City Palace Jaipur - सिटी पैलेस जयपुर
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Built by Sawai Jai Singh, the City Palace of Jaipur still houses the royal family. The royal family of Jaipur lives in the Chandra Mahal Palace, inside the City Palace complex. However, the ground floor of this palace is open to the public. Here, you can see some rare exhibits that are on display. You can also have a look at the exquisite peacock in the courtyard outside the palace. A blend of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture, the Jaipur City Palace is situated in the center of the walled city.
The first sight you see on entering the palace complex is Mubarak Mahal (palace), constructed by Sawai Madho Singh. The palace dated back to 19th Century. The main purpose behind the palace was to serve as a reception center for the persons visiting the nobles. This palace now houses the museum of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. The museum has a rich collection of royal costumes, folk embroidery, rare and invaluable Pashmina (Kashmiri) Shawls, Sanganeri prints and Benaras silk saris. Also on display, are some of the bulky clothes worn by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I, a former ruler.
Also inside the complex of the City Palace of Rajasthan is the Maharani's Palace, the palace of the Queen. Quite unusually, this palace has on a display of the Rajput weaponry dating back to as far as the 15th century. All the weaponry is exquisite and very well preserved. Even the wall frescoes are in an amazingly well preserved condition. The display includes pistols, jeweled swords, guns and gun powder pouches, a belt swords, chain armors, small cannons, poison tipped blades, etc. However, the most impressive of them is the scissor-action dagger, a dagger with handles that were released once the weapon was thrust into a person.
Housing an art gallery is the Diwan-e-aam, the hall of public audience. Some of the invaluable handwritten original manuscripts of Hindu scriptures are exhibited in the museum, especially the miniature copies of the sacred Bhagwat Gita. Also on display are delicate miniature paintings belonging to the Rajasthani, Mughal and Persian schools. These paintings bring forth some very capturing displays like Ramayana theme, etc. also worth seeing are the elephant saddles called "haudha" and the beautifully painted ceilings of the building.
The City Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal art and architecture. The City Palace complex houses several palatial structures. In the heart of the old city, the City Palace occupies a large area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. Jai Singh built the outer wall but other additions were made much later, some right up to the start of this century. The former Maharaja still lives in part of the palace. The City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area of the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
The first building in it, is Mubarak Mahal, built by Maharaja Madho Singh. It has a beautifully carved marble gate with heavy brass doors on either side of this gate. Beyond this gate, lies the 'Diwan-E-Khas' or the 'Hall Of Private Audience' with a marble paved gallery. Across a paved square lies the 'Diwan-E-Am' or the 'Hall Of Public Audience', with its intricate decorations and manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit. There is also a clock tower and the newer Mubarak Mahal.
To the north-west is the stately and graceful seven-storeyed Chandra Mahal, the residence of ex-ruler. The seven-story Chandra Mahal is the centrepiece and commands fine views of the gardens and the city. The complex contains an excellent museum, an armoury and several fine halls. The apartments are maintained in luxurious order and the museum of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II has an extensive collection of art, carpets, enamelware and old weapons.
The paintings include miniatures in Rajasthani, Mughal and Persian schools. The armoury dating back to the 15th century and many of the ingenious and tricky weapons, which the warrior Rajputs were famous for. A section of museum also contains dresses and costumes of the former Maharajas and Maharanis of Jaipur. Each storey has a distinctive name and is a place of sheer beauty and luxury. Paintings, floral decorations, mirror walls and ceilings in the traditional style adorn the palace. The uppermost storey is called the Mukut Mahal.
Opposite the Chandra Mahal lies the Badal Mahal. The Govind Devji Temple stands in the middle of the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. A delightful system of mountains is placed in the middle of the paved path between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. The palace has extensive and sprawling gardens.
Outside the buildings, you may see a large silver vessel which a former Maharaja used to take drinking water with him to England. Being a devout Hindu, he could not drink the English water! Jaipur city palace, located in the capital of Rajasthan, the City Palace of Jaipur or the main palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthan and Mughal architecture. The vast palace complex occupies one seventh of the walled city of Jaipur. Originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha clan of Rajputs, additions have been made to the palace complex by many of his successors.
The complex is divided into a series of courtyards, sprawling gardens and buildings. It is home to several palatial structures like the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Badal Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
In the first courtyard is the 'Mubarak Mahal', built by Maharaja Madho Singh II in the late 19th century. The Mubarak Mahal, or the Auspicious Palace, contains the textile section of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. There is a magnificent gateway with a grand door in brass opening to a stately courtyard. There lies the Diwan-I-Khas or 'Hall of Private Audience'- an open hall with a double row of columns with scalloped arches. On display are the two largest silver vessels in the world figured in the Guinness Book of World Records. These were used for carrying water from the holy Ganges for personal use, by Madho Singh II on his journey to England. Across the paved square, with its intricate decorations in deep red and gold, Afghan and Persian carpets, miniature paintings, astronomical manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit lies the 'Diwan-E-Aam' or the 'Hall of Public Audience'. At the other corner is the gateway Ridhi Sidhi Pol, with four small doorways decorated with motifs depicting the four seasons.
Sobha Nivas- Chandra MahalTo the north-west is the graceful seven storeyed 'Chandra Mahal', or the Moon Palace, home to the present Maharaja of Jaipur; Bhavani Singh, providing a fine view of the gardens and the city. Paintings, floral decorations, mirror walls and ceilings in the traditional style adorn the palace. Each storey has a distinctive name and is a place of sheer beauty and luxury. The ground and first floor of the Chandra Mahal, form the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. The museum has an extensive collection of art, carpets, enamelware and 15th century weapons. The paintings include miniatures of Rajasthani, Persian and Mughal schools. A section of museum also contains dresses and costumes of the former Maharajas and Maharanis of Jaipur.
'Sukh Nivas' or Hall of rest holds the drawing and dining room of the Maharaja, furnishedSixth floor Chandra Mahal with Mughal miniatures, European silver, glass dining tables and peep holes decorated with gold leafs, for ventilation. On the fourth floor of the 'Chandra Mahal' is the 'Shobha Nivas' or Hall of Beauty with mirror encrusted walls having exquisite blue tiled dadoes and glittering gold leaf and mica decoration. When the room was lit after dark the Maharajas could enjoy a breathtaking spectacle of the room bursting into a thousand flickering images. The Shobha Nivas and the Sukh Nivas is still occupied by the present Maharaja. The fifth floor is the 'Chhavi Nivas' or Hall of Images, the maharajas retreat in the rainy season, with a polished floor of eggshell stucco and blue and white painted walls. The sixth floor with its mirrored ceiling and stucco floor has rows of double columns through which one can have a magnificent view of the rugged hills. The uppermost storey is called the 'Mukut Mahal' or the Crown Building.
Opposite the Chandra Mahal lies the 'Badal Mahal'. The Govind Devji Temple stands in the middle of the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. A delightful system of fountains is placed in the middle of the paved path between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. Another integral part of the palace complex is the Hawa Mahal of unusual architecture, standing away from the main complex.
The distinctive color of the building is characteristic. Jaipur is known as the Pink City, although the buildings seem more salmon-colored to me. The color was first applied in 1856 to honor a visit by Prince Albert, pink being the traditional color of hospitality in Rajasthan.
During the day, masonry sundials cast the sun's shadow on a suitably engraved scale. A sundial has two functional parts: a gnomon, which is the part that casts the shadow, and a scale, from which the measurement is read. For example, in the instruments in the photo, the gnomon is an inclined ramp, and the scale is engraved on the circular part below the ramp. The sun, to the right, casts the gnomon's shadow on the curved scale to the left.
Metal instruments are used for nighttime observations. They consist of a small sighting tube attached to a circular ring or plate which can pivot in various directions. They are operated by aiming the sighting tube directly at a planet or star, and then reading off its position from scales on the body of the instrument.
Some instruments could be used for both daytime and nighttime observations. More information about this and other aspects of the observatory can be found in the Additional Resources below.
For all this to work, the position and orientation of the instruments and the calibration of their scales had to be minutely exact. The devices were built large, because the larger the scale, the more accurate the measurement. Once built and calibrated, they were fixed in place, could not be moved, and contained no moving parts (except of course for the pivots of the sighting instruments) or lenses. This restricted the kinds of observations that could be carried out, to those involving the positions and motions of the heavenly bodies which are visible to the naked eye.
Such observations are no different in principle from those carried out in ancient Babylon, although they are considerably more accurate, and some of Jai Singh's instruments are original in design. Basically, however, this is how astronomy was done in early Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, China, and everywhere in the world, from the dawn of civilization down to the end of the Middle Ages.
The projects carried out here included calculating the lunar calendar, predicting the start of the monsoon season, and creating astronomical tables. However, the observatory's main purpose seems to have been casting horoscopes, which requires a precise knowledge of the positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars at the moment of birth.
Because of the size and careful construction of these instruments, their accuracy was impressive by any standard. However, devices of this sort are expensive to construct. Once built, they can not be corrected or improved, and the kinds of observations they can make are limited, in the ways previously mentioned. Because of this, the instruments preserved here were conceptually obsolete even before their construction. They were soon overtaken in both usefulness and accuracy by the smaller machined brass instruments and telescopes of the modern era. Their lasting value is the tangible record they carry, a summing-up in mortar and stone of 2,500 years of premodern astronomy. Jai Singh Sawai Jai Singh, the first Maharaja of Jaipur, succeeded to the throne of Amber in 1700 at the age of thirteen. Abandoning that capital, he founded the city of Jaipur in 1727. A soldier, ruler, and scholar with a lifelong interest in mathematics and astronomy, Jai Singh built observatories in Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Benares. Jai Singh was conversant with contemporary European astronomy through his contacts with the Portugese Viceroy in Goa. He supplied corrections to the astronomical tables of de la Hire, and published his own tables in 1723. The good state of preservation of the Jaipur observatory is due first of all to Chandra Dhar Sharma Guleri, who restored it in 1901. It has been well maintained from then to the present day. Jantar Mantar Jantar means "instrument." Mantar (the same word as "mantra") is usually translated "formula," but here it means "calculation." So, "Jantar Mantar" means something like "instrument for calculation." Additional Resources Basic Celestial Phenomena, by Kerry Magruder and Mike Keas. A good introduction to basic observational astronomy including the ecliptic, the celestial equator, and the zodiac.
Jantar Mantar (1996), by Dr. Bonnie G. MacDougall at Cornell U. The Web version of an academic paper that places the observatory in its cultural context.
Astronomical Instruments, from the Jiva Institute, discusses ten of the instruments and their mode of operation.
Astronomical Observatory of Jaipur, by Daulat Singh Rajawat. Delta Publications, Jaipur, India. This book is sold near the observatory and elsewhere in Jaipur. It provides a useful, if sometimes confusing, description of the theory and practice of the observatory from a Vedic point of view. (The Jiva Institute web site, by the way, contains much of the same information..
Sri Govinddevji, the family deity of Amber's Kachawaha Dynasty, now dwells in Jaipur, along with his consort Radha. The image, nevertheless, earlier existed in Vrindaban, where the Lord resided in the great temple built for him by Raja Mansingh, which was consecrated in 1590 AD.
Govinddevji was symbolic of Mansingh's power and became the focus of political interaction of the Mughal Emperor and the Kachawahas and, hence, an object of imperial and royal patronage. In the end of the seventeenth century, Govinddevji and Radha, accompanied by Vrindaban's tutelary goddess, Vrindadevi, were taken to the Amber territory to protect them from damage by the hands of iconoclasts.
It happened in the latter part of Emperor Aurangzeb's rule when, with the impelling grave condition of the Empire, regional Hindu Kingdoms became increasingly self assertive. Thus, that move from Vrindaban to Amber, the patrimonial land of the Kachawahas, also marked the Kachawaha rulers' assertion of regional power and identity.
Govinddevji and his consort eventually came to reside in the palatial temple, in the precincts of the City Palace of Maharaja Sawai Jaisingh's new capital, Jaipur. The rise of the deity to the status of a symbol of regnant power also meant the rise of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and the deity's custodians to power in the Kachawaha territory.
This is the most important and popular temple, which is visited in thousands by the devotees through out the year.
The temple is constructed of stone in typical style of temple architecture of North India. The only exceptional feature in the temple is that it has two sikhars instead of one. The smaller sikhar at the back is called the Lakshmi Niwas, the abode of Goddess Lakshmi. It was constructed to build the idol of Padmawati Devi. The statue, however, is kept with that of Kalki under the main sikhar.
The temple is close ever since it was built waiting for the birth of the Lord Kalki. A caretaker priest appointed by the state government looks after the cleanliness of the temple and opens it periodically.
Much of the Jal Mahal Palace (Water Palace) has subsided under the mud and silt of the lake it used to look over. Cattle and water buffalo graze in the paddocks around the former palace on the Amer Road outside Jaipur.
Jal Mahal was built by Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 AD in the midst of the Man Sagar Lake as a pleasure spot. It is Jaipur's lake palace surrounded with water. It is built for royal duck shooting parties. The Lake was formed by constructing a dam between the two hills by Sawai Man Singh I. During the winter months one can see a large number of migratory birds at the lake.
The first sight you see on entering the palace complex is Mubarak Mahal (palace), constructed by Sawai Madho Singh. The palace dated back to 19th Century. The main purpose behind the palace was to serve as a reception center for the persons visiting the nobles. This palace now houses the museum of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. The museum has a rich collection of royal costumes, folk embroidery, rare and invaluable Pashmina (Kashmiri) Shawls, Sanganeri prints and Benaras silk saris. Also on display, are some of the bulky clothes worn by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I, a former ruler.
Also inside the complex of the City Palace of Rajasthan is the Maharani's Palace, the palace of the Queen. Quite unusually, this palace has on a display of the Rajput weaponry dating back to as far as the 15th century. All the weaponry is exquisite and very well preserved. Even the wall frescoes are in an amazingly well preserved condition. The display includes pistols, jeweled swords, guns and gun powder pouches, a belt swords, chain armors, small cannons, poison tipped blades, etc. However, the most impressive of them is the scissor-action dagger, a dagger with handles that were released once the weapon was thrust into a person.
Housing an art gallery is the Diwan-e-aam, the hall of public audience. Some of the invaluable handwritten original manuscripts of Hindu scriptures are exhibited in the museum, especially the miniature copies of the sacred Bhagwat Gita. Also on display are delicate miniature paintings belonging to the Rajasthani, Mughal and Persian schools. These paintings bring forth some very capturing displays like Ramayana theme, etc. also worth seeing are the elephant saddles called "haudha" and the beautifully painted ceilings of the building.
The City Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal art and architecture. The City Palace complex houses several palatial structures. In the heart of the old city, the City Palace occupies a large area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. Jai Singh built the outer wall but other additions were made much later, some right up to the start of this century. The former Maharaja still lives in part of the palace. The City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area of the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
The first building in it, is Mubarak Mahal, built by Maharaja Madho Singh. It has a beautifully carved marble gate with heavy brass doors on either side of this gate. Beyond this gate, lies the 'Diwan-E-Khas' or the 'Hall Of Private Audience' with a marble paved gallery. Across a paved square lies the 'Diwan-E-Am' or the 'Hall Of Public Audience', with its intricate decorations and manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit. There is also a clock tower and the newer Mubarak Mahal.
To the north-west is the stately and graceful seven-storeyed Chandra Mahal, the residence of ex-ruler. The seven-story Chandra Mahal is the centrepiece and commands fine views of the gardens and the city. The complex contains an excellent museum, an armoury and several fine halls. The apartments are maintained in luxurious order and the museum of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II has an extensive collection of art, carpets, enamelware and old weapons.
The paintings include miniatures in Rajasthani, Mughal and Persian schools. The armoury dating back to the 15th century and many of the ingenious and tricky weapons, which the warrior Rajputs were famous for. A section of museum also contains dresses and costumes of the former Maharajas and Maharanis of Jaipur. Each storey has a distinctive name and is a place of sheer beauty and luxury. Paintings, floral decorations, mirror walls and ceilings in the traditional style adorn the palace. The uppermost storey is called the Mukut Mahal.
Opposite the Chandra Mahal lies the Badal Mahal. The Govind Devji Temple stands in the middle of the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. A delightful system of mountains is placed in the middle of the paved path between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. The palace has extensive and sprawling gardens.
Outside the buildings, you may see a large silver vessel which a former Maharaja used to take drinking water with him to England. Being a devout Hindu, he could not drink the English water! Jaipur city palace, located in the capital of Rajasthan, the City Palace of Jaipur or the main palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthan and Mughal architecture. The vast palace complex occupies one seventh of the walled city of Jaipur. Originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha clan of Rajputs, additions have been made to the palace complex by many of his successors.
The complex is divided into a series of courtyards, sprawling gardens and buildings. It is home to several palatial structures like the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Badal Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
In the first courtyard is the 'Mubarak Mahal', built by Maharaja Madho Singh II in the late 19th century. The Mubarak Mahal, or the Auspicious Palace, contains the textile section of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. There is a magnificent gateway with a grand door in brass opening to a stately courtyard. There lies the Diwan-I-Khas or 'Hall of Private Audience'- an open hall with a double row of columns with scalloped arches. On display are the two largest silver vessels in the world figured in the Guinness Book of World Records. These were used for carrying water from the holy Ganges for personal use, by Madho Singh II on his journey to England. Across the paved square, with its intricate decorations in deep red and gold, Afghan and Persian carpets, miniature paintings, astronomical manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit lies the 'Diwan-E-Aam' or the 'Hall of Public Audience'. At the other corner is the gateway Ridhi Sidhi Pol, with four small doorways decorated with motifs depicting the four seasons.
Sobha Nivas- Chandra MahalTo the north-west is the graceful seven storeyed 'Chandra Mahal', or the Moon Palace, home to the present Maharaja of Jaipur; Bhavani Singh, providing a fine view of the gardens and the city. Paintings, floral decorations, mirror walls and ceilings in the traditional style adorn the palace. Each storey has a distinctive name and is a place of sheer beauty and luxury. The ground and first floor of the Chandra Mahal, form the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. The museum has an extensive collection of art, carpets, enamelware and 15th century weapons. The paintings include miniatures of Rajasthani, Persian and Mughal schools. A section of museum also contains dresses and costumes of the former Maharajas and Maharanis of Jaipur.
'Sukh Nivas' or Hall of rest holds the drawing and dining room of the Maharaja, furnishedSixth floor Chandra Mahal with Mughal miniatures, European silver, glass dining tables and peep holes decorated with gold leafs, for ventilation. On the fourth floor of the 'Chandra Mahal' is the 'Shobha Nivas' or Hall of Beauty with mirror encrusted walls having exquisite blue tiled dadoes and glittering gold leaf and mica decoration. When the room was lit after dark the Maharajas could enjoy a breathtaking spectacle of the room bursting into a thousand flickering images. The Shobha Nivas and the Sukh Nivas is still occupied by the present Maharaja. The fifth floor is the 'Chhavi Nivas' or Hall of Images, the maharajas retreat in the rainy season, with a polished floor of eggshell stucco and blue and white painted walls. The sixth floor with its mirrored ceiling and stucco floor has rows of double columns through which one can have a magnificent view of the rugged hills. The uppermost storey is called the 'Mukut Mahal' or the Crown Building.
Opposite the Chandra Mahal lies the 'Badal Mahal'. The Govind Devji Temple stands in the middle of the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. A delightful system of fountains is placed in the middle of the paved path between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. Another integral part of the palace complex is the Hawa Mahal of unusual architecture, standing away from the main complex.
Other Jaipur Monuments
The capital of the modern state of Rajasthan , Jaipur is a modern city built according to the specifications laid down in ancient architectural texts. Known as the pink city on account of the flush colour of its sandstone palaces, it is a major center for handicrafts.Its former capital, Amber, consists of fortifications with an interesting range of highly decorated public and private apartments The city is one of the most important centers in the world for cutting of small diamonds.Diamond studded jewelery in gold and silver, steals anyone's heart at jaipur. The local 'Kundan' style jewelery finds a market throughout the world.The exotic blue pottery, the batik painting, block printed textiles of sanganer and bagru, tie and dye fabrics, mojari - the local shoe, beautiful stone carvings etc..., have made Jaipur proud of itself in the entire world.Hawa Mahal Palace Complex, Jaipur
The Hawa Mahal (Palace of Breezes), a ventilated residence, overlooks a busy downtown street near the City Palace in Jaipur. Built in 1799, it allowed court women to observe the passing scene while remaining in seclusion. Behind its five-story facade, the building is only one room thick from front to back. Click here for a close-up of this unique structure.The distinctive color of the building is characteristic. Jaipur is known as the Pink City, although the buildings seem more salmon-colored to me. The color was first applied in 1856 to honor a visit by Prince Albert, pink being the traditional color of hospitality in Rajasthan.
Jantar Mantar Observatory Palace Complex, Jaipur
A brief Introduction to the observatory is followed by notes on Jai Singh, the meaning of the name "Jantar Mantar," and Additional Resources for further exploration. A selection of instruments is described in the following pages: Laghu Samrat Yantra, Chakra Yantra, Kapali Yantra, Ram Yantra, Narivalaya Yantra, Jai Prakash Yantra, and Rashivalaya Yantra. Introduction to the Observatory Jai Singh's astronomical observatory may look like a giant playground for grownups, but in 1734, the year of its completion, it was the last outpost of medieval science. The observatory's eighteen fixed observational instruments are sighting devices which measure the position of the sun, stars and planets. Some are built entirely of masonry, others are engraved metal rings and plates set into masonry foundations.During the day, masonry sundials cast the sun's shadow on a suitably engraved scale. A sundial has two functional parts: a gnomon, which is the part that casts the shadow, and a scale, from which the measurement is read. For example, in the instruments in the photo, the gnomon is an inclined ramp, and the scale is engraved on the circular part below the ramp. The sun, to the right, casts the gnomon's shadow on the curved scale to the left.
Metal instruments are used for nighttime observations. They consist of a small sighting tube attached to a circular ring or plate which can pivot in various directions. They are operated by aiming the sighting tube directly at a planet or star, and then reading off its position from scales on the body of the instrument.
Some instruments could be used for both daytime and nighttime observations. More information about this and other aspects of the observatory can be found in the Additional Resources below.
For all this to work, the position and orientation of the instruments and the calibration of their scales had to be minutely exact. The devices were built large, because the larger the scale, the more accurate the measurement. Once built and calibrated, they were fixed in place, could not be moved, and contained no moving parts (except of course for the pivots of the sighting instruments) or lenses. This restricted the kinds of observations that could be carried out, to those involving the positions and motions of the heavenly bodies which are visible to the naked eye.
Such observations are no different in principle from those carried out in ancient Babylon, although they are considerably more accurate, and some of Jai Singh's instruments are original in design. Basically, however, this is how astronomy was done in early Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, China, and everywhere in the world, from the dawn of civilization down to the end of the Middle Ages.
The projects carried out here included calculating the lunar calendar, predicting the start of the monsoon season, and creating astronomical tables. However, the observatory's main purpose seems to have been casting horoscopes, which requires a precise knowledge of the positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars at the moment of birth.
Because of the size and careful construction of these instruments, their accuracy was impressive by any standard. However, devices of this sort are expensive to construct. Once built, they can not be corrected or improved, and the kinds of observations they can make are limited, in the ways previously mentioned. Because of this, the instruments preserved here were conceptually obsolete even before their construction. They were soon overtaken in both usefulness and accuracy by the smaller machined brass instruments and telescopes of the modern era. Their lasting value is the tangible record they carry, a summing-up in mortar and stone of 2,500 years of premodern astronomy. Jai Singh Sawai Jai Singh, the first Maharaja of Jaipur, succeeded to the throne of Amber in 1700 at the age of thirteen. Abandoning that capital, he founded the city of Jaipur in 1727. A soldier, ruler, and scholar with a lifelong interest in mathematics and astronomy, Jai Singh built observatories in Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Benares. Jai Singh was conversant with contemporary European astronomy through his contacts with the Portugese Viceroy in Goa. He supplied corrections to the astronomical tables of de la Hire, and published his own tables in 1723. The good state of preservation of the Jaipur observatory is due first of all to Chandra Dhar Sharma Guleri, who restored it in 1901. It has been well maintained from then to the present day. Jantar Mantar Jantar means "instrument." Mantar (the same word as "mantra") is usually translated "formula," but here it means "calculation." So, "Jantar Mantar" means something like "instrument for calculation." Additional Resources Basic Celestial Phenomena, by Kerry Magruder and Mike Keas. A good introduction to basic observational astronomy including the ecliptic, the celestial equator, and the zodiac.
Jantar Mantar (1996), by Dr. Bonnie G. MacDougall at Cornell U. The Web version of an academic paper that places the observatory in its cultural context.
Astronomical Instruments, from the Jiva Institute, discusses ten of the instruments and their mode of operation.
Astronomical Observatory of Jaipur, by Daulat Singh Rajawat. Delta Publications, Jaipur, India. This book is sold near the observatory and elsewhere in Jaipur. It provides a useful, if sometimes confusing, description of the theory and practice of the observatory from a Vedic point of view. (The Jiva Institute web site, by the way, contains much of the same information..
Mubarak Mahal City Palace, Jaipur
The former palace has been converted into an extensive museum compound. On display are textiles, armor, miniatures (paintings), and other objects of art. The Mubarak Mahal, shown here, was built in 1890.Galta Rajasthan, near Jaipur
The temples of Galta are nestled in a picturesque valley 3 km west of Jaipur. Dating from the mid 18th century, they seem timeless due to their extraordinary setting.Govind Deviji Temple
Located in the central pavilion of the elaborate sprawling Jai Niwas Garden, to the north of the magnificent Chandra Mahal, is the miniature temple of Lord Krishna. The idol of Shri Krishna, originally kept in a temple in Vrindavan, was installed here by Sawai Jai Singh II, as the ruling deity of his family.Sri Govinddevji, the family deity of Amber's Kachawaha Dynasty, now dwells in Jaipur, along with his consort Radha. The image, nevertheless, earlier existed in Vrindaban, where the Lord resided in the great temple built for him by Raja Mansingh, which was consecrated in 1590 AD.
Govinddevji was symbolic of Mansingh's power and became the focus of political interaction of the Mughal Emperor and the Kachawahas and, hence, an object of imperial and royal patronage. In the end of the seventeenth century, Govinddevji and Radha, accompanied by Vrindaban's tutelary goddess, Vrindadevi, were taken to the Amber territory to protect them from damage by the hands of iconoclasts.
It happened in the latter part of Emperor Aurangzeb's rule when, with the impelling grave condition of the Empire, regional Hindu Kingdoms became increasingly self assertive. Thus, that move from Vrindaban to Amber, the patrimonial land of the Kachawahas, also marked the Kachawaha rulers' assertion of regional power and identity.
Govinddevji and his consort eventually came to reside in the palatial temple, in the precincts of the City Palace of Maharaja Sawai Jaisingh's new capital, Jaipur. The rise of the deity to the status of a symbol of regnant power also meant the rise of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and the deity's custodians to power in the Kachawaha territory.
This is the most important and popular temple, which is visited in thousands by the devotees through out the year.
Kalki Temple, Jaipur
The Kalki Temple at Jaipur is the only temple in India dedicated to the incarnation of God not yet born. According to Hindu mythology, Kalki is the tenth and the last incarnation of the Lord Vishnu who is yet to born. Kalki literally means 'Born of Time'. Lord Kalki is believed to come on a white horse with a shinning sword in his hand and protect the mankind from prevailing chaos and confusion in Kal Yuga.Kalki Temple Jaipur Raja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur built the temple of Kalki in 1727 AD at the time he was building the city. He was a keen student of Vedic texts and a Hindu revivalist. Jai Singh built the Kalki temple right opposite the eastern entrance to the City Palace. The location of the temple was important but still it was not given a prime position in the street. The temple was built behind the street of impressive buildings. The temple can be entered through a ceremonial archway in two easy slopes through a ramp way rather than a staircase that opens at the street. The temple is built over a 20 ft high plinth. There is a ramp within the temple complex leading up to the temple. A canopied kiosk in one corner contains the fine marble statue of a horse facing the temple, which is supposedly the mount of Kalki. The ramps are probably constructed to facilitate the horse to climb up and down easily. Historians also believe that Jai Singh was the last Hindu ruler to have performed Ashwamedha Yajna, an ancient Vedic rite and the horse was sculpted to commemorate the event.The temple is constructed of stone in typical style of temple architecture of North India. The only exceptional feature in the temple is that it has two sikhars instead of one. The smaller sikhar at the back is called the Lakshmi Niwas, the abode of Goddess Lakshmi. It was constructed to build the idol of Padmawati Devi. The statue, however, is kept with that of Kalki under the main sikhar.
The temple is close ever since it was built waiting for the birth of the Lord Kalki. A caretaker priest appointed by the state government looks after the cleanliness of the temple and opens it periodically.
Much of the Jal Mahal Palace (Water Palace) has subsided under the mud and silt of the lake it used to look over. Cattle and water buffalo graze in the paddocks around the former palace on the Amer Road outside Jaipur.
Jal Mahal was built by Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 AD in the midst of the Man Sagar Lake as a pleasure spot. It is Jaipur's lake palace surrounded with water. It is built for royal duck shooting parties. The Lake was formed by constructing a dam between the two hills by Sawai Man Singh I. During the winter months one can see a large number of migratory birds at the lake.
How to Get There
Air
Jaipur is connected to Delhi (300Km), Mumbai, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Aurangabad, Calcutta and Varanasi by domestic flights.Rail
The train service to Jaipur is available from all the major parts of the country.Road
Jaipur can be accessed from all the major places in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Mumbai by bus.
 Photo by : suz kosh in Flickr |
 Photo by : Stringendo in Flickr |
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 Photo by : htjones1947 in webshots |
 Photo by : gurudutt100 in webshots |
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 Photo by : juliser in panaromia |
 Photo by : imagine.asia in panaromia |
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 Photo by : Fernando Mobu in panaromia |
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