Jantar Mantar!

What Is the Jantar Mantar?

The Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is the last constructed and best preserved of the five observatories built for Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II!

What Makes It Historical?

In 1700, on a campaign against the Marathas for Emperor Aurangzeb, Jai Singh II met astronomer Pandit Jagannatha Samrat, who launched the young maharaja’s fascination with the stars and planets! As chief astronomer, Mr. Samrat inspired the design of the five Jantar Mantar observatories, which Jai Singh II would construct in the cities of Delhi, Ujjain, Varanasi, Mathura, and Jaipur! Completed in 1738, the Jantar Mantar at his capital of Jaipur was his biggest and best!

Rejecting the European telescope, the maharaja created huge stone sundials (yantras) to measure the passing of time, the seasons, the height of the sun, and the stages of the Zodiac, comparing results from each of the five observatories for accuracy. His crowning achievement, the 88-foot tall Samrat Yantra at Jaipur, is still able to accurately calculate time to within 2 seconds! Being able to set the standard for time was a major way to establish royal authority while India was still under Mughal rule!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
Volunteer with the World Heritage Volunteers!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!