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A unique structure raised in 1724, now lies in the heart of
Delhi's commercial centre near Connaught
place. This is the Jantar Mantar, one of several astronomical
observatories raised by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur.
The various abstract structures within the Jantar Mantar are, in fact,
instruments that were used for keeping track of celestial bodies. Yet,
Jantar Mantar is not only a timekeeper of celestial bodies, it also tells
a lot about the technological achievements under the Rajput kings and
their attempt to resolve the mysteries regarding astronomy.
The Jantar Mantar of Delhi is only one of the five observatories built by
Sawai Jai Singh II, the other four being located at Jaipur, Varanasi,
Ujjain and Mathura. All of these were built as far back as AD 1724-1730
during the period generally known as the dark age of Indian history, when
the last great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb had died and the Mughal Empire was
rapidly declining.
During
this period of turmoil, Muhammad Shah ascended the throne of the Mughal
Empire. As many enemies surrounded him, he sought the alliance of the
Hindu rulers. Of these, the most notable was Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber,
who came into limelight since the days of Aurangzeb. When Jai Singh
ascended the throne of Amber in 1699, he was barely eleven, but sharp and
shrewd far beyond his years.
The then Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was so impressed with the young ruler
that he gave Jai Singh II the title of 'Sawai', meaning one and a quarter
of an average man in worth. As Jai Singh repeatedly proved himself a
worthy ally of the Mughals, Muhammad Shah, who was seeking a dependable
ally, zeroed in on Jai Singh and duly raised him to the rank of governor
of Agra and later, of Malwa.
Legend Behind Jantar Mantar
Jai Singh was passionate about two things-arts and the sciences, chiefly
astronomy. Once, at the court of Muhammad Shah, he found the Hindu and
Muslim astrologers embroiled in a heated argument over certain planetary
positions. It was imperative that the positions be known accurately to
determine an auspicious hour for the emperor to set out on an expedition.
Jai Singh offered to rectify the then available astronomical tables, an
offer that was readily accepted by the Mughal emperor. The result was an
onsite Jantar Mantar in Delhi, an astronomical
observatory where the movements of sun, moon and planets could be
observed.
Jai Singh's idea was to create a rebirth of practical astronomy among the
Indian masses and practicing astronomers. However, the lofty ideals of the
Jantar Mantar remained unfulfilled as the country at that time was in
chaos and the full potential of this observatory was never realized.
In the beginning, Jai Singh tried to use brass instruments in this
observatory, but soon gave them up because of several inherent flaws. They
were too small, for one thing, their axes were unstable so the center
often got displaced. He then decided to follow the style adopted by the
renowned Arab astronomer, Prince Ulugh Beg, builder of the famous 15th
century observatory at Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The massive masonry
instruments at Samarkand suited Jai Singh's architectural tastes and
promised to be more accurate because of sheer size. In 1730, Jai Singh
sent a mission to the king of Lisbon. On its return to Jaipur, the mission
brought back a telescope and the court astronomer by the name of Xavier de
Silva.