Detail of an old building in the walled city (or Pink City), Jaipur.
More than 200 years old, most buildings here are still functional. Original plans of Jaipur were formalised by the Bengali architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, in accordance with principles of town planning as defined in the Shilpa Shastra (an epochal treatise on Hindu architecture). In this example, the protruding balconies or Jharokas with decorative, mesh-like carvings (Lattice work) allowed womenfolk to watch street processions without being seen. They also played the role of shielding the house from harsh rays of the Sun.
Photo date: October 2005
