Hawa Mahal

The Hawa Mahal, which adjoins the famous City Palace wall, was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh and has now become one of the major landmarks of Jaipur. The palace is shaped like a pyramid and is a five-storied building, with number of small windows and screens, with arched roofs. As one looks at this building, one realizes that the rear side of the building is comparatively very plain and lacks much of ornamentation. One is rather surprised at the contrast, since in the front there is intricate carving and much attention has been paid to even minute details yet the backside is more a mass of pillars and passages.
Since the Hawa Mahal was built at a time when women of the royal families had to observe strict purdah, many believe that the Hawa Mahal was built, just so these ladies could watch the processions and various activities taking place on the streets. This does explain why Hawa Mahal has such tiny windows and many screened balconies. The royal ladies could look below at the people without showing themselves and thus enjoy a sense of freedom.
The Hawa Mahal is a great example of the Rajputana architecture, which was strongly influenced by Mughal style of architecture. This particular style of building that we observe in Hawa Mahal, uses the best features of Mughal architecture with other features that could better adapt to the inhospitable weather conditions of Rajasthan.
The Hawa Mahal is a popular place among visitors to Rajasthan because of the amazing view it offers of the city and particularly Jantar Mantar (another tourist attraction). Many insist that the best time to visit Hawa Mahal is in the early morning, right when the sun is rising. As the palace bathes in the golden light of the sun, it looks like a fantastic image conjured up by the mind in a trance. The palace glows like an impalpable dream, which makes you feel that even if you dare blink your eyes, it will quickly dissolve into thin air.
If you want to see this beautiful palace up close, then pack your bags and come to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and spend your holidays visiting Hawa Mahal and other numerous tourist attractions in an around the city.

Jaipur Kings

Jai Singh II was supremely talented - politically, intellectually and on the battlefield, he was known as the warrior-astronomer. In 1696 he had earned the title of 'Sawai' meaning 'One and a Quarter' (Intelligence) from emperor Aurangzeb after the emperor was impressed by his wit and pluck , a title which was proudly borne by all of Jai Singh's descendants.
The Kingdom of Kachhawahas spread a lot in all sphere, eventually encompassing a large area which abutted the kingdoms of Mewar (Udaipur region) and Marwar (Jodhpur region). The history of Kachhawahas can be traced back to Duleh Rai , son of Sodh Dev, the Kachhawaha ruler of Narwar (Near Gwalior), migrated to Dausa.
Duleh Rai was a Kachhawahas who could trace his lineage to Rama, hero of the sun-born dynasty immortalised in Ramayana. He was married to the daughter of Chauhans of Ajmer. Duleh Rai's also known as 'Tej Karan' , his son Kabil Dev is known to have established dynastic rule in Amber which was the most important stronghold of the Minas.
Amber is situated 11 kms out of Jaipur on the Delhi to Jaipur road. The Kachhawahas originally hailed from Narwar (Near Gwalior) where they reigned for over 800 years. A martial alliance between a Kachhawahas prince, Tej Karan, and a rajput princess of Chauhans of Ajmer resulted in the capturing of the region of Dausa. Tej Karan was able to defeat the Bargujras who ruled half of Dausa, the other half being under the dominance of the Chauhans.
Tej Karan's descendants converted the hill top on which Amber Fort was later built, recognizing its Virtue as a potential military stronghold. The Site was eventually princed from its original inhabitants, the susawat Minas, and the Minas were granted guardship of the Kachhawahas treasury in return.
The Kachhawahas , despite being devout Hindu belonging to the Kshatriya (warrior) caste, recognized the expediency of aligning themselves with the powerful Mughal Empire. They paid homage at the Mughal court, and cemented the relationship with marital alliances. They were handsomely rewarded for their bravery defending the mughals in their various skirmishes. With war loots they were able to finance construction of the fortress palace at Amber, which began in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh, the Rajput commander of Akbar's Army. Man Singh was known to be a navratna (One of the Nine Jewels) in the court of Akbar.

Pink City

Jaipur, (City of Victory) was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, a Kachhwaha Rajput, who ruled from 1699-1744. Being a brainchild of the maharaja, he took special interest in the designing planning and execution works of Jaipur. The city has been divided into nine blocks of which two are kept for the City Palace Complex and other state buildings, whereas the other seven blocks were earmarked for the public. The city was encircled by the city wall, which opened at seven gates or darwazas. In 1728 maharaja jai Singh II built the remarkable observatory, which is still one of Jaipur's main attractions. The old city of Jaipur has neat and broadly laid-out avenues; all painted pink that gives a magical glow to the city, especially in the evenings. Jaipur therefore is blessed with the opulence of cultural and architectural beauty that surpasses most other regions of India. All of this can be easily seen in the various sites of historical and aesthetic significance that dot the city.