Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All India Jaipur Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds)

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds)

The 953 windows undoubtedly make this the world's most beautiful screened porch.

Jaipur, India

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Sir Edwin Arnold thought Hawa Mahal was “a vision of daring and dainty loveliness, of storeys of rosy masonry and delicate overhanging balconies and latticed windows. Soaring with tier after tier of fanciful architecture in a pyramidal form, a very mountain of airy and audacious beauty through the thousand pierced screens and gilded arches of which the Indian air blows cool over the flat roofs of the very highest house.” As quoted in, Delhi Agra Jaipur, by Surendra Sahai. See more at https://kimcarpenterphotos.smugmug.com/Hawa-Mahal-Jaipur-India/.   kimcarpenter / Atlas Obscura User
Hawa Mahal   Jakub Hałun / CC BY-SA 4.0
Palace of the winds   rutledgedavid37 / Atlas Obscura User
Palace of Winds   rutledgedavid37 / Atlas Obscura User
Hawa Mahal   phillipstexa / Atlas Obscura User
  nicolab / Atlas Obscura User
“At first glance it seems to be whimsical in design. From the roadside, from where most visitors look at it, Hawa Mahal looks like a mere facade. But there is much more to it than meets the eye. Actually, it is the last portion of an extensive Zenana palace meant for the royal ladies, a palace of winds away from the claustrophobic surroundings of a palace guarded by battalions of liveried guards.” From, Delhi Agra Jaipur, by Surendra Sahai. More at https://kimcarpenterphotos.smugmug.com/Hawa-Mahal-Jaipur-India/   kimcarpenter / Atlas Obscura User
The palace, from “New Pictorial Atlas of the World” by George Wharton James and Alan H. Burgoyne, John Thomas, New York, 1921.   Public Domain
Backside of Hawa Mahal.   Miya.m/CC BY-SA 3.0
Close up of Hawa Mahal.   Avantica David/CC BY-SA 3.0
Palace of the Winds.   Ritesh Gupta
Palace of the Winds   rutledgedavid37 / Atlas Obscura User
  MissBez / Atlas Obscura User
  MissBez / Atlas Obscura User
  MissBez / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Hawa Mahal   Paracelsus / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the windows of the Palace of the Winds   Vssun/CC BY-SA 3.0
  MissBez / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The 953 windows covering the lace-like facade of the Palace of the Winds were designed to allow the ladies of the royal court to watch the drama of the streets unobserved behind their delicate latticework.

Known as Hawa Mahal in Hindi, the Palace of the Winds was constructed in 1799 for Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as part of the women's section of the enormous City Palace at the center of Jaipur. The facade we see from the street is essentially an enormous screened porch, one room deep in most places.

The palace's distinctive rosy color comes from the natural sandstone from which it is built which also gives Jaipur its nickname, "The Pink City."

The Palace of the Winds is considered one of the finest examples of Rajput architecture in India. 

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Architecture Palaces
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Delhi and Rajasthan: Colors of India

Discover Colorful Rajasthan: From Delhi to Jaipur and Beyond.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Edited By

nicolab, sportscentre4u, kage, Meg...

  • nicolab
  • sportscentre4u
  • kage
  • Meg
  • Collector of Experiences
  • phillipstexa
  • Paracelsus
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • kimcarpenter
  • rutledgedavid37
  • MissBez
  • Lee Scott

Published

January 10, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawa_Mahal
  • http://www.jaipur.org.uk/forts-monuments/hawa-mahal.html
  • http://sportscentre4u.com/ipl-2018/ipl-stats/
  • http://sportscentre4u.com/ipl-2018/ipl-stats/
  • http://sportscentre4u.com/ipl-2018/ipl-stats/
  • https://mymassagechairs.com/
Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds)
Hawa Mahal Rd
Jaipur, 302002
India
26.925337, 75.828102
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jantar Mantar

Jaipur, India

miles away

Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan

Jaipur, India

miles away

Hanuman’s Temple

Jaipur, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Jaipur

Jaipur

India

Places 8

Nearby Places

Jantar Mantar

Jaipur, India

miles away

Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan

Jaipur, India

miles away

Hanuman’s Temple

Jaipur, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Jaipur

Jaipur

India

Places 8

Related Stories and Lists

It's Barbie's World in These Perfectly Pink Places

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Share the World’s Wonders With Atlas Obscura Zoom Backgrounds

nature

By Isaac Schultz

Related Places

  • Palais Mussolini

    Cité Hached, Tunisia

    Palais Mussolini

    Despite the name, this unusual palace in rural Tunisia never belonged to an Italian dictator.

  • Dawn on Charles V palace in Alhambra, Granada, Spain.

    Granada, Spain

    Muslim Gravestones of the Alhambra

    Spanish architects used seized Muslim gravestones to rebuild parts of the fortress.

  • Tower of the Storks (center).

    Cáceres, Spain

    Torre de las Cigüeñas (Tower of the Storks)

    The tallest tower in Cáceres's Old Town.

  • An archway like no other.

    East Molesey, England

    Anne Boleyn's Gateway

    Carved initials which are nearly 500 years old preserve the deposed Queen's presence at Hampton Court Palace.

  • The palace as it looks today.

    Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

    Chin Tsong Palace

    This extravagant villa built by a Burmese merchant is part pagoda and part European mansion.

  • Iolani Palace

    Honolulu, Hawaii

    Iolani Palace

    The only royal palace on U.S. soil has been a territorial capitol, a military headquarters, and a prison for a queen.

  • Dar al-Hajar

    Sana'a, Yemen

    Dar al-Hajar

    Yemen's "Stone Palace" looks like it was carved right out of the tall stone column on which it is built.

  • Madrid, Spain

    Palacio de Cristal

    Madrid's romantically ornate crystal palace has been offering shelter to plants and art for over a century.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.