New Delhi: A Jantar Mantar is an astronomical instrument made of stone which was designed to be used with the naked eye. In India, Raja Jai Singh II, who was keenly interested in astronomy, mathematics and architecture, built five Jantar Mantars. The largest example is the equinoctial sundial belonging to Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar. In this article, we will take a look at the Jantar Mantar in our country.
How many Jantar Mantars are there in India?
Maharaja Jai Singh II was the 29th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber and he later founded the fortified city of Jaipur. He was a powerful ruler who tried to unite the Rajputana to curb the growing influence of the Marathas at that time. In the early 18th century, he constructed five Jantar Mantars. They are located in Jaipur, New Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi. The observatory at Mathura and the fort that protected it were destroyed before 1857.
His observatories relied mainly on Indian astronomy and could accurately predict astronomical events including eclipses. In the observatories, the instruments and observational techniques used were superior to those used by the European Jesuit astronomers whom Jai Singh II invited there. The Jantar Mantars had several instruments like Ram Yantra, the Jai Prakash, the Samrat Yantra, the Digamsha Yantra and the Narivalaya Yantra.
The Jantar Mantars in India
Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is the largest of the five. Its construction was completed in 1734 and it has 19 astronomical instruments built by the Sawai Jai Singh II. It has the largest stone sundial in the world and the Jantar Mantar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The observatory is an example of the Ptolemaic positional astronomy which was shared by many civilizations.
Jantar Mantar, New Delhi
The Jantar Mantar in New Delhi was constructed in 1724. It has 13 astronomical instruments and its main purpose was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets. Its instruments include the Ram Yantra, the Samrat Yantra, the Jai Prakash Yantra and the Misra Yantra and the Delhi Jantar Mantar is the second-most famous after the one in Jaipur.
Jantar Mantar, Varanasi
The Jantar Mantar in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi was constructed in 1737. It is smaller than its counterparts but has several important instruments for astronomical observations. Like the other Jantar Mantars, it was also built to measure local time, altitude of the place and also to measure declination of Sun, stars and planets and to determine eclipses.
Jantar Mantar, Ujjain
The Jantar Mantar in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain was built in 1725. It has 13 astronomical instruments and played an important role in the astronomical research at that time. It was also constructed to measure local time, altitude of the place and also to measure declination of the Sun, stars and planets and to determine eclipses.
Jantar Mantar, Mathura
The Jantar Mantar in Mathura was constructed in 1711 and was the oldest of the five observatories. It was destroyed before 1857 and whatever is left today is in a very dilapidated condition. However, it has immense historical significance as it marked the beginning of Jai Singh’s efforts to build the observatories and lead to astronomical advancement in India.
Raja Jai Singh II built five Jantar Mantars across India in the early 18th century. These monumental observatories, using ingenious instruments, accurately predicted astronomical events. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
