Tucked deep within the busy streets of Jaipur is an architectural marvel standing pyramidal 50 feet high. Constructed of red and pink sandstone, it is adorned with 953 jharokha windows, designed intricately with complex latticework. Built in 1799 under the direct orders of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the Hawa Mahal ("The Palace of the Winds") was beautifully designed by the architect of Jaipur City, Lal Chand Ustad, and stands as a prime example of Rajput architecture highly prevalent in the state of Rajasthan.
In the olden times, peeking quietly behind those windows were the royal ladies practicing the purdah—safely observing the busy happenings on the street without ever getting seen. The specific direction to which the windows of Hawa Mahal open allows a strong, cooling breeze of wind to naturally flow through the hallway, which measures just the width of an arm.
Architecture in Focus: Hawa Mahal - the Palace of the Winds
Exploring the Bazaars
My travel buddy and I woke up early to start our first full day of exploring Jaipur. The day before, we arrived on a long train ride directly from New Delhi and spent the lazy afternoon rummaging through many interesting items at the Johri and Bapu bazaars. Surprisingly, the vendors here weren't nearly as aggressively annoying as the ones on the previous stops we've had. Yes, they would still beckon us to "come take a look inside for five minutes," but when we politely said "No, it's alright," they'd smile back respectfully and say "No problem."
Jaipur was our fifth official stop in India—following Kolkata, Varanasi, Agra, and New Delhi—and I had finally come to completely relax my senses. The intense paranoia of being scammed or the lingering fear of my female travel buddy being groped—as heavily suggested by many severe travel warnings I had read online prior to our trip—were almost entirely forgotten. This was mainly because, since the very start of our trip in Kolkata, we've had the immense good fortune of meeting incredibly kind and helpful locals.
Of course, the touts swarming along the ancient ghats of Varanasi were totally out of this world, but understandably so, as they were just aggressively plying their boat trade. En route to Jaipur—our first destination in the arid state of Rajasthan—I quickly noticed the sudden, dramatic shift of the landscape. The roads became heavily littered with specks of golden dust, the architecture quickly turned to another page entirely, and, as mentioned, there were significantly more bazaars selling items escaping any suggestions of modernity.
From intricately woven sarees, pashmina shawls, tunics, scarves, traditionally decorated shoes, and lehangas in colorful bhandhej, to gemstone jewelry, Jaipuri jutis, salwar suits, bedsheets, handcraft items, and a whole lot more—the sheer volume of goods had my travel buddy almost going completely mad just by trying to decide which item to actually buy.
The Palace Awakening
We comfortably arrived near the Hawa Mahal area at around 8:30 AM. The wind was still a bit cold since it was the very tail-end of winter. This was incredibly good for us because the Indian summer can be hotly unbearable, and walking around in this cool weather gave us significantly more time to explore on foot. Being in India this long, we've fully embraced the frenetic street activities, and that specific morning, people on the streets were just starting their day. Shops and offices were slowly starting to roll open.
Coming strictly at par with the "specimen of fanciful architecture" label given to Hawa Mahal, the surrounding buildings—which also include the nearby City Palace of Jaipur—do not disappoint either. There are always these beautifully contrasting images that aggressively battle it out with our senses every single step we take.
One moment we were walking down a narrow street reeking heavily of piss, cow, and dove dung; then, just a few steps later, we would be warmly greeted by a completely marvelous structure—in this case, the magnificent outer wall of the City Palace. There is always a chaotic place for both absolute squalor and breathtaking beauty in India, as perfectly magnified here in the busy streets of Jaipur. It is exactly something that our friend Mina told us: "It will blow your senses away."
As a traveler, it is exactly what I always intend to experience. Jaipur and its bazaars, Hawa Mahal, and later on during this day—the City Palace, the Amber Fort, more random street walking, tasting local foods, and then some—heavily reinforced me with exactly what I was truly expecting out of India.
As I stood directly across the Hawa Mahal, I vividly imagined the royal ladies of the old days, their faces covered with only their visible, sparkling eyes staring silently back at me. The wind naturally blows across their delicate veil, slightly exposing their attractive features, and for a rapid, stolen moment across time, I locked eyes with one of them.
