Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal



Jantar Mantar means - according to one of the guides leading one of the German or British tours - calculating tools. This is the observatory in the old town of Jaipur. It was begun in 1728 and has the world's largest sun dial as well as smaller ones. What was cool was that the shadows fall on arches on the sides of the 'needle'. The arches are marked off in to show hours and minutes, and the one I saw was exactly right to the minute. (you have to add 11 minutes)

There are also constructions to track the stars and planets. All very amazing.

Right near by is the Hawa Mahal (Hawa = wind, Mahal = palace). This one was built with lots of little holes so the women, who were not allowed out, could still view the street outside. These pictures give you just a tiny peek into the fantastical architecture of Jaipur. This computer is impossibly slow. Not even sure these pics will load.

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