Had a lazy morning and didn't leave the hotel until 2pm.  Lakhu took our laundry out to be done, as he does every few days.

Our first stop was the Palace of Winds, the Hawa Mahal.  I didn't take any photos because there was scaffolding all over it.

Hawa Mahal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Hawa (disambiguation).

For the radio show, see Hawa Mahal (radio program).

Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal or "Palace of the Winds", Jaipur
Location within Rajasthan
General information
Architectural style	Fusion of Rajput Architectureand Mughal Architecture
Town or city	Jaipur
Country	India
Coordinates	26.923611°N 75.826667°E
Completed	1799
Technical details
Structural system	Red and pink sand stone
Design and construction
Client	Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh
Architect	Lal Chand Usta

Hawa Mahal (Hindi: हवा महल, translation: "Palace of Winds" or “Palace of the Breeze”), is a palace in Jaipur, India. It was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, and designed by Lal Chand Ustad in the form of the crown ofKrishna, the Hindu god. Its unique five-storey exterior is also akin to the honeycomb of the beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas that are decorated with intricate latticework.^[1] 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 observe strict "purdah" (face cover).^[1][2][3]

Built of red and pink sandstone, the palace is situated on the main thoroughfare in the heart of Jaipur’s business centre. It forms part of the City Palace, and extends to the Zenana or women's chambers, the chambers of theharem. It is particularly striking when viewed early in the morning, lit with the golden light of sunrise.^[2][3]