Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds

Hawa Mahal

‌Last, to last weekend I was in Jaipur which is known for its rich cultural and architectural history and also Jaipur is known as Pink city. But here many people think why this city is called as a pink city? Is whole city painted pink? No, the whole city is not actually painted pink. Jaipur is known as pink city because in 1876 Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria visited India on tour. Since Pink signifies the colour of friendliness, so the king  Ram Singh of Jaipur, painted the whole old city (which was established by the kings) in the pink colour to welcome the guests and that's where the city got his name. I think everyone, who are reading this have known the name of this monument looking in the picture.This place is known as "Hawa Mahal" and also known as "Palace of Winds", which was constructed by King Sawai Pratap Singh in the year 1799. The design of this five-storied beautiful building was given by Usta Lal Chand. The main reason for the construction of this building so that the royal women can enjoy the events and festivals on the street.

Closure look for Jharokhas

There are almost 953 "Jharokhas" in the Hawa Mahal. Jharokhas are also known as windows. The small jharokhas are similar to the honeycomb structure and also it validates free circulation of the air inside the structure. The design of these jharokhas is made so that royal women can have a look on the streets and enjoy the festivals while remaining hidden from the public sights. The king Sawai Pratap Singh was a devotee of Lord Krishna that can be seen from the structure design of this palace which reminds of the Lord's Krishna crown. More importantly, every Storey in this building has defined by the name which can be seen from a small pamphlet at the entrance. The first storey is known as Sharda mandir where autumn celebrations took place, the second storey is known as Ratan mandir because of the impressive glass work on the wall, third storey is known as Vichitra mandir where king used to Worshipped Lord Krishna, fourth storey is known as Prakash Mandir because of two open terraces on both side and fifth and the last storey is known as Hawa Mandir after which the whole building is called as Hawa Mahal. The way to these five storeys is through a ramp because staircases may be tough for the women to climb with their heavy dresses.The local people told me that it looks more beautiful and glamorous in the early morning with rising sun.