Hawa Mahal and more

We walked to Hawa Mahal, a palace built from red and pink sandstone, located close to the City Palace. It is also known as the 'palace of winds'. It was built in 1799 by the Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. It is considered unique as it has 953 small windows called Jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework. The original intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen. This architectural feature also allowed cool air from the Venturi effect to pass through, thus making the whole area more pleasant during the high temperatures in summer. Many people see the Hawa Mahal from the street view and think it is the front of the palace, but it is the back. This is the best part of the palace. On Tusher's advice, we didn't go in. He said the inside is completely empty.

We walked back to the bus through the grounds of the City Palace. We might visit it tomorrow afternoon, depending on how we feel.Read more