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 MantarJai 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.
