Incredible India : Jaipur, Hawa Mahal
12:53:00 PM
Hawa Mahal is one of the many places in Jaipur that you have to visit. It is situated not far from our hotel and it takes about 15 to 20 minutes of tuk-tuk ride.
Hawa Mahal or "Palace of Winds", is a palace in Jaipur, India, so named because it was essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could observe street festivities while unseen from the outside. Constructed of red and pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, and extends to the zenana, or women's chambers.
Its unique five-storey exterior is akin to the honeycomb of a beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework.
The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen, since they had to obey strict "purdah" (face cover). The lattice also allows cool air from the Venturi effect through the intricate pattern, air conditioning the whole area during the high temperatures in summers.
As Hawa Mahal is known as "Palace of the Wind", you can actually feel the breeze going through the inner building as you walk through the place. Not one place left without the breeze. Because the building were built by red sand and some parts are made of marble, you can feel the coolness.
The fort that is situated on top of the hill is the Nahargarh fort. It's around 30 minutes of tuk-tuk ride and cost around Rs 350.
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