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Jantar Mantar Jaipur
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¤ Jantar Mantar- Colossal Observatory
 Jantar
Mantar, built between 1728 and 1734, literally means the
‘instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens’.
Jai Singh, the brain behind the grand project, chose
stone with marble facing. This was the biggest of all
his observatories and the only one built of stone. He
used it daily, often with his astronomy gurus Pandit
Jagannath and Kewal Ram. In all there are 17 instruments
in the Jantar Mantar complex. The function of each
instrument is rather complex but serves a particular
function where time plays the main theme.
¤ Instruments Used in Jantar Mantar
The instruments and their functions are given below in
the order of their anti-clockwise position in the
complex. The large Kranti Yantra was employed for the
measurement of the longitude and latitude of the
celestial bodies. The Diganta Yantra was deviced to
measure the azimuth (arc of the celestial great circle
from Zenith to horizon) of planetary bodies. Similarly,
the Small Ram Yantra and the Large Ram Yantra are used
to find the altitude and the azimuth. The Chakra Yantra
gives the angular measurement of an object from the
equator. The Jai Prakash Yantra determines the precise
coordinates of celestial bodies and the small iron plate
strung between the crosswires gives the sun’s longitude
and latitude and the zodiacal sign that it is passing
through. Its main function is to keep an eye on all the
other instruments.
¤ Adequacy of Specific Yantras
The Rashivalayas Yantra operates in the same manner as
that of the Samrat Yantra and has one sundial for each
of the zodiac signs. Five of them (Gemini, Taurus,
Cancer, Virgo and Leo) are at the back from north to
south. Aries and Libra face them followed by Aquarius,
Pisces, Capricorn, Scorpio and Sagittarius from north to
south. It helps in taking readings the moment each
zodiacal sign crosses the meridian. The Large Samrat
Yantra is based on the same principle as that of the
small one but in size it is 10 times larger and more
accurate by 2 secs. The sundial is 27.4m high and is
still used on the Guru Purnima (full moon day in the
month of Jul/Aug) to forecast the onset of monsoon. The
Dakshina Yantra is a wall is aligned along the
north-south meridian. It is mainly used to observe the
position and movement of the celestial bodies when they
pass over the meridian.
The Disha Yantra has only one function and that is to
point towards the north. The Unnathamsa Yantra is used
to find the altitudes of the astral bodies. Observations
can be made round the clock and the sunken steps help in
taking readings from any portion of the dial. The Raj
Yantra or the King of Instruments is used only once a
year to calculate the Hindu calendar, the details of
which are based on the Jaipur Standard. To do so a
telescope is fixed over the central hole. A bar for
sighting is then attached at the back of the instrument.
The plain disk is used to record the sightings.The
Observer’s Seat belonged to Maharaja Jai Singh and was
used for observing the wonders of the sky and universe.
The Narivalya Yantra is a sundial with two dials; one
facing north when the sun is in the Northern Hemisphere
(21 Mar-21 Sep) and the other facing south for the rest
of the year.
The Dhruva Yantra helps in finding the position of the
Pole Star at night and also those of the 12 zodiac
signs. It is based on an entirely different system to
what is used today for the same purpose. Traditionally,
human breath, approximately of 6 secs was used as the
standard unit of measurement. The Small Samrat Yantra is
a triangular structure and has a large sundial with
quadrants at the borders given in hours and minutes. The
arc on the left displays the time from sunrise to midday
and the one on the right from midday to sunset. The
sundials have been constructed on Latitude 27°N and the
reading can be adjusted to the Indian Standard Time
(84°N) but that must be done according to the month and
the solar position.
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