Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is an astronomical observatory built by Sawai Jaisingh between 1726 and 1734. It is included in UNESCO's 'World Heritage List'. There are 14 major instruments in this observatory, which are helpful in measuring time, predicting eclipses, knowing the speed and position of a star, knowing the problems of planets in the solar system, etc. Looking at these instruments shows that the people of India had such deep knowledge of complex concepts of mathematics and astronomy that they could form these concepts into an 'educational observatory' so that anyone could know them and enjoy them.

Jantar Mantar is an amazing medieval achievement associated with the old palace 'Chandramahal' in Jaipur. Famous worldwide for analyzing and accurately predicting astrological and astronomical events through ancient astronomical instruments and complex mathematical structures The construction of this unique observatory was started by Raja Sawai Jai Singh (II) of Amer, the founder of Jaipur city under his personal supervision in 1728, which was completed in 1734. 

Sawai Jai Singh was also an astrophysicist, whose contribution and personality was praised by Jawaharlal Nehru who has mentioned this honourably in his famous book 'Discovery of India' ('Bharat Ek Khoj). Before the construction of this observatory, Sawai Jai Singh had sent his cultural messengers to many countries of the world and asked for manuscripts of ancient and important texts of astronomy from there. And preserved them in his Pothikhana (library) and got them translated for his study. 

Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II built five observatories across the country on the basis of Hindu astronomy. These observatories were built in Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain, Benaras and Mathura.  He took the help of eminent astronomers of the time in building these observatories. First Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (II) built the Yantra in Ujjain, followed by the Observatory (Jantar Mantar) in Delhi and Jantar Mantar in Jaipur ten years later. Jaipur observatory is the largest among all the five observatories in the country. It is huge in size and with the rest of the Jantar Mantars, it does not match many in terms of craft and instruments. Of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh, today only Jantar Mantar of Delhi and Jaipur are left, the rest have gone in to the oblivion.