Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar is an 18th-century astronomical observatory in the heart of Delhi, its towering geometric instruments built from stone and marble to track celestial movements, tell time and predict eclipses with remarkable precision for their era, all without telescopes or modern technology. The Samrat Yantra, a massive sundial capable of reading time to an accuracy of a few seconds, is the most striking of the instruments on site.

Set within a small park just off Connaught Place, the structures' bold geometric forms make Jantar Mantar a favourite subject for photographers, their scale and abstraction giving them an almost sculptural quality distinct from more conventional Mughal-era monuments elsewhere in the city.

Built in 1724 by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, an avid astronomer, Delhi's Jantar Mantar was one of five such observatories he constructed across northern India, the most famous being the larger complex in his own capital city.

Near Connaught Place, an easy walk from Patel Chowk metro station.