Saumil U. Shah
Brihat Samrat Yantra
The Brihat Samrat Yantra (Greater Sundial) at the Jantar Mantar can tell the local time within 2 seconds of accuracy! What amazes me is the precise construction of all these instruments in the early 18th century!
The reason for the large size Brihat Samrat Yantra was accuracy. In the past, it was not possible to finely grade the time markings. Therefore the only way to get a finer resolution was to enlarge the dimension of the scale!
The Jantar Mantar is one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the world featuring multiple instruments to observe celestial objects with astonishing accuracy. The observatory was build by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the year 1727 in Jaipur. An earlier observatory was built by him in Delhi in 1724.
The Maharaja himself was an avid astronomer, having been educated in Persian, Indian and Western principles of astronomy and mathematics.
The word Jantar Mantar is a combination of Sanskrit words Yantra (यंत्र) and Mantra (मंत्र), which mean "Instrument" and "Formula". Instruments were constructed in accordance with mathematical formulae and astronomical principles.
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II established five observatories in India - at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi.
Today, the Jantar Mantar complex in Jaipur is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts a large number of visitors every day. I first visited the Jantar Mantar in 1986, and have been fascinated every time I went there subsequently!
These pictures are a part of our journey through Northern Rajasthan and Agra. Sit back and view my Jaipur slideshow.
Brihat Samrat Yantra
The Brihat Samrat Yantra (Greater Sundial) at the Jantar Mantar can tell the local time within 2 seconds of accuracy! What amazes me is the precise construction of all these instruments in the early 18th century!
The reason for the large size Brihat Samrat Yantra was accuracy. In the past, it was not possible to finely grade the time markings. Therefore the only way to get a finer resolution was to enlarge the dimension of the scale!
The Jantar Mantar is one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the world featuring multiple instruments to observe celestial objects with astonishing accuracy. The observatory was build by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the year 1727 in Jaipur. An earlier observatory was built by him in Delhi in 1724.
The Maharaja himself was an avid astronomer, having been educated in Persian, Indian and Western principles of astronomy and mathematics.
The word Jantar Mantar is a combination of Sanskrit words Yantra (यंत्र) and Mantra (मंत्र), which mean "Instrument" and "Formula". Instruments were constructed in accordance with mathematical formulae and astronomical principles.
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II established five observatories in India - at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi.
Today, the Jantar Mantar complex in Jaipur is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts a large number of visitors every day. I first visited the Jantar Mantar in 1986, and have been fascinated every time I went there subsequently!
These pictures are a part of our journey through Northern Rajasthan and Agra. Sit back and view my Jaipur slideshow.