Vedh Shala (Jantar Mantar), Ujjain
वेधशाला उज्जैन
Observatory built in 1725 by Jai Singh II of Jaipur, one of the five surviving Jantar Mantars in India.
Ujjain has long been a center of Indian astronomy and is considered the site of the prime meridian. Sawai Jai Singh II built this observatory while serving as governor of Malwa. Its stone instruments include sundials, a meridian instrument and an equatorial instrument, and visitors can watch shadows to tell the time on the spot. It is smaller than the one in Jaipur but draws fewer visitors, and it now has a planetarium hall. Admission is inexpensive. It stands on the bank of the Shipra River, about 3 km from Mahakal Temple.
Opening hours
About 07:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Triveni Museum
- Shri Mahakal Lok
- Harsiddhi Temple
- Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga
- Bade Ganeshji Ka Mandir
- Gopal Mandir
- Ram Ghat
- ISKCON Ujjain