The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh c13.9

c13.9

57. The Samrāṭ Yantra (AA) is of the same type as those at the other observatories, and is the same size as that at Ujjain and the smaller one at Jaipur. Its height is 22 feet 3¼ inches, the edge of the gnomon is 39 feet 8½ inches long, and the radius of each quadrant is 9 feet 1¼ inches (see p. 36). The edges of the gnomon and the quadrants are faced with sand-stone, and the graduations are carefully marked. On the quadrants every half-hour is marked by two inlaid metal discs, the one towards the north edge being inscribed in Indian characters, while the one on the south is in European figures. Each edge is also graduated into minutes and quarter minutes; and also into degrees and tenths of a degree. The edges of the gnomon are graduated with the usual tangent scales (see page 36). A comparison between a drawing made about 140 years ago (figure 67) and a recent photograph (figure 66) shows that very little alteration has been made, the only noticeable being the inlaid metal discs already referred to, the employment of European symbols and the division into hours instead of ghaṭis.