Thursday, 25 August 2016

Jantar Mantar

Built in the year of 1734, Jantar Mantar was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. This observatory is a collection of the architectural astronomical instruments, which is built in the city of Jaipur. Maharaja Jai Singh built similar observatories at different locations. Total of five such laboratories were built. But the largest one of all the observatories is located at Jaipur.


The name Jantar Mantar literally means a calculation instrument. The observatories had great religious significance and the Indian astronomers considered Jantar Mantar as a very important place. The observatory houses numerous instruments related to astronomy and is a great work of creation. The various instruments that are kept inside the Jantar Mantar of Jaipur are used to trace the path of the astronomical bodies.
Thousands of travelers from all over the world come to see this imposing astronomical observatory. Here, you can find a number of instruments, which include the following:

Samrat Yantra
Jai Prakash
Ram Yantra
Niyati Chakra
Misra Yantra

Inside the Jantar Mantar, you will find several geometric devices for measuring time, ascertaining the declinations of planets, tracking stars in their orbits, predicting eclipses and determining the celestial altitudes. All of these tools are fixed and static. These can not be moved. The largest of them is the Samrat Jantar, which is 90 feet high. It is a sun dial, which can read time with great accuracy. To know the time of the day, this instrument is used. There is a Hindu chhatri, which is used for broadcast the arrival of the monsoons and the time of eclipses. The instruments are built of local stone and marbles.

The architecture of Jantar Mantar is in itself a marvel. In the year of 1948, Jantar Mantar was declared as the national monument. You will come across several astronomical systems in the campus of the Jantar Mantar. The huge instruments within the observatory are created to give accurate readings. Over the years, Jantar Mantar has become one of the most important tourist attractions. Counted as one of the most important monuments in India, you can find Jantar Mantar in Delhi as well, which was built I the 1724.


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