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Tourist Places in Jaipur - Between 1727 and 1734 Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur
constructed five astronomical observatories in west
central India. The observatories, or "Jantar Mantar"
as they are commonly known, include multiple buildings
of unique form, each with a specialized function for
astronomical measurement. These structures with their
striking combinations of geometric forms at large scale
have captivated the attention of architects, artists,
and art historians world wide, yet remain largely unknown
to the general public.
Jai Singh named his observatory Jantar Mantar, which
is actually pronounced, as 'Yantra Mantra', yantra for
instrument and mantra for formula. A huge sundial known
as "Samrat Yantra" or 'Prince of Dials', meant
to measure exact time of the day within half a second
and the declination of the sun and other heavenly bodies
dominates it.
The observatory consists of fourteen major geometric
devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking
stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations
of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes
and related ephemeredes. Each is a fixed and 'focused'
tool. The Samrat Jantar, the largest instrument, is
90 feet high, its shadow carefully plotted to tell the
time of day. Its face is angled at 27 degrees, the latitude
of Tour of Jaipur. The Hindu chhatri (small domed cupola) on
top is used as a platform for announcing eclipses and
the arrival of monsoons. Built of local stone and marble,
each instrument carries an astronomical scale, generally
marked on the marble inner lining; bronze tablets, all
extraordinarily accurate, were also employed. Thoroughly
restored in 1901, the Jantar Mantar was declared a national
monument in 1948.
Touroftajmahal.com offers valuable information Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, Tourist Places in Jaipur and other Tourist Attractions in Jaipur.
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