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Raised in 1724, Jantar Mantar lies in the center of Delhi's commercial center near Co naught place. This is the Jantar Mantar, one of several astronomical observatories raised by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur.
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 known as the dark age of Indian history, when the last great Mughal emperor Aurangzeb died.
The various abstract structures within the Jantar Mantar are, in fact, instruments that were used for keeping track of celestial bodies. 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.
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.
 Jai Singh was passionate about astronomy. Jantar Mantar in Delhi, is an astronomical observatory where the movements of sun, moon and planets could be observed.
Jai Singh's idea was to create practical astronomy among the Indian masses and practicing astronomers. However, the potential of this observatory was never realized.
Jai Singh tried to use brass instruments in this observatory, but soon gave them up because of several flaws. their axes were unstable so the center often got dislocated. 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
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