Jantar Mantar is Sanskrit for 'Magical Device" and in west central India there are five locations where these large outdoor astronomical observatories have been built. They were all constructed between 1727 and 1734 by Maharajah Jai Singh.
Remarkably these giant masonry structures are still used today to forecast the weather, the duration of the seasons and the prospect of floods. Measurements can be made within one second of accuracy.
We visited the one in Jaipur which contains 13 different structures for calculating the time of day, the situations of the constellations and the prediction of eclipses.
Remarkably these giant masonry structures are still used today to forecast the weather, the duration of the seasons and the prospect of floods. Measurements can be made within one second of accuracy.
