Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal, the 'Palace of Winds', is the image most people associate with Jaipur. It was built in 1799 for Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, grandson of the city's founder, and was designed by Lal Chand Ustad. Seen from the street it looks like a tall, thin palace, but it is really an elaborate screen: five storeys of pink and red sandstone pierced by 953 small latticed windows. The purpose was practical as well as decorative. Women of the royal household, who lived in seclusion, could look down on processions, festivals and daily life without being seen, while the lattice let breezes flow through in the hot months.

The famous honeycomb facade faces the main road near Badi Chaupar. Many people simply photograph it from the street, which often gives the best view, especially in the soft morning light on the sandstone.

If you want to go inside, the entrance is at the back, on the City Palace side, through a gateway into a courtyard surrounded by two-storey buildings. A small archaeological museum occupies part of this courtyard. The upper floors are reached by ramps rather than stairs, and the narrow chambers and window niches look out over the old city. From the rear you can see across to the instruments of Jantar Mantar.

The interior visit is short; 30 to 45 minutes is usually enough. The upper levels are narrow and can be crowded at peak times, so go early. The building is cared for by the Rajasthan state archaeology department and was restored in the 2000s.

The Rajasthan tourism department describes the building as a summer retreat as much as a viewing screen, and climbing to the top is part of the visit. From the top floors you look out over the streets of the old city, the same view the screen was built to give.

Hawa Mahal sits right in the middle of the Pink City's bazaars, so it pairs naturally with City Palace and Jantar Mantar, both a few minutes away on foot. The Badi Chaupar station on the Jaipur Metro is close by. Mornings are calmer for photographs before traffic builds along the main road.