The Jantar Mantar

By Author: Ashima Banerjee
Total Articles: 95
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Jaipur is one of the most popular travel destinations in India which is renowned as a land of magnificent forts and impressive palaces. The city is also known as Pink City and was built by Sawai Jai Singh II. The architecture of the city was inspired heavily by astronomy and the city was divided into nine squares and was walled from all the sides. The city took a shape of fort with nine squares each having its own significance. The roads dividing these squares were wide enough that can accommodate 3 cars on one side of the road. This signifies the vision of the king and its knowledge of the astrology.

Jantar Mantar is a UNESCO World heritage site, making it a special destination for the travellers. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II built the instruments at this construction, bearing in mind the rules of astronomy and the position of the circle, parallel of latitude and angular distance.

The structure undoubtedly is another great masterpiece of Indian architecture which shows the scientific acumen of ancient India. The jantar Mantar in Delhi is is also called Delhi Observatory. The structure is situated at Parliament ...
... Street, very close to Connaught Place. Though in Delhi, it is maintained by the Jaipur government because it was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur. Built in 1724, Delhi Jantar Mantar is counted among the five astronomical observatories built by Maharaja Jai Singh II as he was given the task of revising the calendar and astronomical tables, by the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah. Besides Delhi Jantar Mantar, the rest of the four observatories are located at Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. The main reason behind building the Jantar Mantar observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and also to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and other planets.

Jantar Mantar, initially named as Yantra Mantra, consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars' location as the earth orbits around the sun, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides. Each is a fixed and 'focused' tool. The Samrat Yantra, the largest instrument, is 90 feet (27 m) high, its shadow carefully plotted to tell the time of day. Its face is angled at 27 degrees, the latitude of Jaipur. The Hindu chhatri (small cupola) on top is used as a platform for announcing eclipses and the arrival of monsoons. It is an imposing structure with a time accuracy of two seconds in Jaipur local time, which works precisely even after two and a half centuries after it was constructed.

These instruments have all been built by using local marble and stone to increase the accuracy of their readings; and each of them has got an astronomical scale which is usually marked on the marble with bronze tablets. Though constructed in the eighteenth century, the Sundials and other astronomical instruments were fully restored only in the year 1901 and later declared a national monument in the year 1948.

Today the observatory is a popular tourist attraction. Many of the smaller instruments display remarkable innovation in architectural design and its relation to function. Many astronomers and astrologers do the study of the planetary movement till date and have know professional degrees through Rajasthan University. Local astronomers still use it to predict the weather for farmers, although their authority is becoming increasingly questionable.

Jaipur thus has a great history of relationship with astronomy and astrology and its thrust for study of planetary movements. These structures have also been able to catch the attention of architects, researchers and artists from around the world.

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