If discretion had a physical form, it would look something like the Hawa Mahal. Though one might expect such an elaborate structure—built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh—to host grand banquets or royal pronouncements, that was never its purpose. Its function was far more subtle, far more private. Designed primarily for the ladies of the court, who adhered to strict purdah (a tradition of seclusion and veiling), the Hawa Mahal, with its 953 jharokhas—tiny windows—offered them a concealed view of the city.
There was, of course, a practical side as well. All those openings cleverly employ a principle of physics—the Venturi effect, much like pinching a garden hose to increase the water’s spray. The same principle applies to air: force it through a narrow passage, and it accelerates, cooling the space—a welcome relief from the intense Rajasthan heat. The architect, Lal Chand Ustad, seamlessly blended the social norms of his era with the practical demands of the desert climate, turning necessity into elegance and physics into art.
It is a majestic, towering screen—a façade of sorts—five stories of red and pink sandstone. Pink, because, well, it’s Jaipur. Little balconies and intricately carved latticework adorn the structure, recalling, perhaps, a giant honeycomb.
This artistic design, while stunning, also plays with perception. What appears to be the front, facing the thoroughfare, is in fact the rear. The real entrance is from the City Palace side, through a grand imperial door, which opens onto a spacious courtyard, flanked by two-story buildings. The Hawa Mahal forms the eastern boundary of this space, which also houses an archaeological museum, adding further depth to the site’s rich history.
