[Travel] Jaipur, Ex Astris, Scientia at Jantar Mantar.

Near City Palace in Jaipur, the rickshaw driver then take me to Jantar Mantar. I didn’t see the one in Delhi, but I really want to see the one in Jaipur.

Jantar Mantar is taken from the word jantar (yantra, Sanskrit: यन्त्र, “instrument, machine”) + mantar (from mantrana, Sanskrit: मन्त्रण, “consult, calculate”), ergo Jantar Mantar is “Calculating Instrument”. Entry fee is 300₹ + 50₹ for camera.

Jantar Mantar was also built by Sawai Jai Singh II, the Rajput king, on the 17th century. There are 19 astronomical instruments including the largest stone sundial by UNESCO World Heritage. Most of the architectures or structures use stone, some of them lined with marble, and brass, bronze. The architecture have the Hindu Sanskrit in mind with other religions at that time and probably shared in other places on the other side of the globe. Sawai Jai Singh II is a man of knowledge afterall and see knowledge from as far as Europe and other Asian countries.

There astronomy instruments are used to world map the universe, at least the sky that is visible to eyes, to determined stars position in corespondent with time, from seasons to month to even the 2 seconds and set the standard in all over India through five locations such as Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura and Vanarasi. Ex Astris, Scientia. To the stars, knowledge.

Unnatamsa (Unna: Elevated, Amsa: Division, degree of arc) to measure altitude, the angular height of an object in the sky.

Dakshinodak – Bhittiyantra. Re-constructed 1876 AD. It was used to find the altitude of the sun and measure the length of day (time).

Vriha Samrat Yantra is a sundial, restored 1901 AD, tested by Jotshi Gokulchand Bahwan for finding the time and declination and hour angle of the heavenly bodies. The middle tall wall is placed in north-south direction with its shadow move to read local time. The structures on each sides are western and eastern quadrants divided into 6 hours each, then into 15 minutes and lastly accurate into 2 seconds.

Rasivalaya or instruments to measure the celestial latitude and longitude of the celestials bodies when each transit to the meridian from each structure. There are 12 structures for 12 zodiac signs.

Aquarius

Gemini

Taurus

Cancer

Virgo

Leo

Sagittarius

Libra

Scorpio

Capricorn

Aries

Pisces

Amazing family (or friends?) photo session. Look at their fashion and colors. Not to be creepy or anything, but they have beautiful setup going on.

Dhruvdarshak Pattika is an instrument to find the star at the north pole.

Nadivalaya with two circular plates facing north and south with the south plate in an angle to parallel the Earth’s equator plane. The sunlit from the south to tell time from the autumn equinox to the spring equinox.

Jaya Prakash Yantra. Repaired 1901 AD. representation of half celestial sphere rim and the horizon for finding the position of the heavenly bodies.