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Historical Places in Rajasthan

Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is an astronomical observatory built by Sawai Jai Singh II. Besides this one in Jaipur, India owns 4 more Jantar Mantar across different states.

 Featuring the world’s largest sundials, the astronomical observatory of Jaipur marks its prominence amongst UNESCO’s world heritage sites. 

Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar comprises of some astounding stone structures which once were used for locating the exact positions of the celestial bodies in space. 

There are around 19 instruments carved out from stone and brass. As it aids in calculating the local time, this massive structure attracts geographers, architects, and historians.

 Even time has failed before the brilliance of this engineering marvel. The observatory still holds its significance in the same manner as it did a thousand years ago. 

The main motive behind the existence of this structure was to gather and study information related to the universe, time and space. The instruments present refers here to those used in the Egyptian study of Ptolemaic astronomy.

 The observatory is known to work on the principles laid down by the classical celestial coordinates. They are a horizon-zenith local system, ecliptic system, and finally the equatorial system. These three systems aid the researchers and geographers to track the position of the heavenly bodies. 

Here at the Jantar Mantar Jaipur, you get to witness a hybrid mixture of different astronomical and architectural instruments. 

The 19 geometric devices present here to contribute towards understanding local time, ascertaining the declination of planetary systems, predicting eclipses, and tracking orbital stars.

 Besides, it also aids in the determination of celestial altitudes. The entire observatory covers a land stretch of 18700 metres.

The astronomical observatory of Jaipur – Jantar Mantar, is a collection of both astronomical and architectural instruments. In all, you may find around 19 major geometrical devices here. Each one of them has got its own specific application. 

These devices are used to measure time; ascertain the declination of the planets and the planetary system; prediction of the eclipses; determination of the celestial altitudes, and tracking of the orbital stars.

 Sheltering so many instruments, the entire observatory extends to a land stretch of 18700 metres. Interestingly, some of the instruments available here are amongst the largest in their own species. 

The instruments of this astronomical observatory were carved out purely from stone and marble as they have got a tremendous potential to withstand climatic changes. Some of them were designed by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II himself. 

A few of these instruments were carved out from copper and still are recognised for their undeniable accuracy. In terms of its dimensions, the Jantar Mantar at Jaipur is the largest of all its counterparts present elsewhere in India. 

The museum built in the year 1876, lies within the Ram Niwas Garden, Jaipur, and the oldest one in the state of Rajasthan.

 It was first envisaged as a concert hall, bearing a resemblance to Victorian architecture and Albert Hall Museum, London. 

The museum boasts of a wide range of objet d'art collected from various parts of the world and displayed over 16 galleries. With sundown, Albert Hall Museum assumes a completely new look because the whole building glimmers with brilliant yellow lights, looking stunning and spectacular.

The museum is the epitome of the rich history and culture of India. 

Bordered by verdant gardens, the museum is a sight to behold for travelers flocking to Jaipur from all over the world. 

The museum galleries feature numerous works of art and antique items including marble art, antique coins, Egyptian mummy, carpets, and pottery. 

Besides, you can also see varied paintings, portraits, woodwork, brassware, and sculptures on display. 

The museum also houses some of the best fineries, especially ceremonial dresses, worn by the royal family members. The museum is a must-visit for history buffs. The Indo-Saracenic style domes and elaborately engraved arches built of sandstone are sure to leave you awestruck.  

Albert Hall also features an aviary, a greenhouse, as well as a zoo to delight tourists. 

One of the striking features of Albert Hall Museum is its galleries displaying works of art, treasures, and antiques belonging to the nineteenth century. The popular galleries are: 

1. Clay Art Gallery

It houses beautiful, delicate clay models of nineteenth-century displaying sociological themes, different yogic postures, and art of craft making. 

You will find a clay model depicting judicial execution of that time, a plaster-cast clay model of a female leg painted with geometrical designs in red, a saint in a yogic posture, and many more. 

2. Carpet Gallery

Visit this gallery to feast your eyes. The Persian Garden Carpet is the superlative example of stunning Persian carpets around the world.

Bought during the times of Mirza Raja Jai Singh I, the rare carpet represents a scene from a Persian garden. The work of art has four parts and numerous sub-sections. 

Each part has varied colors that make the carpet look stunning. Birds, fish, turtles, and other Chinese animals are depicted on this carpet.

The gallery also houses circular carpets as well as doormats representing flowery and Mughal patterns.  

3. Jewelry Gallery

You can see most of the low-cost jewelry worn by the peasants of that time. Most of the ornaments were made of brass and silver. 

The popular items of jewelry include rings, anklets, bracelets, necklaces, and hairpins. 

4. Coin Gallery 

If you have a passion for coins, you must visit this gallery. Take a tour of this place to see a huge variety of coins of the British and Mughal age. You will love the punch-marked coins, which are ancient in history. 

You can see numerous coins of the times of Jahangir, Akbar, Aurangzeb, and Shah Jahan. These coins were discovered from different parts of Rajasthan. They were collected and preserved in the museum gallery. 

5. Musical Instruments Gallery 

You will find ancient Indian musical instruments in this gallery of Albert Hall. The popular instruments include Dhap, Shehnai, Masak Baja, Karana, Rabab, and Pungi Ravan Hatha to name a few. 

6. Marble Art Gallery 

You can see some of the best exhibits of the nineteenth-century sculptures designed by the artisans of Jaipur in the Marble Art Gallery of Albert Hall. 

The popular works of art include Dasa Avatar and Mahisasur Mardini, Nav Grahas and Ganesh, Shiv Pariwar, Jain Tirthankars, Vaishnav and Brahma Parivar. 

7. Pottery Gallery 

Albert Hall houses some of the finest pottery collections of the nineteenth century, representing diverse range, intricacy, and vitality of the craft tradition of India. 

The gallery houses a range of flower vases. The most prominent one is the white quartz clay vase showing the king and queen on either side with cobalt blue and copper designs. You will also love to see the Kagazi (water bottle) doubled-handled surahi featuring a triangular design on the rim. 

8. Arms and Armour Gallery 

The gallery houses Mughal, Rajput, Afghan, Arab, Turkish hilts, swords, helmets, tiger knives, spears, clubs, and shields, in silver and gold. 

The popular collections include Arabian dagger, Qama or knife, Goad, gun powder horn, tiger claws, Gauntlet, and more. 

Chand Baori or Abhaneri Step Well is a stepwell located in the Abhaneri village near Jaipur which is a favoured tourist destination. With many national as well as international tourists visiting it,  Abhaneri Step Well is considered to be an architectural wonder.

The stepwell is around 30m or 100ft. deep and is one of the deepest and largest step-wells in India. Stepwells are very common in Rajasthan because of its arid and dry climate. Located in the eastern dryer parts of Rajasthan, the stepwell was primarily built to store water.

Not only the stepwell stores water, but it is also useful in groundwater harvesting. This marvellous and distinctive quality of Abhaneri Step Well makes it one of a kind in India.  Abhaneri Step Well is regarded amongst the most picturesque step wells in the world. The unique structural formation of the stepwell with its peculiar design has attracted a lot of attention. 

The stepwell can be seen in movies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa and the internationally acclaimed ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. The beauty of Abhaneri Step Well lies in its history as the stepwell has been in existence since the 8th Century. Till date, the step is functional but not up to its total limits. 

Located around 100km from the capital city of Jaipur, Chand Baori is older than some major monuments like the Taj Mahal and ancient temples like Khajurao Temples and Chola Temples. 

History of Abhaneri Step Well - 

Known originally as Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Birla Mandir is located at the base of Moti Dungri Temple, Jaipur. The temple is a popular pilgrimage site among the Hindu devotees. Made of sparkling white marble, the structure looks incredibly marvelous. 

Lush green gardens surround the temple on the sides and give the structure a truly dreamy touch. 

Birla Mandir has a total of three domes, each one representing a different perspective of religion. The temple features stunning carvings and drawings all around its body. The walls of the structure are adorned with mythological quotes and holy charms from the Hindu holy book of Geeta.

In addition, various mythological events and happenings are also carved on the shrine’s interior walls. The temple’s architectural beauty is totally admirable and appreciable. 

The most important part of Birla Mandir is the beautiful monolithic figurine of Lakshmi Narayan. The temple also houses an idol of Shri Ganesha, which is equally stunning and appreciable. You will also find pictures and sculptures of various other Gods and Goddesses, which strike a religious charm in the air inside the temple.

The temple even shelters the pictures of legendary personalities, such as Zarathustra, Jesus Christ, Gautam Buddha, Confucius, and Socrates. Birla Mandir is also home to a beautiful museum that stores and exhibits all the ancestral assets of the respected Birla family.

All these elements combine to make Birla Mandir a perfect destination for spiritual seekers of every religion. The temple gets a lot of visitors all through the year and the crowd becomes even bigger during important festivals.