Last month I visited the Jantar Mantar after 30 years and it brought back memories from my school trip. These are astronomical observatories built in 1724 and located in the heart of Delhi.
Jantar is a corrupt word for Yantra meaning an instrument or device.
Matra means a formula or operating procedure.
The Jantar-Mantar premises are huge and host 12 astronomy instruments. This site in Delhi is one of five built by Maharaja Jai Singh and last year I also visited the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur.
The observatories are buildings of unique form each specialized and dedicated for astronomical measurement. The Zero being invented long before in nearby Gwalior, this place was way ahead of its time when built and will always be one of its kind for the architecture, maths, science and behind it is that is very valuable.
The paper ticketing was discontinued and entry was by scanning a QR code and payment by net banking.
The facilities like washrooms and well-paved paths are worth noticing.
Another remarkable feature here is the tactile maps and diagrams of the monuments that the blind can touch-sense to get an idea of the real object.
The large-scale structures at Jantar-Mantar and their striking geometric forms captivated my attention as a history buff and I am sure it does that for architects and artists as well.
This sundial is called the Samrat Yantra that is 70 feet high, 114 feet long at the base, and 10 feet thick. The hypotenuse is 128-foot and is parallel to the Earth’s axis pointing towards the North Pole. The sundial is accurate down to a second but I could not witness the earth’s movement since it was a cloudy day when I visited here.
The Rama Yantra has two large cylindrical structures with open top and is used to measure the altitude of stars based on the latitude and the longitude on the earth.
This is the huge interior side of the Ram Yantra.
The Misra Yantra is 5 instruments in one and designed as a tool to determine the shortest and longest days of the year. It can also be used to determine the moment of noon in various cities all over the world and ‘Misra’ the ancient name for Egypt has somehow stuck with this instrument due to the large exchange of trade and scientific information of ancient Egypt with India.
During the Asian Games in Delhi in 1982, the Misra Yantra was the emblem and a 25 Paise coin was also circulated to commemorate the games.
How to Reach
Take the Delhi Metro Yellow, Red, or the Blue line, all of which pass through Cannought Place.
I visited the place on my bike and parked in the Palika underground parking for INR 10 per hour.
Accessibility Features
I conducted a detailed accessibility check at Jantar Mantar last week.
The highlight was a large metal board embossed in Braille with the description of the monument.
What Else To Do In Delhi
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