In the amazing palace of Jaipur (Rajasthan) - a building with the romantic name Hawa Mahal - Indian maharajas tried to hide their many beautiful wives from prying eyes. It is surprisingly always cool here, thanks to almost a thousand windows and unique natural ventilation. The Palace of Winds (Hawa Mahal is translated in this way) got its name precisely because of this special ventilation system, which is provided not only by the many windows, but also by the architecture of the building itself, the arrangement of its internal premises.
Thanks to this, even in the unbearable heat, the inhabitants of Hawa Mahal were much cooler than other residents of the city. By the way, this system, which creates a pleasant breeze in the premises, is recognized as perfect even by modern specialists. Jaipur has a rather hot climate, so cooling the premises, especially in summer, is an absolute must. The Palace of Winds is designed so that the higher the air temperature outside, the stronger the wind blows inside it, which makes the rooms naturally cool.
According to the original plan, Hawa Mahal was to become a temple of Krishna, whose headdress it looks like. However, Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, on whose orders the building was erected, changed his mind, deciding that the grandiose structure would be a palace. It is not known when exactly the construction was completed, but it is generally accepted that this happened no later than 1799.
The beautiful appearance of Hawa Mahal
The pink sandstone palace located in the center of Jaipur cannot be confused with any other building, its architecture is so unique. The facade of this building, made in the Moorish style, resembles a giant anthill or a box with many jewels (windows, niches and balconies play their role). It is curious that, for all its splendor, Hawa Mahal does not look overwhelmed at all, but rather refined.
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Features of the Palace of Winds
A special function (and even more than one) is performed by palace windows. First, together with other architectural ideas of ancient designers, they create ventilation. And secondly, once they literally served as "windows to the world" for the wives of the maharajas. Women were here quite often, but they were strictly forbidden to show themselves to strangers.
The windows played the role of a kind of "TV set", so that the noble ladies had fun watching the life of the city. No one could see them themselves - such was the design of the windows, which are in number 953 in the palace. However, the beautiful building was never intended for a harem, since it is rather flat, with small rooms. The women were there only during the holidays.
An equally interesting, even intriguing feature of this five-storey building is the absolute absence of stairs, which also contributed to ventilation. A natural question immediately arises: how did women move between floors? For this, special floor slopes served, most of which did not even have railings. It was necessary to walk on them in special shoes with special notches on the soles.
And climbing in this building is interesting, because the higher you climb the palace, the more beauties will open before you. The upper rooms, decorated with stained-glass windows not visible from the street, were intended for the most influential and beloved wives of Indian princes. Hawa Mahal offers an impressive view of the famous Jantar Mantar Observatory, the City Palace and the Siredeori Bazaar. Today, the Palace of the Winds houses a small but very interesting museum, which exhibits miniature paintings and ceremonial armor.
