Materials and construction of Jaipur

Sawai Jai Singh opted for materials which were readily available, not too expensive and afforded quick construction. The essential building material came from surrounding hills’ greyish metamorphic sandstone called the ‘shisht’ stone, which was used with mud mortar to construct load-bearing walls. It is usual for the outer walls to be massive, pierced by a few large perforations at the street level. On upper levels, however, these walls are reduced to a skeleton with numerous openings and projecting balconies fragmenting the actual wall surface. Floor slabs and chajjas are of stone often supported on brackets or corbels for additional safety. Jharokhas are also projected on stone brackets from the structural wall.