Rajasthan Museums & Art Galleries

Hawa Mahal Museum
Hawa Mahal or the ‘Palace of Winds’ was built in 1799 by the poet king Sawai Pratap Singh for the royal ladies to enjoy the procession and day to day activities from the coll confinement of this majestic façade.
Hawa Mahal is the most popular monument of Jaipur, located in the Tripolia Bazaar in the west of GPO. Hawa Mahal or "The Palace of Winds"was built in 1799 A.D by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh (grand son of Sawai Jai Singh and son of Sawai Madhoo Singh) and Mr. Lal Chand Usta was the architect. Sawai Pratap Singh was a great devotee of Lord Krishna and he dedicated this mahal to the Lord. The exterior wall of Hawa Mahal looks like a mukut (crown), which adorns Lord Krishna's head.
Constructed in pink sandstone, Hawa Mahal is intricately carved and bordered with white motives. Motifs and carvings designed on the walls of the Hawa Mahal are proof of the efforts, dedication and skillfulness of the artists of that period.
This five-story, pyramid-shaped structure endorse 953 small peepholes, each with tiny lattice worked (jali) pink windows and arched roofs with hanging cornices. Its façade makes Hawa Mahal look more like a screen than a palace. The uppermost three stories are just a single room thick but at the base are two courtyards. It is a fifty-foot high thin shield, less than a foot in thickness, but has over 900 niches and a mass of semi-octagonal bays, carved sandstone grills.
The interiors of Hawa Mahal are stark and plain with a mass of pillars and passages that lead to the top storey. The main motive behind the making of Hawa Mahal was to enable ladies of the royal household to watch the everyday life and royal processions of the city.
The entrance of Hawa Mahal is beautifully adorned with a stately door that opens into a spacious courtyard. The entrance to Hawa Mahal is from City Palace side. The beautifully carved doors open into the courtyard of Hawa Mahal, surrounded by double storeyed building on three sides. The exotic monument also boost an archeological museum. Only the eastern wing has three more storeys above, which are just a single room thick. No regular stairs to reach the upper floors, but only are ramps.
The best time to view Hawa Mahal is sunrise when it catches the early morning sun and is bathed in its golden light making it glow like a gem. The entrance is on the rear side of this building.
Timings: 9:00 A.M.- 4:00 P.M.(Daily)
Best time to visit : October and March