Jantar Mantar - जंतर मंतर दिल्ली

Monument Name Jantar Mantar (Rajasthan)
Location Jaipur
State Rajasthan
Timings
Coordinates 26.9248, 75.8242
Wikipedia Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jantar_Mantar_%28Jaipur%29
Entrance Fee Citizens of India Rs. 5/- per head
US $ 2 or Indian Rs. 100/- per head
(Free entry to children up to 15 years)
Other Details Built In 1724
Built BySawai Jai Singh II
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Jantar Mantar is an important landmark of Delhi and a unique edifice. It is an observatory built by Sawai Jai Singh II, the erstwhile ruler of the princely state of Amber and a contemporary of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

The various abstract structures within the Jantar Mantar are, in fact, instruments that were used for keeping track of celestial bodies. Nevertheless, the 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 endeavor to unravel the mysteries pertaining to 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.

All of these were built as far back as AD 1724-1730 during the period generally known as the dark age of Indian history, when the last great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had died and the Mughal Empire was declining rapidly.

During this period of chaos, Muhammad Shah ascended the throne of the Mughal Empire. As many enemies surrounded him, he sought the alliance of the Hindu rulers. Of these, the most notable was Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber, who came into limelight since the days of Aurangzeb.

When Jai Singh ascended the throne of Amber in 1699, he was barely eleven, but sharp and shrewd far beyond his years. The then Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was so impressed with the young ruler that he gave Jai Singh II the title of Sawai, meaning one and a quarter of an average man in worth.

As Jai Singh repeatedly proved himself as a worthy ally of the Mughals, Muhammad Shah, who was seeking a dependable ally, zeroed in on Jai Singh and duly raised him to the rank of governor of Agra and later, of Malwa.

Jai Singh was passionate about two things-the arts and the sciences, chiefly astronomy. Once, at the court of Muhammad Shah, he found the Hindu and Muslim astrologers embroiled in a heated argument over certain planetary positions.

It was imperative that the positions be known accurately to determine an auspicious hour for the emperor to set out on an expedition. Jai Singh offered to rectify the then available astronomical tables, an offer that was readily accepted by the Mughal emperor. The result: an onsite Jantar Mantar in Delhi, an astronomical observatory where the movements of sun, moon and planets could be observed.

Jai Singh's idea was to create a renaissance in practical astronomy among the Indian masses and practicing astronomers. However, the lofty ideals of the Jantar Mantar remained unfulfilled as the country at that time was in turmoil and the full potential of this observatory was never realized.

To start with, Jai Singh tried to use brass instruments in this observatory, but soon gave them up because of several inherent flaws. They were too small, for one thing, their axes were unstable so the center often got displaced. He next decided to follow the style adopted by the renowned Arab astronomer, Prince Ulugh Beg, builder of the famous 15th-century observatory at Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The massive masonry instruments at Samarkand suited Jai Singh's architectural tastes and promised to be more accurate because of sheer size. In 1730, Jai Singh sent a mission to the king of Lisbon. On its return to Jaipur, the mission brought back a telescope and no less a person than the court astronomer himself, by the name of Xavier de Silva.

The Observatory

This unique observatory was completed in 1724 and remained operational only for seven years. Astronomical observations were regularly made here and these observations were used for drawing up a new set of tables, later compiled as Zij Muhammad Shahi dedicated to the reigning monarch. Jai Singh named his observatory Jantar Mantar (actually Yantra Mantra, yantra for instrument and mantra for formula). It is dominated by a huge sundial known as Samrat Yantra, meant to measure the time of the day accurate to within half a second and the declination of the sun and other heavenly bodies. Jai Singh himself designed this yantra. Other yantras were also meant for the study of heavenly bodies, plotting their course and predicting eclipses. The two pillars on the southwest of Mishra Yantra are meant to determine the shortest and longest days of the year. Interestingly, in December one pillar completely covers the other with its shadow while in June it does not cast any such shadow at all.

Spurred on by the completion of the first Jantar Mantar and with a view to verifying astronomical observations made at Delhi, Jai Singh built similar, if smaller observatories, at other important Indian cities-Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Mathura. The state of these observatories is bad; the one in Mathura was demolished, while those in Ujjain and Varanasi are in state of decay. But the observatory at Jaipur is the best preserved of all because in 1901 Raja Ram Singh, the then ruler of Jaipur, refurbished it with the help of a British engineer. All the masonry instruments were lined with marble so that the graduations on them are not worn out.

The Jantar Mantars may have fallen into disuse but they remain an integral part of India's scientific heritage. The Jantar Mantar in Delhi is often projected in travel books, brochures, on postage stamps and was the logo of the 1982 Asian Games. The Jantar Mantar shows that the spirit of scientific enquiry was not dead in India and would have yielded rich results if only an opportunity had been given to it to fructify. The Jantar Mantar on the Parliament Street remains one of the most intriguing structures of the capital, one that explodes in a burst of questions in the mind of the inquisitive tourist.

How To Reach

Tourists can reach the Jantar Mantar in many ways. They can either take local buses from various points within the city to reach this monument, which is located in Connaught Place, the heart of the city, or they can hire auto-rickshaws and taxis for the purpose. One can take buses from the bus termini located at Kashmere Gate and Sarai Kale Khan to reach this monument. Local guided tours conducted by Delhi Tourism and private operators covers this important monument.

Jantar Mantar, with Yantra meaning instruments and Mantra meaning formulae, was built in the year 1724. Situated near Connaught Place, Delhi Jantar Mantar counts amongst the numerous astronomical observatories erected by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur. The other observatories consist of the ones built in Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. It basically comprises of the instruments that were used for keeping track of celestial bodies. Jai Singh, after finding the existing astronomical instruments too small to take correct measurements, built these larger and more accurate instruments.

The instruments at Jantar Mantar of Delhi display promising brilliance. However, there is a little problem, that, these instruments can no longer make accurate observations because of the numerous tall buildings that have been built around the observatory. Delhi Jantar Mantar is also a reminder of the technological achievements that took place under the rule of the Rajput kings. There is an interesting legend associated with the construction of the Jantar Mantar. It is said that Jai Singh, ardent adherer of astronomy, oversaw an argument between Hindu and Muslim over certain planetary positions.

Since it was utmost necessary to solve the argument and know the positions precisely, he offered to rectify the available astronomical tables. The offer was accepted by the Mughal emperor and that led to the construction of Jantar Mantar in Delhi. At first, brass instruments were used in the observatory. However, they were found to have a number of intrinsic flaws. So after much deliberation, Jai Singh adopted the style of Prince Ulugh Beg, builder of the 15th century observatory at Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This is how the Delhi Jantar Mantar became what it is today.

The Jantar Mantar, an observatory consisting of masonry built astronomical instruments lis on the Parliament Street, south of Connaught Circus in Delhi. These instruments were erected by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1699 1743 AD), who was keenly interested in astronomical observations and studied all systems, western and eastern, before embarking on his constructions. Initially he built metal instruments some of which are still preserved in Jaipur, but later discarded them.

The observatory at Delhi was the first to be built, and it was followed by construction of similar observatories at Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and mathura, the last of which no longer survives. According to tradition, Jai Singh built the Delhi observatory in 1710, while Sayyid Ahamd Khan, author of Athar-us-Sanadid, takes 1724 to be the date of its construction. Since Jai Singh himself mentions that he built the instruments by the order of the emperor Muhammad Shah, who ascended the throne only in 1719 and granted a governorship to him, Sayyid Ahmad Khan's date would appear to be nearer the truth.

Built with brick rubble and plastered with lime, the instruments have been repaired and restored repeatedly, but without any large scale alteration. Among them, the Samrat Yantra (supreme instrument) is 'an equinoctial dial, consisting of a triangular gnomon with the hypotenuse parallel to the earth's axis, and on either side of the gnomon is a quadrant of a circle parallel to the plane of the equator'. The Jai Prakash to its south consists of two concave hemispherical structures to ascertain the position of the sun and other heavenly bodies.

Two circular buildings to the south of the Jai Prakash, with a pillar at the centre, constitute the Ram Yantra, the walls and floor of which are graduated for reading horizontal (azimuth) and vertical (altitude) angles. The Misra Yantra (mixed instrument) to its north west combines four instruments in one, and hence its name. these are Niyata Chakra which indicates the meridian at four places, two in Europe and one each in Japan and the Pacific Ocean; half on an equinoctial dial; Dakshinottara-bhitti-Yantra, used for obtaining meridian altitides and Karka-rasi-valaya, which indicates the entry of the sun in the cancer. To the east of the instruments, the small temple of Bhairava also appears to have been built by Maharaja Jai Singh.

The late Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah (r. 1791-48) enabled the raja of Jaipur, Sawai jai Singh Kachhwala, to build an astronomical observatory in Delhi. The raja used the structure to update existing astronomical tables and almanac. The main structures are large scale, sophisticated scientific instruments constructed in brick and plaster, and consist of extruded, interlocked shapes extremely unusual to the architecture of the period.

Jantar Mantar, Delhi

Tour to Jantar Mantar Delhi Jantar Mantar at Delhi is one of the five masonry observatories built by Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Rajasthan during the early 18th century AD. The remaining four observatories are at Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi. He was disturbed by the finding that the calculated celestial elements for the Sun, Moon and Planets seemed to disagree with the observations. These celestial elements were used to calculate the planetary movements using classical Indian Astronomical concepts.

The calculating algorithms for celestial object positions had not been corrected for more than thousand years due to lack of precessions of earth's axis of rotation. This effect was observed as far back as the Vedic times ad is called Ayanamasa. Whenever there was a difference in the calculated and predicted elements due to precessions, ad-hoc corrections called Bija corrections were applied so that the calculations and the observations match each other. These corrections were never organized and classical treatise does not mention these.

Tour to Jantar Mantar - Jayaprakash Yatra Jai Singh felt that corrections were needed to be made to the existing methods of calculations with precise observations. Jai Singh constructed a huge observatory of masonry for precise observation. It is made of brick and plaster and consist of extruded, interlocked shapes externally. He started with the brass instruments in his observatory but soon gave them up because of several inherent flaws. They were too small and their axes were unstable displacing the center often. He then decided to follow the style of the renowned Arab astronomer, Prince Ulugh Beg, builder of the famous 15th century AD observatory at Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The massive masonry instruments at the observatory at Samarkand suited Jai Singh's architectural tastes and were far more accurate because of their size.

The astronomical observations were continuously made over here and were used for drawing up a new set of tables. Thee tables were later compiled as Zij Muhammad Shahi and were dedicated to the reigning monarch. Jai Singh named his observatory as 'Yantra Mantra', in which Yantra means instrument and Mantra means formula. The name got corrupted to Jantar Mantar during British period. The Delhi Observatory consists of four main instruments each of which had other subsidiary functionalities inbuilt.

The Samrat Yantra or Prince of Dials is an equinoctial Sun Dial. It is the largest structure in the observatory and was designed by jai Singh himself. It was meant to measure accurate time of the day within half a second and the declination of the sun and other heavenly bodies dominates it.

The Misra Yantra was a mixed instrument as the name suggests. It incorporated many important functions. It was meant to determine the shortest and the longest day of the year.

The Jayaprakasha Yantra is called the Crest Jewel of instruments and consisted of two complimentary concave hemispheres reflecting the dome of the sky. It was used to show the local time, sun's declination and zodiac signs in an instant.

Jantar Mantar Delhi - Ram Yatra The Ram Yantra are two complementary buildings in a circular shape, designed for very easy determination of local celestial co-ordinates. The Jayaprakasha and Ram Yantra both are marked out for alternate hours so as to cover the complete passage of an object across the sky.

The Jantar Mantars may have fallen into disuse today. The observatory at Jaipur is n working condition. They will remain an integral part of India's scientific heritage. It presents that India was technologically advance and would have produced rich results if only an opportunity of research and development had been given to it.

'Yantralaya' commonly known as Jantar Mantar was a dream of Swai Jai Singh II, a great astronomer of India. Jantar Mantar was built between 1716. It is located within the city palace.

The Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory with masonry instruments,built in 1724 by Sawai Jai Singh II,the mathematician and astronomer king of Amber. The Jantar Mantar in Delhi was one of five such instruments built in Jaipur,Ujjain,Mathura and Varanasi.

The Amber King was a keen scholar of astronomy. He studied the movement of the heavenly as a reputed astronomer in line with Ulugh Beg,Tycho Brahe and John Flamstead. The Maharaja found the existing astronomical instruments to record totally accurate observations and so he decided that bigger structures should be constructed. The instruments at Jantar Mantar are fascinating for their novel approach.

The Samrat or Yantra supreme - the largest structure shaped like a right-angled triangle,is actually a huge sun-dial; the other five instruments are intended to show the movements of the sun,moon,etc. According to the rays of the Sun falling on it,it helped the people calculate to some extent the time of the day.

An Observatory

The Jantar Mantar was built in 1710 by Raja Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1699-1743) in Delhi. This is an observatory consisting of mason-built astronomical instruments to chart the course of the heavens. Jai Singh, who was a very scholarly king with a very keen interest in astronomy and astrology, had other observatories built too in Ujjain, Jaipur, Mathura (which no longer survives) and Varanasi.

The first among these was this one in Delhi. The yantras (instruments, which has been distorted to Jantar) are built of brick rubble and plastered with lime. The yantras have evocative names like, samrat yantra, jai prakash, ram yantra and niyati chakra; each of which are used to for various astronomical calculations.

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