Situated
near Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar is one of the five observatories
built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler and founder of Jaipur.
Smaller than Jaipur, it is still astonishing because of its capability
to make accurate calculations of many astronomical movements.
Constructed in 1724, the giant abstract masonry instruments of Jantar
Mantar are the evidence of the technological genius of the times in the
field of astronomy. According to an interesting anecdote, once at the
court of Muhammad Shah, Jai Singh, who was a shrewd astronomer himself,
found Hindu and Muslim astrologers arguing over certain planetary
positions to determine an auspicious hour for the emperor to set out on
an expedition. He offered to rectify the then available astronomical
tables and thus, Jantar Mantar was built in Delhi. However, due to the
political chaos, the full potential of this observatory was never
realized until much later.
