Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

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Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal, also known as 'Palace of the Winds', was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 as an extension to the City Palace of Jaipur in India. Constructed from red and pink sandstone, this beautiful five-storey palace has 953 small windows on the outside walls. The honeycomb shaped and beautifully carved windows allow the breeze to blow through the palace and keep it cool and airy in the summer. The lattice design also enabled royal ladies to watch activities and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen, as they had to obey the strict rules of 'purdah', which forbade them to appear in public without face coverings.