Jantar Mantar

New Delhi is peppered with many architectural marvels and Jantar Mantar is one such monument that should not be missed when you travel to New Delhi. Situated in the heart of New Delhi's commercial centre near Connaught Place, the Jantar Mantar was built in 1724 and is one of several astronomical observatories raised by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur.

The Jantar Mantar of New Delhi is only one of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II, the other four being located at Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. The various abstract structures within the Jantar Mantar are, in fact, instruments that were used for keeping track of celestial bodies. Yet, Jantar Mantar is not only a timekeeper of celestial bodies, it also tells a lot about the technological achievements under the Rajput kings and their attempt to resolve the mysteries regarding astronomy.

Jai Singh II was passionate about two things - arts and the sciences, chiefly astronomy. In the beginning, Jai Singh tried to use brass instruments in this observatory, but soon gave them up because of several inherent flaws. He then decided to follow the style adopted by the renowned Arab astronomer, Prince Ulugh Beg, builder of the famous 15th century observatory at Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In 1730, Jai Singh sent a mission to the king of Lisbon. On its return to Jaipur, the mission brought back a telescope and the court astronomer by the name of Xavier de Silva.

The Jantar Mantar in New Delhi was completed in 1724 and remained operational only for seven years. Astronomical observations were regularly made over here and these observations were used for drawing up a new set of tables, later compiled as Zij Muhammad Shahi dedicated to the reigning Mughal monarch.

These observatories may have fallen into disuse but they remain an integral part of India's scientific heritage. It presents that the spirit of scientific enquiry was not dead in India and would have yielded rich results if only an opportunity of research and development had been given to it. This monument still remains one of the most intriguing structures of the capital, one of the must-see if you are planning to travel to New Delhi.