FACILITIES
AND SERVICES : Laundry service, Doctor on call,
24 Hours room service, Bar, Accept all mazor Credit Cards,
Elevator.
ARCHITECTURE OF HAWA MAHAL
Built in 1799, by Maharaja
Sawai Pratap Singh the Hawa Mahal, "Palace of the Wind",
is one of the major landmarks of Jaipur. It is an integral
part of the City Palace, an extension of the 'Zenana' or
Women's Chambers, standing away from the main complex. This
five storey building of unusual architecture designed by
Lal Chand Usta, is a stunning example of Rajput artistry
made of red and pink sand stone, beautifully outlined with
white borders and motif's painted with quick lime.
The monument with a spectacular
view of Jaipur city with road avenues, intersections and
colourful crowds in the market, was originally conceived
with the aim of enabling ladies of the royal household to
watch the everyday life and royal processions in the city
without being seen by others.
Its facade from the road
side makes Hawa Mahal look more like a delicate screen than
a palace. This five-story, pyramid-shaped structure has
tier after tier of 953 small casements, each with tiny lattice
worked (Jali) pink windows, small balconies and arched roofs
with hanging cornices, exquisitely modeled and carved. These
small windows circulate cool air even in hot months. The
pyramidal outline is even throughout by cramming and multiplying
casements; and uses repetition of motifs to enhance its
beauty.
THE ENTRANCE & COURTYARD
The entrance to Hawa Mahal
is from the City Palace side, through a stately door which
opens into a spacious courtyard. The courtyard has a double
storeyed building on three sides. There is a small archeological
museum here. Only the eastern wing has three more storeys
above, which are just a single room thick. The building,
standing on a high podium, is a fifty-foot high thin shield,
less than a foot in thickness, with small intimate chambers
, which give this palace its unique facade. There are no
regular stairs to reach the upper floors, but only ramps.
Hawa Mahal which is currently
under the supervision of the State Archeological Department
provides the visitor with excellent views of the city. The
best time to view Hawa Mahal is sunrise when sunlight through
the latticed windows gives it a wonderful glow. |
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