Friday, September 9, 2011

Jantar Mantar

The Jantar-Mantar (Sanskrit; translated as “Magical Device”) was built between 1728 and 1734 due to the drafts of Maharaja Jai Singh II (1693 -1743) in the centre of Jaipur, which itself was founded 1727 as new capital city of his principality ... The observatory consists of oversized stone observation devices, which get a good degree of accuracy due to their enormous dimensions. It is the biggest of five observatories, which Jai Sing II had built. The majority of the devices is typical for big observatories in the Islamic world ... His capital city and observatory are, in spite of Jai Singh II's scientific and political cosmopolitanism, of purely religious origin, a fact which is often ignored or forgotten.

Jantar Mantar by bomhardde (English version)
Das Jantar-Mantar (Sanskrit; übersetzt: "Magisches Gerät") wurde zwischen 1728 und 1734 nach Plänen Maharaja Jai Singh II (1693-1743) im Zentrum von Jaipur, der 1727 gegründeten neuen Hauptstadt seines Fürstentums erbaut ... Das Jantar Mantar von Jaipur ist das größte von 5 Observatorien, die Jai Sing II erbauen ließ.

Es besteht aus steinernen Beobachtungsgeräten von gewaltigen Ausmaßen. Viele Instrumente sind typisch für islamische Großobservatorien ... Zu oft wird übersehen, daß Jai Singhs II Hauptstadt und Observatorium trotz seiner wissenschaftlichen wie politischen Weltoffenheit rein religiösen Ursprung haben.

Jantar Mantar von bomhardde (German version)
Jantar Mantar presents the observatories through a variety of media and information sources, making it possible to explore and learn about these historic sites through interactive panoramic "VR" photographs, time lapse sequences, and 3D models as well as articles, drawings, and historic texts.

Jantar Mantar by JantarMantar.org, a project initiated by Cornell University Professor of Art, Barry Perlus.

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