Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Sawai Jai Singh who was a Rajput king. The title of (King) and Sawai was bestowed on him by Emperor Mohammad Shah. Jai Singh II of Amber built his new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1734. It is also located in Ujjain and Mathura.It is modeled after the one that he had built at the Mughal capital of Delhi. He had constructed a total of five such facilities at different locations, including the ones at Delhi and Jaipur. The Jaipur observatory is the largest and best preserved of these. It has been inscribed on the World Heritage List as “an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period”. Early restoration work was undertaken under the supervision of Major Arthur Garrett, a keen amateur astronomer, during his appointment as Assistant State Engineer for the Jaipur District. The Jantar Mantar was made by Sawai Jai Singh as he was particularly interested in learning about the sky above his head.NameThe name is derived from jantar , and mantar . Therefore jantar mantar means literally ‘calculation instrument’. This observatory has religious significance, since ancient Indian astronomers were also Jyotisa masters.DescriptionThe observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars’ location as the earth orbits around the sun, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides. Each is a fixed and ‘focused’ tool. The Samrat Yantra, the largest instruments, is 90 feet (27 m) high, its shadow carefully plotted to tell the time of day. Its face is angled at 27 degrees, the latitude of Jaipur. The Hindu chhatri (small cupola) on top is used as a platform for announcing eclipses and the arrival of monsoons.

Hawa Mahal’ , is a palace in Jaipur, India, so named because it was essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could observe street festivities while unseen from the outside. Constructed of red and pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, and extends to the zenana, or women’s chambers.HistoryThe structure was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh designed by Lal Chand Ustad in the form of the crown of Krishna, the Hindu god. Its unique five-storey exterior is akin to the honeycomb of a beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework. The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen, since they had to obey strict “purdah” (face cover). The lattice also allows cool air from the Venturi effect (doctor breeze) through the intricate pattern, air conditioning the whole area during the high temperatures in summers.In 2006, restoration and renovation works on the Mahal were undertaken, after a gap of 50 years, to give a face lift to the monument at an estimated cost of Rs 4568 million. The corporate sector lent a hand to preserve the historical monuments of Jaipur and the Unit Trust of India has adopted Hawa Mahal to maintain it. The palace is an extended part of a huge complex. The stone-carved screens, small casements and arched roofs are some of the features of this popular tourist spot. The monument also has delicately modeled hanging cornices. Just like the other monuments of Jaipur, the palace is also constructed in pink and red colored stone.

It is an imambara complex in Lucknow, India, built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also called the Asafi Imambara. Bara means big, and an imambara is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bara Imambara is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow. (source:wikipedia)

City Palace, Jaipur, which includes the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces and other buildings, is a palace complex in Jaipur, the capital of the Rajasthan state, India. It was the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur, the head of the Kachwaha Rajput clan. The Chandra Mahal palace now houses a museum but the greatest part of it is still a royal residence. The palace complex, located northeast of the centre of the grid-patterned Jaipur city, incorporates an impressive and vast array of courtyards, gardens and buildings. The palace was built between 1729 and 1732, initially by Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber. He planned and built the outer walls, and later additions were made by successive rulers continuing up to the 20th century. The credit for the urban layout of the city and its structures is attributed to two architects namely, Vidyadar Bhattacharya, the chief architect in the royal court and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, apart from the Sawai himself who was a keen architectural enthusiast. The architects achieved a fusion of the Shilpa Shastra of Indian architecture with Rajput, Mughal and European styles of architecture.

Chota Imambara, also known as Hussainabad Imambara is an imposing monument located in the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Built as an imambara or a congregation hall for Shia Muslims, by Muhammad Ali Shah, the third Nawab of Awadh in 1838, it was to serve as his own mausoleum and his mother, who is buried beside him.OverviewIt is situated near the Bara Imambara and on the connecting road stands an imposing gateway known as Rumi Darwaza. The building is also known as the Palace of Lights because of its decorations and chandeliers during special festivals, like Muharram.The chandeliers used to decorate the interior of this building were brought from Belgium. Also housed within the building, is the crown of Muhammed Ali Shah and ceremonial tazias. Thousands of labourers worked on the project to gain famine relief.It has a gilded dome and several turrets and minarets. The tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah and other members of his family are inside the imambara. This includes two replicas of the Taj Mahal, built as the tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah’s daughter and her husband. The walls are decorated with Arabic calligraphy.Water supply for the fountains and the water bodies inside the imambara came directly from the Gomti River.SatkhandaOutside the imambara is the watch tower called Satkhanda or tower of seven stories. Though it is called Satkhanda, it has only four stories, as the construction of the tower was abandoned when Ali Shah died. Satkhanda was built between 1837–1842 in the time of Muhammad Ali Shah. He wanted to make it the same as Qutub Minar of Delhi and the leaning tower of Pisa. Its main purpose is lunar observation.

Jama Masjid of Delhi, is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India.[1] Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, it is the best-known mosque in India. Construction began in 1650 and was completed in 1656. It lies at the beginning of the Chawri Bazar Road, a very busy central street of Old Delhi. The later name, Jama Masjid, refers to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done in a mosque, the “congregational mosque” or “j?ma masjid”. The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including an antique copy of the Qur’an written on deer skin. (source:wikipedia)

This temple is located on Lodhi road in Delhi. Although, there are many Shirdi Sai Baba Temples in the city, the one on Lodhi road is the oldest and also the most visited. This temple opens at 5AM. A number of prayers like the Kakad Aarti, Noon Aarti, the Doop Aarti and the Shej Aarti are arranged for the devotees who visit this temple. Shri Sai Bhakta Samaj : (Regd.) was established in October 1968 with its Regd. Office at 27, Rajpur Road, Delhi being the residence of the then President Mr. R.S. Chitnis alongwith the following office bearers and members of Managing Committee with the noble objects to spread Baba’s name/teaching amongst the public in General and devotees of Shri Sai Baba in particular, the spirit of universal brotherhood or religious toleration as embodied in Sai Bhakti, high principles of conduct and character without distinction of caste, creed and religion through mandir amongst other objects such as publishing magazines, periodicals, books etc. To promote and carry out services of all kinds which Holy SAI BABA had rendered to humanity. To establish libraries, regional centers, hospitals, Dharamshalas to help the poor and distressed to relieve human sufferings and improve standard of living and conduct. To promote unity among people belonging to different religions, caste and creed and work towards national integration with the following as office bearers and members of the 1st Managing Committee. (source:saimemorial.com)

The National Zoological Park stretches across 214 acres of land near the Old Fort in Delhi. The park is home to several species of animals as well as various types of vegetation. It offers a natural environment to over 2,000 birds and animal species that are usually found in foreign continents. The park premises also houses a library that provides good information about the resident animals and birds of the park.

A temple which traces its history for more than 2500 years should be the pride of place for any city in the world. A visit to this place leaves one feeling that we do not preserve out heritage that well. Maintenance and systems here need improvement. Photography inside is prohibited.

The National Science Centre established in 1992, is a science museum in Delhi, India. It is part of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous body under India’s Ministry of Culture. It stands close to Gate no 1, of Pragati Maidan overlooking the Purana Qila. (source:wikipedia)