Jantar Mantar

Jaipur · Dhundhar

An astonishing 18th-century observatory of giant stone instruments — including the world's largest sundial. A UNESCO site.

Timings

9 AM – 5 PM (daily)

Entry

Approx ₹50 (Indian) / ₹200 (foreign)

Best time

Around noon, when the sundials are most dramatic

Time needed

1 hour

Built in the early 18th century by the astronomer-king Sawai Jai Singh II, Jantar Mantar is the largest and best-preserved of India's historic observatories — a surreal open-air collection of nineteen giant masonry instruments designed to measure time, track the stars and predict eclipses with remarkable accuracy.

The centrepiece is the Vrihat Samrat Yantra, the world's largest stone sundial, which tells local time to an accuracy of two seconds. Walking among these monumental abstract structures feels like wandering through a piece of scientific sculpture — it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site for good reason.

Don't miss

›The Samrat Yantra — the world's largest sundial.
›The zodiac instruments (Rashivalaya Yantra).
›Taking a guide or audio tour to actually understand how they work.

Good to know

The instruments make far more sense with a guide — it's worth it here. Visit around midday to see the sundials in action. It's right next to the City Palace.