Hotels near Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is the single most photographed building in Jaipur and an icon of Rajasthan. Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh commissioned it in 1799 so that royal women could observe street processions and daily life without being seen. The five-storey facade features 953 small windows (jharokhas) fitted with intricate lattice screens that channel cool breezes through the interior - an early form of air conditioning that gives the palace its name. The building is essentially a decorative screen wall - from the side, it is only one room deep.

The structure is built from pink sandstone in the Kachchwaha Rajput style, and the morning sun turns the facade an even deeper shade of rose. You can enter from the rear and climb narrow stairways to the upper floors, where the lattice windows frame views over Johari Bazaar and the Jantar Mantar. Entry is 200 INR (2.20 EUR) for foreigners or included in the composite ticket.

Pro Tip: The best photos of Hawa Mahal's facade are taken from the rooftop cafes across the road, not from inside the building itself. The Wind View Cafe directly opposite offers an unobstructed eye-level view of the upper floors. Go between 7:00 and 8:00 when the morning light hits the facade and the street below is still relatively quiet.