Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is considered to be the largest of the five astronomical observatories built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. It contains sixteen geometric devices, designed to measure time, track celestial bodies and observe the orbits of the planets around the sun. It also houses the Interpretation Centre that helps the tourists to understand about the working principles & chronolgy of the observatory.
Jantar Mantar is one of the oldest astronomical observatories featuring the world’s largest stone sundial, located in the heart of Jaipur. It is no longer a working science center but is maintained as a monument, and education activity sessions, guided tours and music and light shows, are organized here. Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is one of the largest observatories in the world, comprising of remarkable stone assemblies that help to interpret the position of celestial bodies and calculate local time. Enumerated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Jantar Mantar attracts tourists, historians, astronomers, architects, mathematicians, and geographers. The collection of nineteen astronomical instruments in Jantar Mantar allows the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye. The monument is an exemplification of architectural innovations that was built on ideas from different religious and social beliefs in 18th-century India.