5/5 Ranjini K. 3 years ago on Google
Jantar
Mantar is
located
in
the
modern
city
of
New
Delhi.
It
consists
of
13
architectural astronomy instruments.
The
site
is
one
of
five
built
by Maharaja Jai
Singh
II of Jaipur,
from
1723
onwards,revising
the
calendar
and
astronomical
tables.
There
is
a
plaque
fixed
on
one
of
the
structures
in
the Jantar
Mantar observatory
in New
Delhi that
was
placed
there
in
1910
mistakenly
dating
the
construction
of
the
complex
to
the
year
1710.
Later
research,
though,
suggests
1724
as
the
actual
year
of
construction.
Its
height
is
723
feet
(220 m).The
primary
purpose
of
the
observatory
was
to
compile
astronomical
tables,
and
to
predict
the
times
and
movements
of
the
sun,
moon
and
planets.
Some
of
these
purposes
nowadays
would
be
classified
as astronomy.
Completed
in
1724,
the
Delhi
Jantar
Mantar
had
decayed
considerably
by
1867.
The
Ram
Yantra,
the
Samrat
Yantra,
the
Jai
Prakash
Yantra
and
the
Misra
Yantra
are
the
distinct
instruments
of
Jantar
MantarThe
4
distinct
instruments
within
the
observatory
of Jantar
Mantar in New
Delhi:
the
Samrat
Yantra,
the
Jayaprakash,
Rama
Yantra
and
the Misra
Yantra.
Samrat
Yantra:
The
Samrat
Yantra,
or
Supreme
Instrument,
is
a
giant
triangle
that
is
basically
an
equal
hour
sundial.
It
is
70
feet
high,
114
feet
long
at
the
base,
and
10
feet
thick.
It
has
a
128-foot-long
(39 m)
hypotenuse
that
is
parallel
to
the
Earth's
axis
and
points
toward
the North
Pole.
On
either
side
of
the
triangle
is
a
quadrant
with
graduations
indicating
hours,
minutes,
and
seconds.
At
the
time
of
the
Samrat
Yantra's
construction,
sundials
already
existed,
but
the
Samrat
Yantra
turned
the
basic
sundial
into
a
precision
tool
for
measuring
declination
and
other
related
coordinates
of
various
heavenly
bodies.
Jaya
Prakash
Yantra:
The
Jaya
Prakash
consists
of
hollowed
out
hemispheres
with
markings
on
their
concave
surfaces.
Crosswires
were
stretched
between
points
on
their
rim.
From
inside
the Ram,
an
observer
could
align
the
position
of
a
star
with
various
markings
or
a
window's
edge.
Rama
Yantra:
Two
large
cylindrical
structures
with
open
top,
used
to
measure
the
altitude
of
stars
based
on
the
latitude
and
the
longitude
on
the
earth.
Misra
Yantra:
The Misra
Yantra (literally
mixed
instrument)
is
a
composition
of
5
instruments
designed
as
a
tool
to
determine
the
shortest
and
longest
days
of
the
year.
It
could
also
be
used
to
indicate
the
exact
moment
of
noon
in
various
cities
and
locations
regardless
of
their
distance
from
Delhi.
The
Misra
yantra
was
able
to
indicate
when
it
was
noon
in
various
cities
all
over
the
world
and
was
the
only
structure
in
the
observatory
not
invented
by Jai
Singh
II.
Between
1727
and
1734 Jai
Singh
II built
five
similar
observatories
in
west-central
India,
all
known
by
the
name
Jantar
Mantar.
They
are
located
at
Jaipur,
Ujjain,
Mathura,
and
Varanasi.
While
the
purpose
of
the
Jantar
Mantar
was
astronomy
and
astrology
(Jyotish),
they
are
also
a
major
tourist
attraction
and
a
significant
monument
of
the
history
of
astronomy.
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