Observatory of a different kind

A highlight of our few days in India's capital, Delhi, was the Jantar Mantar-A large naked-eye observatory built in the 1700s. Many large curious-looking instruments were designed to predict the movement of the Sun, Moon and Planets for the strongly represented Astrological elements of India's culture.

A large precision sundial indicated the time in Europe, India and Japan.


Two large circular instruments were used for the Solar and Lunar calendars. Shadows from the Sun or Moon, as appropriate, were cast by windows or gnomen. On the lunar calendar there are 14 open windows for when the moon appeared in the night sky.

Another instrument indicated a person's star-sign when they were born.

Several of these observatories were built by Maharaja Jai Singh II including another I visited on a rooftop in Varanasi.