Hawa Mahal

‘The Palace of the Wind’ in Jaipur.
The structure was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. Its unique five-storey exterior is akin to the honeycomb of a beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework. The original intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen, since they had to obey the strict rules of "purdah", which forbade them from appearing in public without face coverings. According to our guide this is the second most photographed after the Taj Mahal.