The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh c12.5

c12.5

Of the Samrāṭ Yantra only a skeleton remains. In the general plan (plate XXIV) it is shown as though complete, but figure 61 shows its actual present state. It is, practically, of the same size as the one at Benares, and the smaller one at Jaipur, namely, 22 feet high, the edge of the gnomon 47½ feet, and the radius of each quadrant 9 feet 1 inch. In 1796 or thereabout, when Hunter visited Ujjain, the quadrants were divided into ghaṭis and subdivisions. From the edges of the quadrants, where they intersect the walls of the gnomon, lines at right angles (GH, EF figures 34 and 35) were drawn on the gnomon, and perpendicular to its edge. From the points (H, F), where these lines meet the edge of the gnomon, scales of tangents were marked on the edges. All these graduations have disappeared. (For the theory of the instrument see page 36.)