Jaipur Jantar Mantar gets Unesco World Heritage tag
The Pink City is now proud to have its world famous observatory Jantar Mantar, built in the 18th century, on Unesco’s World Heritage site.
This is the country’s 28th and Rajasthan’s second monument—after Keoladeo National Park—to acquire this distinction.
The decision was taken at Unesco’s World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia, Tourism Minister Bina Kak said here on Sunday.
She said it was a matter of great pride to the state and the nation.
Jaipur’s historic observatory is among the seven sites selected to be included in Unesco’s World Heritage site this year, the minister said.
Jantar Mantar, built by Sawai Jai Singh II who himself was a celebrated astronomer, is one of the most visited tourist places in the Pink City. The state government had sent a three-member representative committee, headed by Principal Secretary tourism Usha Sharma, to present a management plan for the historic site before the Unesco committee, she said.
Fillip to tourism
The tourism minister hoped that the new recognition would give a fillip to tourism in Rajasthan, particularly, Jaipur. She said the state government would consider offering more incentives to the industry. The current influx of tourists, which is around 8 lakh, is expected to go up with this prestigious recognition, she said.
Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar is one the largest and the best maintained of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh II. The other observatories are in Ujjain, Delhi, Varanasi and Mathura.
Jantar Mantar, meaning calculation instrument, consists of major geometric devices to calculate time, track stars’ location, predict eclipses and determine other celestial movements.
The giant sundial “Samrat Yantra” is a major attraction at the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur which was declared a national monument in 1948. It is still used by local astronomers to predict weather, especially intensity of monsoon, though it is a debatable ritual in modern times.
