Hawa Mahal, Jaipur’s honeycomb palace of winds
Published on 08/25/2026 at 16:09 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India, is a five-storey palace whose honeycomb façade of projecting windows has become one of the clearest expressions of the Pink City’s architecture. Built in 1799 under Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh of the Kachhwaha Rajput dynasty, it forms part of the historic royal complex while looking directly onto the old city’s main market street.
A five-storey screen above Johari Bazaar
Hawa Mahal stands along Hawa Mahal Road at Badi Choupad in Jaipur’s walled old city, facing the busy Johari Bazaar where jewellery and textiles have long been traded.Hawa Mahal Road at Badi Choupad The palace forms an extension of the City Palace complex, its rear connecting into the royal quarters while its front follows the line of the street.
The building rises in five tiers above the shops and traffic, built of red and pink sandstone that matches Jaipur’s reputation as the Pink City.Red and pink sandstone Each storey is shallower than the one below, so that the façade forms a stepped pyramid shape. From the street, the wall of small projecting bays and domed canopies gives the palace the appearance of a monumental screen rather than a deep block.
The honeycomb of jharokha windows
The most distinctive feature of Hawa Mahal is its dense lattice of small projecting jharokha windows, packed across the façade in repeating vertical lines.Jharokha windows with jali screens Sources consistently describe 953 of these openings, each forming a shallow bay that steps out from the main wall and is capped by a cusped arch and little eave.953 jharokha windows The repetition is so complete that the façade reads as a honeycomb rather than a flat wall punctured by conventional windows.
Instead of glass panes, the jharokhas are fitted with jali screens, pierced stone or plaster lattices that filter light and air while obscuring figures behind them.Jali lattice screens The openings sit one above another through the five storeys, framed by miniature domes, finials and carved bands. From inside, they form a linked series of small chambers and corridors from which the street below can be viewed through the patterned stone.
Eighteenth-century Rajput and Mughal design
Hawa Mahal is widely described as an example of late eighteenth-century Rajput architecture that incorporates strong Mughal influences in its details.Rajput architecture in Jaipur The façade combines fluted pillars, lotus and floral motifs, small domed canopies and arches with inlaid and carved filigree work. These elements together give the front its lace-like texture when seen across the street.
The palace was commissioned by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur, and designed by the architect Lal Chand Ustad.Commission by Sawai Pratap SinghDesign by Lal Chand Ustad Completed in 1799, it forms part of the wider City Palace ensemble and is often described as being dedicated to Lord Krishna, with the stepped, rising profile of the façade recalling the form of a crown.Crown-like pyramidal profile
Visiting Hawa Mahal: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Hawa Mahal stands on Hawa Mahal Road at Badi Choupad in Jaipur’s old walled city, directly alongside Johari Bazaar and close to the main City Palace complex.
- The palace rises in five storeys above street level; inside, access between levels involves staircases and corridors that can feel narrow compared with modern buildings.
- Jaipur lies in Rajasthan in northern India; the official language is Hindi and the currency is the Indian rupee.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Hawa Mahal
Where is Hawa Mahal located within Jaipur?
Hawa Mahal stands on Hawa Mahal Road at Badi Choupad in Jaipur’s walled old city, alongside Johari Bazaar and linked to the City Palace complex.
What should visitors expect inside Hawa Mahal?
Visitors encounter a series of small chambers, corridors and terraces behind the façade, connected by staircases between the five levels and punctuated by jharokha windows with jali screens.
What makes Hawa Mahal distinctive among Jaipur’s palaces?
The palace is distinguished by its five-tiered honeycomb façade of hundreds of small projecting jharokha windows in red and pink sandstone, forming a monumental screen above the old market street.
