Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

Location
Located in Pink City of Jaipur, 300 kms from Delhi and 293 kms from Agra.

About Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, is the most famous of the five observatories built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. The king who was highly fascinated by the Universe and the Cosmos, constructed five astronomical observatories in India between 1728 and 1734. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, was the Rajput ruler of Amber and also the founder of Jaipur city. The name Jantar Mantar comes from the Sanskrit words 'Yantra Mantra', meaning instruments and formulae. The Jantar Mantar of Jaipur was built in 1928 to check the astronomical observation in the town. The Sun dial at Jantar Mantar is one of the major attractions for tourists. Other attractions of the observatory include a massive hemisphere and many wonderful masonry instruments. Jantar Mantar houses famous instruments like the Jaiprakash Yantra, Samrat Yantra, Ram Yantra and the Composite instrument. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who was a learned man and an astronomer, sent his envoys to various parts of the world. They came back with numerous manuals and astronomical tables. In addition they also brought abundant information related to the developments made in the field of astronomy. One of these manuals was La Hire's "Tables" which impressed the king. Maharaja Sawai Jai Sing II ordered that the observatory should be built according to the data available in this manual. Interestingly, after the completion of Jantar Mantar it was discovered that the observatory was more accurate than the Table itself.

Jai Singh himself designed the observatory and got it built it with stone and masonry instruments. The observatory incorporates multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. These structures with their interesting combinations of geometric patterns at large scale, have caught the attention of architects, artists and art historians all over the world. In fact the trip of Jaipur is incomplete without a visit to Jantar Mantar.

How to Reach Jantar Mantar
Jaipur is easily reachable by air, rail and road routes. Flights are available from Delhi and other major cities of the country. Trains are available from major cities of the country. Jaipur is connected by state and national highways to rest of the country. Buses are available from important places of Rajasthan and also from Delhi and Agra.