Astronomical Observatory
Jantar Mantar Delhi
An eighteenth-century observatory where monumental instruments were built to measure celestial movements with the naked eye.
About Jantar Mantar Delhi
Delhi's Jantar Mantar was the first of five observatories built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber, completed in 1724. Its instruments were built in masonry on a monumental scale to make naked-eye readings more precise: the largest, the Samrat Yantra, is a giant sundial whose triangular gnomon casts a shadow that tells the local time.
Other instruments, among them the Jayaprakash and Ram Yantras, tracked the positions of the sun, moon and stars. It sits just off Connaught Place, close to Agrasen Ki Baoli and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, though Jaipur's observatory is larger and better preserved.
Jantar Mantar Delhi At A Glance
- Location
- Connaught Place, Delhi
- Type
- Astronomical Observatory
- Heritage Status
- Historic observatory
- Entry
- Arranged by your guide on the day
Good To Know
Visiting Jantar Mantar Delhi
Is Jantar Mantar Delhi worth visiting?
- For a short stop, yes: the instruments are striking and it's right by Connaught Place. If Jaipur is also on your route, its Jantar Mantar is bigger and better explained, so give that one more time.
How long does a visit take?
- About 30 to 45 minutes.
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