RAS question
The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur was built by which ruler?
Correct answer: (A) Sawai Pratap Singh.
Hawa Mahal in Jaipur was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh.
Explanation
Rajasthan Tourism identifies Hawa Mahal as Jaipur's distinctive landmark and states that it was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. That directly fixes option A as the answer: the question is asking for the patron-ruler, not merely the period or the city with which the monument is associated. Its architectural memory hook is that it was designed by Lal Chand Ustad in the form of Lord Krishna's crown. The building's purpose was to allow women of the royal household to watch daily life and processions in the city, which fits the monument's honeycombed, multi-storey facade.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Man Singh I is not the ruler named by Rajasthan Tourism for Hawa Mahal; Rajasthan Tourism attributes the monument's construction to Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799.
- (C) Sawai Jai Singh II is not the builder identified for this monument; Rajasthan Tourism specifically gives Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as Hawa Mahal's builder.
- (D) Mirza Raja Jai Singh is a different Jaipur-linked ruler, but the construction attribution for Hawa Mahal is to Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, not to him.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan History, Art and Culture through monument-patron identification. RAS repeatedly asks such pairings because major forts, palaces and observatories are tied to specific rulers and dynastic phases.