Jantar
Mantar, Jaipur
Across the road from the City Palace is the Jantar Mantar, one of the five
observatories built by the astronomer king Sawai Jai Singh. The observatory
has a collection of complex astronomical instruments, carved out of stones -
most of which continues to provide fairly accurate information to this day -
are the highlights of this observatory.
Jantar Mantar, History
Jantar - Mantar, begun in 1728 by Savaii Singh whose passion for astronomy
was even more notable than his powers as a warrior. Before commencing Jantar
Mantar, he sent scholars abroad to study foreign observatories. This
observatory is the largest and best preserved of the five he built, with 13
different instruments for calculating the movement of celestial bodies. It
was restored in1901. The others are in Delhi, Varanasi and Ujjain. The fifth
observatory, at Mathura, has disappeared.
Jantar mantar (or 'instrument of calculation')is a curious if somewhat
compelling collection of sculptures. In fact, each construction has a
specific purpose, for example, measuring the positions of the stars,
altitude and azimuth, and calculating eclipses.
How to Reach
By Air : Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and domestic carriers operate
regular flights to and from Jaipur. Jaipur is connected to Delhi, Mumbai,
Udaipur, Jodhpur, Aurangabad, Calcutta and Varanasi by domestic flights.
By Train: The train service to Jaipur is available from all the
major parts of the country. An excellent connection from Delhi is Shatabadi
Express that provides a fast, air-conditioned rail service. Other direct
connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad,
Secunderabad, Agra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta.
By Bus: Jaipur can be accessed from all the major places in
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Mumbai by bus. Rajasthan roadways runs
excellent regular service of AC and Deluxe Coaches from Delhi
Hotel
Information