant piece of
honeycomb whilst from the inside the small windows allowed air to circulate, keeping the palace cool.
It was designed in a way to enable allowed veiled ladies of the Harem to observe unnoticed lively street
scenes below or just look at everyday life passing by without showing themselves.
Dedicated to Lord Krishna, the Hawa Mahal, seen from afar, looks like the mukut(crown) that often
adorns the god's head. Hawa Mahal houses some of the olderst artifacts in Rajasthan-the museum is
well worth the visit if you are interested in learning about the pre-history of Rajasthan. Visitors can
climb up the winding ramp to the top, and a gateway towards the west leads into the Complex.
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