Out of Norm Travels - Rajasthan Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, India (UNESCO)

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Laghu Samrat Yantra, the Small Equatorial Sundial, Jaipur Observatory (Jantar Mantar), Jaipur Rajasthan, India (all rights reserved)

The Jantar Mantar monument of Jaipur, Rajasthan is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments, built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh, in the early 18th century. 

Combining religion, science and art, the Jantar Mantar is the name given to a series of five, magnificent structures built in Jaipur, New Delhi, Ujjan, Varanasi and Mathura.

It features the world's largest stone sundial and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations. 

I must confess that I did not really appreciate the importance of the visit to this location but upon my return and having gone through my photos, I now understand that this is the MOST significant, comprehensive, and best preserved of India's historic observatories. It expresses the level of astronomical skills and understanding of cosmological concepts at the end of the Mughal period. 

What I did feel when I was there at the location was a sense of wonderment that this was actually possible in 18th century India. 
Observation deck of the vrihat samrat yantra (the world's largest sundial) (all rights reserved)



Jaipur Observatory, India

Jaipur Observatory (Jantar Mantar), Jaipur Rajasthan, India 


Jaipur Observatory, India

Jaipur Observatory (Jantar Mantar), Jaipur Rajasthan, India 



 Reference links: 
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1338
http://www2.astronomicalheritage.net/index.php/show-entity?idunescowhc=1338

 Check through http://www.jaipur.org.uk/forts-monuments/index.html for info on Jaipur, also known as 'Pink City', is the capital of Rajasthan. 

 Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

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