The pink city is known for its palaces and forts and ancient havelis. People flock to this royal city from all corners of the world to experience a slice of history and ancient art, and aren’t disappointed. But there is another jewel in the city’s crown has a more heavenly background - Jantar Mantar.
Completed in 1734, this USNECO world heritage site, is a observatory par-excellence.
Between 1724 and 1730 Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five astronomical observatories in north India, one each in New Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi.
The first one to be built was the observatory at Delhi in 1724. The Jaipur observatory, the most elaborate, was begun by 1728. Smaller observatories were built in Benares, Ujjain, and Mathura. Of the five observatories, all except the observatory at Mathura still exist and are publicly accessible. The Mathura observatory, and the fort in which it was housed, were demolished just before 1857.The observatories at Delhi and Jaipur are the best known and most visited, since they are within major tourist destinations.
Locally known as Jantar Mantar, they incorporates multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialised function for astronomical measurement. These structures with their striking combinations of geometric forms have captivated the attention of architects, artists, and art historians world wide, yet remain largely unknown to the general public.
The instruments constructed here were meant to ease the observance of the astronomical positions of various planets and stars with the naked eye.
#DidYouKnow The monument was damaged in the 19th century and was restored under the guidance of Major Arthur Garrett, a keen amateur astronomer.
Sawai Jai Singh
The astronomer King, Sawai Jai Singh, was was born at Amber, and became its ruler at the age of 11 after his father Maharaja Bishan Singh died in 1699. The young king was bright, eager to learn, and socially and politically astute. Among his many later accomplishments, he founded the city of Jaipur which bears his name, and was responsible for much of it’s design.
#DidYouKnow Jai Singh was given title of Sawai by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb in the year 1699, who had summoned him to Delhi, and was impressed by his wit. "Sawai" means one and a quarter times superior to his contemporaries.
India at this time was under the rule of the Mughals who distributed their power through the leaders of existing dynasties such as the Rajputs, Marathas, Pashtuns, and Sikhs. As a young man, Jai Sing, who came from the royal family of the Kacchawahas, led his troops to support the emperor Aurangzeb who was carrying out a campaign against the Marathas in the Deccan. It was during this campaign, around 1700, that Jai Singh met Pandit Jagannatha Samrat, who became his guru and later his chief advisor in matters of astronomy. At the end of the campaign, Jagannatha accompanied Jai Singh back to Amber, where he expanded his knowledge through the study of Jai Singh’s extensive collection of Islamic texts. As jai Singh’s chief astronomer, Jagannatha was a major influence in the design of the Jantar Mantar, and the two men remained lifelong friends.
Later, Jai Singh and Jagannatha also studied the literature available from European, Islamic and Persian civilisations and sent his envoys to learn from scholars from various parts of the world which culminated in their most ambitious project of building the five observatories.
#DidYouKnow Jantar Mantar is believed by some historians to be based on Ulug Begh’s Observatory in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, but it is also widely accepted that the Jantar Mantar was more accurate compared to it.
The Instruments
The observatory has a set of some 20 main fixed instruments. In themselves they are exquisite examples in masonry, but the fact that they can be used for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, makes them even more alluring, making Jantar Mantar the most significant, most comprehensive, and the best preserved of India's historic observatories.
The main instruments of the observatory include the Laghu Samrat Yantra that can measure time accurate upto 20 seconds, Ram Yantra that measures elevations of starts and planets, Rasivalaya are for measuring the celestial latitude and longitude, Jai Prakash Yantra representing the horizon, Nadivalaya aligning with the equator, Chakra yantra, Digamsa and 12 instruments corresponding to the twelve zodiac clusters in the sky, among others.
The Sundial
The Sundial though, remains the most important of the instruments at the Observatory. Also called the ‘Vrihat Smarat Yantra’ or the Supreme Instrument. This gigantic sun dial, placed at the centre of Jantar Mantar observatory, is 27 metres long and known to be the biggest in the World.
#DidYouKnow The Sundial can measures time up to the precision of two seconds!
Currently, the management of the Observatory is working to make it more accessible and presents it through a variety of media, making it possible to explore and learn about the historic sites through interactive panoramic tours, time lapse sequences, and 3D models as well as articles, drawings, and historic texts.
So, for your next visit, do keep a few hours aside to visit and experience this little known, ancient gem of the Pink City.
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