The iconic Hawa Mahal, one of the landmarks of Jaipur received its maiden bath in its 213-year old history. The monument, built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, was washed by fire tenders to don a cleaner look for the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas meet being held here.

The clean-up drive might have removed stains deposited on the walls of this pyramid-shaped structure, but water released at high pressure did remove paint coats at some parts. Experts believe that this five-storey heritage building should have been cleaned with sponge soaked in solution of alkaline water and non-ionic soap to preserve its spectacle.

Hawa Mahal was originally conceived with the aim of enabling the ladies of the royal household to watch everyday life and royal processions in the city without being seen by others. It has 953 small casements, each with tiny lattice-worked (Jali) pink windows, small balconies and arched roofs with hanging cornices. It remains to be seen how much of pink the palace is able to retain after the wash or did some of it get washed out.

Source: ET, Jan 5, 2012