Palace of the Winds, a photo from Rajasthan, West

Photographer's Note

A view of the Palace of the Winds or Hawa Mahal in Jaipur.

The following courtesy of Rajasthan Tours Travel (http://www.rajasthantourstravel.com/architectural-treasures/wind-palace-jaipur.html):

The Maharajahs of Rajasthan have always been famous for their chivalry and for being fiercely protective of their queens. A monument to their regard for this precious sentiment can be found in the form of the Hawa Mahal. The palace was built in 1799 by Maharajah Sawai Pratap Singh. An integral part of the City Palace it was an extension of the Zenana quarters.

Constructed at a time when royal ladies observed very strict purdah (covering the faces), it is widely believed that this interesting palace, with its screened balconies, provided the ladies of the royal household an opportunity to watch processions and other activities on the streets below without being observed themselves. The openings here are almost like peep-holes partially blocked by fine lattice work in lime and plaster. This fragile palace was built especially for the delicate women of the royal household who were brought here in palanquins carried by servants to enjoy the sights of the city in comfort and style.

At first glance it looks rather whimsical in design. From the roadside, where most visitors view Hawa Mahal for the first time, it looks a mere faηade. But there is much more than meets the eye. The beauty of the Hawa Mahal lies in its fragile appearance. Its delicate structure belies its strength and makes it no less a work of art than the more imposing forts and palaces of this regal city. This five-storey, pyramid-shaped structure is made up of small casements, each with tiny windows and arched roofs with hanging cornices, exquisitely modelled and carved. Its faηade makes Hawa Mahal look more like a screen than a palace. Its top three stories are just a single room thick but at the base are two courtyards. It is a fifty-foot high thin shield, less than a foot in thickness, but has over 900 niches and a mass of semi-octagonal bays, carved sandstone grills, finials and domes. This multi layered structure is an interplay of red and pink sandstone carefully and painstakingly outlined with white borders and motifs. The designer of this magnificent artifice Lal Chand Usta was a great devotee of Lord Krishna and Radha. This design is his homage to Lord Krishna and is believed to resemble the crown on Krishna's forehead. This unique design is also comparable to the a giant Chinese screen, a befitting comparison since the most important use for this palace was to screen the women of the royal household from prying eyes.

Apologies for the very close framing but the palace stands on a busy commercial street.

saxo042, ChrisJ, kiwi_explorer, dip, papagolf21, Valerka, amaryllis, pasternak, jlbrthnn, Charo, gunbud, John_F_Kennedy, besnard, Cricri, ElAprendiz, salvator, dareco έχουν(ει) επιλέξει αυτή τη σημείωση ως χρήσιμη

Critiques | Translate

horatiuTT (4570) 2008-01-27 1:00

Superb photo of architecture.Magnificent colours and
perspective,the contrast between that blue sky and the
red of the building is great.
HOratiu

jurek1951 (42198) 2008-01-27 1:14

Hi Stephen,
very nice place and good POV.
Well done.
Georg

saxo042 (38078) 2008-01-27 1:19

Hi Stephen,
A very impressive and definitely different architecture. The two colours are in an exceptional good harmony. A very fine photo.
Greetings from Gothenburg
Gunnar

ChrisJ (172436) 2008-01-27 1:22

Hi Stephen

A marvellous colour contrast between the red facade of this imposing structure, & the blue sky. Good sharpness & repetition. Tfs!

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2008-01-27 1:30

Hi Stephen,
A very interesting and fantastic architecture ... very informative notes too. Image and color quality is very good. Well captured and composed. Excellent work! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

dip (21408) 2008-01-27 1:38

Hi Stephen,
this is a very impressive architecture,
very well captured and framed,interesting and informative note too,
Thanks for sharing,
Dimitris.

meltemi (0) 2008-01-27 1:43

Hello Stephen,
not every day we can find this wonderful architecture, with this excellent perspective. What makes this here even better is the sunlight and wonderful blend of colours. Bravo.
Kind Regards.
Stella

papagolf21 (152607) 2008-01-27 2:07

Bonjour, cher Stephen,
Il en effet trθs difficile de faire entrer dans un cadre ce merveilleux palais ! C'est toute une ιpoque cette reprιsentation architecturale. J'aime ces baies s'apparentant ΰ des moucharabiehs. La beautι est parfaitement perceptible ΰ travers cette prise de vue. Quant ΰ la note un rιgal !
Amitiιs.
Philippe

Gustaw (21670) 2008-01-27 2:11

Hi, my friend!
Wow! Super architecture! I very like your historical buildings. Very good composition. Nice colours and good light. Well done.
Marek

Valerka (8171) 2008-01-27 2:12

Salut, Steph,
Ohaaa,
Ca c'est une image tres impressionnante!
Un bon point de vue pour presenter cette beaute architecturale si inhabituelle pour nos terres europeennes.
Merci pour le partage
Bonne journee
Valerka:)

Fis2 (171937) 2008-01-27 2:37

Witaj Stephen!
Very interesting architecture. Curious object. Good frame and colors. Very impressive picture.
Regards
Krzysztof

gildasjan (43826) 2008-01-27 2:53

Bonjour Stephen
Un superbe palais imposant et sa couleur le met bien en valeur sur ce fond bleu uniforme.Du bel ouvrage.
Bon dimanche.
Amicalement
Gildas

Nicou (193814) 2008-01-27 5:44

Hello,

Qeule cadrage, quel effet mangigique, les couleurs sont particuliθrement douces et agrιable, trθs impressionant ce sujet.

Bravo et amitiιs

Nicou

amaryllis (37047) 2008-01-27 9:28

bonjour,
et superbe ce palais et impressionnant comme architecture
ton cadrage est parfait et une bonne lumiθre sur ces pierres
ta note est tres interessante (sur les womens) et enrichissante comme d'habitude
juliette

toto (0) 2008-01-27 9:28

Belle photo de ce superbe palace qui ressort bien avec ce ciel bleu,tous ces petits balcons, cet petites tourettes sont superbes et donne un effet trθs beau a ce palace.
Bon POV qui lui donne l' impression d' immencitι.Jolies couleurs et bonne nettetι de l' ensemble.
Amitiιs Thomas

pasternak (15185) 2008-01-27 10:26

Amazing architecture!!! and a very good representation, in a favorable light which even produces pleasant shadows... Fascinating image indeed...

Cheers
Alexander

jlbrthnn (76043) 2008-01-27 10:39

Bonsoir Stephen,
Ton image et son cadrage sont pour le moins saisissant et ιmerveillant. Quelle architecture compliquιe et si harmonieuse et si joliment colorιe. Cette faηade est un chef d'oeuvre. Belle image et trθs bonne explication.
Bonne soirιe
Amicalement
Joλl

Charo (51290) 2008-01-27 11:50

Hola Stephen,
Preciosa toma de este bonito y singular palacio.
La arquitectura es magnνfica y has captado muy bien los detalles de su fachada con muy buena definiciσn y colores.
Cordialmente
Charo

gunbud (34066) 2008-01-27 19:07

Hi Stephen,
Beautiful presentation of this fantastic architecture with lovely shadows from the fine light. The deep blue sky richly contrast with the red facade that is seen in all its fine details.
Regards, Tom

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2008-01-27 23:48

The pink colours of the buildings under this light are magnificent. The view is very well composed.
Best wishes,
Achim

besnard (59196) 2008-01-28 1:20

Bonjour Stephen
Je l'avais ratιe celle-ci alors qu'elle me rappelle de superbes souvenirs d'un voyage que j'ai particuliθrement apprιciι, sans doute le plus beau que j'ai fait alors que j'ai eu la possibilitι de visiter de nombreux pays.
Bravo - merci pour le partage et bonne journιe.
Nicole

Cricri (176) 2008-01-28 9:18

Hi Stephen,
Impressionnant et d'une incroyable beautι, des dιtails et une couleurs bien resorti par la lumiιre et le ciel bleu, jolie note aussi, compliment
Have a nice evening fot you
cricri

ElAprendiz (30) 2008-01-28 12:47

Hi Stephen

A scenario with a large graphics, geometric composition and tonality terracotta.

The handling of light has been very appropriate, but ... I do not know if the inclination is normal or is the effect produced by your camera.

I would have liked that angle will be corrected in a proper proportion, but it is a good job. Congratulations.

John

salvator (19110) 2008-01-29 2:56

Hi Stephen,
Nice architecture and very nice details. The magestic building, the color of the sky is beautiful. Best regards. Salvator.

hello_ishan (1571) 2008-01-29 4:30

Hi Stephen,
A different but excellent view of the historic structure.

dareco (17136) 2008-02-01 17:32

An incredible place!! An excellent picture and the detail is fantastic!!! Love this!

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2009-09-20 3:21

Hi Stephen,
nicely composed and taken with an unique point of view. Good colours. Contrast is great of sky with hawamahal. Depth is very nice. Beautiful presentation of the great JAIPUR' Hawa mahal. Tfs.
Have a nice sunday.
Greetings from India.
Subhendu

Photo Information

Copyright: Stephen Nunney (snunney) (130967)
Genre: Τοποθεσίες
Medium: Έγχρωμο
Date Taken: 2004-02-00
Categories: Αρχιτεκτονική
Camera: CANON EOS 10 D, Canon 28-80 3,5-4,8 USM IV
Έκδοση φωτογραφίας: Πρωτότυπη έκδοση
Θέμα(τα): India : palace of the winds [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-01-27 0:58

Viewed: 2541

Points: 54

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