Jantar Mantar, Delhi

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Delhi's Jantar Manter is the earlist of the five observatories Maharaja Jai Singh II built. It was constructed in 1725 and has stood the test of time to continue platting the course of things up above. The structures are a brilliant orange/red an, unlike the twin Jantar Mantar in Jaipur you can climb the steps and get up really close and personal to the structures here.

A very peaceful, strange and worthwhile setting to visit.

The Jantar Mantar is an observatory with astronomical clock built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, from 1724 to 1734. It is one of five Jantar Mantars built by him. He was given the task of revising the calendar and astronomical tables by Mughal ruler Mohammad Shah. The Jantar Mantar predicts the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets. the other four are situated at Jaipur, Ujjain and Varanasi. It is one of Delhi's greatest tourist attraction.

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Located about 250 meters south of Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar is one of the world's oldest astronomical observatories. Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1699-1743) built this collection of salmon-colored structures after studying Hindu, and Muslim astronomical works. The observatory gives a good insight into the technological innovations of the time and is an integral part of India's scientific heritage. According to Sayyid Ahmad Khan, the author of Athar-us-Sanadid, the construction was completed in 1724. Since Jai Singh himself mentioned that he built the instruments by the order of the emperor Muhammad Shah, who ascended the throne only in 1719, the date of Sayyid Ahmad Khan appears to be authentic.

The Jantar Mantar Observatory contains six instruments. The most important or the 'Supreme Instrument' in Jantar Mantar is the Samrat-Yantra, the huge sundial. There are signs beside each instrument explaining how it works.

Open: Sunrise to Sunset everyday. Admission: Rs100 for foreigners.

The Jantar Mantar at Delhi is one of the five observatories built by Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Rajasthan during the early 18th century. The one at Jaipur may have more instruments, but the one in Delhi remains in good condition. Although linked to religious requirements concerning tracking 'heavenly bodies' the accuracy of of measurements that achieved were stunning for the time. The giant sundial, for instance, is said to be accurate to within half a second.

It really is a case of 'bigger is better'. The Raja had become dis-satisfied with the traditional means of looking at the heavens, with various anomolies resolved by something akin to multiplying by the page number. His brass instuments too lacked a certain prescision.

I think it also makes you consider what prowess India had in science back in those times, and that obsession with science is now very much part of the life-blood of an economy that is beginning to boom.

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The Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is one of the places which is worthy of a visit. It is a proof that although New Delhi is a modern city, the old bulidings and heritages are not lost still. The Jantar Mantar was built by Rajput King Swai Jai Singh Jaipur in 1724 to observe the stars and the celestial bodies. It is a strange architecture with many staircases running form different sides. The entire area is surrounded by beautiful gardens.

explore the extraordinary Janta Manta astronomical
garden in Delhi, India. Built in the eighteenth century by
Marharajar Jai Singh II, Janta Manta is a complex of architectural
structures and instruments, which were used to measure and observe
the heavens. At its time of construction it yielded the most precise celestial
observations available surpassing even those of the Portuguese.
I visited the complex on day 3 of my RTW trip. I was just 50 hours into my year
trip with London still fresh in my mind.
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (November 3, 1688-September 21, 1743) was ruler of the kingdom of Amber (later called Jaipur. He was born at Amber, the capital of Kachwahas. He became ruler of Amber in 1699 at the age of 11 when his father Maharaja Bishan Singh died. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb bestowed upon him the title of "Sawai" which meant one and a quarter times superior to his contemporaries. This title adorns his descendants even to this date.

Sawai Jai Singh continued his pursuit of knowledge and education even after he was
enthroned. He learned religion, philosophy, art, architecture, astronomy and astrology.
He acquainted himself thoroughly with the Hindu, Greek, Muslim and European schools
of astronomy. He studied Ptolemy's Syntaxis, de la Hire's Tabulae Astronomical,
Flamsteed's Historia Coelestis Britanica, Newton's Principia, Euclid's Elements and Mirza Ulugh Beg's Astronomical Tables as well as the masterworks of Aryabhatta, Varahmihira,
Brahmgupta and Bhaskaracharya.
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A unique structure raised in 1724, now lies in the heart of Delhi's commercial centre near Connaught place. This is the Jantar Mantar, one of several astronomical observatories raised by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur. The various abstract structures within the Jantar Mantar are, in fact, instruments that were used for keeping track of celestial bodies. Yet, Jantar Mantar is not only a timekeeper of celestial bodies, it also tells a lot about the technological achievements under the Rajput kings and their attempt to resolve the mysteries regarding astronomy. The Jantar Mantar of Delhi is only one of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh II, the other four being located at Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura.

Located near the junction of Parliament street and Conaught Circus, with huge concrete astronomical "instruments", this observatory of Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur was used to plot the courses of heavenly bodies and predict eclipses. The observatory has a huge sundial and the observatory was built in 1725.