Sawai Jai Singh II, ruler of Rajasthan, built the City Palace and Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, around 1730. It was still being used as the royal residency well into the 20th century. Since the Rajput royalty did not stand with the rest of the rebels trying to oust the British in 1857, I felt less kindred connectedness walking through the museums and garages displaying the royal clothing, cars, and artifacts. Coming from the US, the tendency to worship these genealogical heirs to great empires and wealth (especially as recent as mid-twentieth century) turned me off. I saw it in Rajasthan and in Kathmandu, and could not help comparing the ostentatious trappings with the poverty prevalent on the busy streets outside.
Just across the street from the City Palace is the astronomical instrument park called, Jantar Mantar. This looks like a children's playground with very large slides, climbing structures, and hiding places. These are really very accurate structures for telling time, predicting eclipses, locating stars and planets. The time telling device is accurate to within 2 seconds.
Just across the street from the City Palace is the astronomical instrument park called, Jantar Mantar. This looks like a children's playground with very large slides, climbing structures, and hiding places. These are really very accurate structures for telling time, predicting eclipses, locating stars and planets. The time telling device is accurate to within 2 seconds.
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