Take a tour of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, India – part of the World’s Greatest Attractions series by GeoBeats.
In the heart of New Delhi in India is Jantar Mantar, literally translated the “instrument and formula.”
The observatory is home to 13 astronomy instruments, created by Maharaja Jai Singh II in the 1700s.
The various architectural instruments serve functions from telling the precise time to locating stars.
Long before New Delhi was a modern city, Jai Singh was tasked to rework the calendar and astronomical tables.
Tracking movement of the sun, moon and planets was the observatory’s original purpose.
The site is now mostly a tourist attraction, though it is significant in the history of stargazing.