The Yantra Mandir (or often the Jantar Mantar for tourism industry), is an established astronomical observatory with Jaipur with the the Rajasthan, in the North-West of the India. It consists of a series of astronomical instruments, built on order of the Mahârâja Jai Singh II in its new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1733. The observatory is inspired by another which it had made previously build with Delhi, capital of the Empire moghol. It also made some build three others with Bénarès, Mathura and Ujjain, but the observatory of Jaipur is most important.

This observatory was built for submission to guru of Jai Sing II, the pandit Jaganath, with an aim of establishing the birth charts and of determining the most favourable moments for the great events (marriages, displacements,…).

The name of the site comes from will yantra , instrument, and to mandir , temple, is the temple of the instruments . It would have been called in the beginning will yantra will mantra , will mantra meaning formula.

Various instruments

The unit includes/understands some 17 instruments. Some of these instruments are of imposing size, which makes it possible to obtain an increased precision. Among these instruments:
  • the Brihat Samrat Yantra is a 27 height meters sundial, which make it possible to obtain, to the equinoxes, a measurement of the hour reaching an accuracy of 0,5 second!
  • the Rama Yantra is used to determine the altitude and the azimuth of planets, by reading of the graduations being reproduced on the walls and the pavement of two circular constructions.
  • the Rashivilaya Yantra is composed of twelve dials allowing the research of the elliptic coordinates. They each one are directed towards a sign zodiacal.
  • the Kranti Yantra is composed of two parts, one out of bronze, the other in masonry (unfinished). It makes it possible to determine the coordinates of planets by direct reading.
  • the Dakshina Yantra is a double mural dial making it possible to evaluate the distance from the celestial bodies compared to the meridian line.
  • the Shasthamsa Yantra is made of two graduated pairs of arc forming of the sextants, placed in the cabins of the wall of the Samrat Yantra (see above).
  • the Narivalaya Yantra , a circular dial placed in the plan of the equator, and which makes it possible to determine the hour of midday.
  • the Dignasa Yantra allows the research of the azimuths, and consists of a central pin, and two graduated concentric walls.
  • the Chakra Yantra allows, for a star, to measure its equatorial coordinates, the time angle and the polar distance.
  • the Unnatansha Yantra is a brass circle 5,25 meters in diameter, and making it possible to evaluate the height of the celestial bodies. It is suspended vertically on masonry.
  • the Rajah Yantra , made up of two discs, one out of brass, the other out of iron, suspended with wood beams. It is used as celestial chart.
  • the Jaya Prakash Yantra and the Kapali Yantra are two complementary hemispherical cavities making it possible to note the crossing of a line-reference mark by a star.

Our day, Yantra Mandir is one of principal attractions of the town of Jaipur.

See too

External bonds

  • some photographs of the dials
  • Jantar Mantar (engl.)
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