Heavenly bodies recorded in the passage of time, in a dance of shadows and light of the ever-moving sun, and in stone-built instruments of the 18th century, Jantar Mantar is an architectural marvel of India. Commissioned by Rajah Jai Singh II, there were in total five Jantar Mantar in total in New Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi. This cosmic connection sought throughout history and across cultures, reverberates on a grandiose scale more befitting than those smaller instruments of the day. Geometrical shapes formed from sandstone and marble surfaces of bowls, walls, and staircases give to an astute reader a measurement of the cosmos and the positions of the stars.
Image courtesy of Simon Chaput