Jantar Mantar

Overview

The famous Jantar Mantar is one of the five astronomical observatories built by Maharaja Jai Singh II who had a keen interest in astronomy and other sciences. This UNESCO World Heritage site houses a wonderful collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments.

History

Jantar Mantar was built from 1727 to 1733 by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II. During 1735, the king employed over 23 Astronomers for creating these historical masterpieces. However, due to political atmosphere, Jai Singh's main observatory was shifted from Jaipur to Delhi and was known as Jai Singh's central observatory until his death in 1743.

Jantar Mantar Attractions

The name Jantar Mantar is a corruption of the Sanskrit words Yantra and Mantra and literally means ‘the chanting devices’. There are fourteen devices that are used to measure the movement of heavenly bodies. These devices have captivated the interest of architects, artists and art historians due to their uniqueness and accuracy.

The instruments displayed here

• Chakra Yantra – Evaluates local times in different parts of the world.
• Dakshin Bhitti Yantra – Used for measuring meridian, altitude and zenith distances of celestial bodies
• Digamsha Yantra - Measures azimuth of the sun, and to calculate the time of sunrise and sunset forecasts
• Disha Yantra – For directions
• Dhruva Darshak Pattika - Finds the location of pole star
• Jai Prakash Yantra - Measures altitudes, azimuths, hour angles, and declinations
• Kapali Yantra - Measures coordinates of celestial bodies in azimuth and equatorial syste
• Kanali Yantra
• Kranti Vritta Yantra – Used for measuring longitude and latitude of celestial bodies
• Laghu Samrat Yantra - measures time, less accurate than Vrihat Samrat Yantra
• Misra Yantra - A compilation of five different instruments
• Nadi Valaya Yantra – Measures the time is less than a minute
• Palbha Yantra
• Rama Yantra – Calculates the altitude and the azimuth of the sun
• Rashi Valaya Yantra - Measures ecliptic coordinates of stars, planets and all 12 constellation systems
• Shastansh Yantra - measures the zenith distance, declination, and the diameter of the Sun
• Unnatamsa Yantra - Calculates of the altitude of celestial bodies