Jantar Mantar

Introduction

Jantar Mantar is an extraordinary open-air observatory of nineteen giant stone-and-brass astronomical instruments, built in the early 18th century and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stands beside the City Palace in the old city.

History

The observatory was completed around 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a keen astronomer, who built five such observatories across northern India — the one in Jaipur is the largest and best preserved. The instruments were used to measure time, track celestial bodies and predict eclipses.

Why visit

The centrepiece is the Samrat Yantra, a sundial some 27 metres tall that tells local time to within seconds. Other instruments chart the positions of the sun, the zodiac and the stars. Visiting with a guide (or an audio guide) transforms the site from a curious sculpture garden into a fascinating lesson in pre-modern science.

Best time to visit

Come on a clear, sunny day so the instruments cast the sharp shadows they were designed to read; late morning is ideal. It pairs naturally with the adjacent City Palace and Hawa Mahal.

How to reach

Jantar Mantar is next to the City Palace entrance in the walled city, walkable from Hawa Mahal. Badi Chaupar and Choti Chaupar metro stations are nearby, and autos and cabs reach it easily.

Photography tips

Wide-angle shots capture the scale of the Samrat Yantra, while the curved forms and staircases of the smaller instruments make striking abstract compositions.