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The Jantar Mantar is an equinoctial sundial, consisting a gigantic
triangular gnomon with the hypotenuse parallel to the Earth's axis.
On
either side of the gnomon is a quadrant of a circle, parallel to the
plane of the equator. The instrument is intended to measure the time of
day, correct to half a second and declination of the Sun and the other
heavenly bodies.
History
In the early 18th century, Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed
five Jantar Mantars in total, in Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and
Varanasi; they were completed between 1724 and 1735. |
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The jantars have
evocative names like, Samrat Yantra, Jai Prakash, Ram Yantra and Niyati
Chakra; each of which are used to for various astronomical calculations.
The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical
tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and
planets.
Naming
The name "Jantar Mantar" is at least 200 years old, finding a mention in
an account from 1803. However, the archives of Jaipur State, such as
accounts from 1735 and 1737 - 1738, do not use this name, referring to
it simply as Jantra, which in the spoken language is corrupted to Jantar.
The word Jantra is derived from yantra, instrument, while the suffix
Mantar is from the practice of adding a (usually meaningless) rhyming
word for emphasis.
The words jantar and 'mantar (or yantra and mantra) in their colloquial
meanings are also related, referring to magical diagrams and magical
words respectively. It has also been suggested that Jantar Mantar is
derived from Yantra Mandira, but no evidence for this has been found.
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Access
By Air
The nearest airport is Jaipur International Airport (IATA: JAI, ICAO: VIJP),
located in the
southern suburb of Sanganer, 13 km (8.1 mi) from Jaipur, the capital
of the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Delhi and Mumbai are the two main gateway cities to Rajasthan from
international destinations. There are regular flights connecting Delhi
and Mumbai to Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan and also important
destinations like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai operated by domestic
carriers.
By Train / Rail
Daily super fast train connects Mumbai to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and
Kota. Delhi (the nearest rail head to Jaipur) is also directly connected
to Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Kota, Udaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur and
Jaisalmer. Shatabdi train operates from New Delhi station to Ajmer via
Jaipur. Double decker train is also available between Jaipur and Delhi.
By Road
Bus: The Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi has
almost a twenty – four hour bus service to Jaipur. Air-conditioned and
Volvo bus service of state owned Rajasthan state Roadways Transport
Corporation (RSRTC) to Jaipur is operational from the premises of
Bikaner House, Pandara Road © 011-23383469, journey time about 5 hours.
Delhi is connected to Jaipur via Darukhera, Behror, Kotputli and
Shahpura on NH 8. Jaipur is further linked to Mumbai via Ajmer, Udaipur,
Ahmedabad and Vadodara on NH 8. RSRTC also connects major destinations
in Rajasthan through express and deluxe buses from Jaipur.
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