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 Jantar Mantar has been a popular destination among Indians since it is a great example of ancient India’s scientific wisdom. Located at Parliament Street near Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar is also called Delhi Observatory. This Indian monument was initially called Yantra Mantra which literally means instrument and formula. The structure is being maintained by the Jaipur government, as it was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1710.
About the structure
The remarkable Indian structure consists of 14 geometric devices used for measuring time, forecasting weather changes, predicting planet behaviour and researching extraterrestrial altitude. All these devices are fixed and point to a specific direction. The largest device is the Samrat Jantar which has a height of 90 feet and its shadow is known to show the exact time of the day &the Hindu Chhatri can predict changes in weather. Jantar Mantar got the status of a national monument in 1948. Ever since it has been attracting architects, historians and scientists from world over.
The man behind it
Maharaja Jai Singh had studied various works from Hindu, Muslim and European astronomy. He was given a task by Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah to revise the calendar and astronomical tables. When he began collecting data he concluded that the pundits were unaware of the actual planetary changes and predictions of eclipses cannot be done using these parameters. So he found an improved means through which exact predictions could be made. It was his vision and foresightedness that resulted in Jantar Mantar. He later built other observatories in Jaipur, Ujjain, Benares and Mathura too. It took almost seven years to make the structure fully operational as Maharaja Jai Singh wanted to ensure complete accuracy of the instruments.
Some of the instruments at Jantar Mantar are:
• The Samrat Yantra (the largest device at Jantar Mantar): The Samrat Yantra measures the accurate time of the day
• The Ram Yantra : The Ram Yantra consists of two large roofless buildings which together used to measure the altitude of stars that are equivalent to the latitude and the longitude on the earth
• The Jai Prakash: The Jai Prakash shows the sun's position at the time of equinox
• The Misra Yantra: The Misra Yantra consists of five instruments that are used to measure the shortest (December 21) and longest (June 21) days of the year.
The state of affairs today
One cannot deny the fact that the structure represents scientific heritage of ancient India. However, this great Indian monument is not being used for research and observations today. But we must give credit to Jantar Mantar for its scientific accuracy which could have benefited the country had the monument received proper motivation and resources.
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