India: Jaipur – Hawa Mahal aka Palace of the Winds

The Palace of the Winds aka Hawa Mahal is an absolutely stunning place building in the heart of Jaipur – the Pink City. The palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 for his ladies. The building is 5 stories high (it’s actually the back of the place and not the front) and consists of a beehive of 953 windows intricately decorated with latticework – with the idea that the ladies could look out on the daily life but no one could see them. The red sandstone building is amazing from the outside of the busy street (just gotta make sure you are not getting hit by cars, bikes, rickshaws, tricycles, pedestrian, cyclists, cows, dogs, and goats passing by). Inside the building, it’s a totally different experience of brightly colored windows and rainbows of sunlight in beautiful and spacious room. And from the rooftop – you get a very good panoramic view of Jaipur.
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