From stars to streets: The history of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi

left The Jantar Mantar, ca. 1790 by Thomas Daniell Special Arrangement https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/jyo27e/article71583346.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/The%20Jantar%20Mantar%20ca.%201790%20by%20Thomas%20Daniell.

jpg Historian Anoushka Jain traces the history of Delhi’s most talked about monument, and how it gained its place as a venue for protest In January 2026, I visited Jantar Mantar, the open observatory in Delhi. It is a quaint place, with odd-looking structures decorating the complex.

Most visitors to this ticketed monument are tourists from outside Delhi and it draws only a few thousands. Yet this monument, which most people skip on their itinerary, becomes one of the most Google-searched monuments in Delhi whenever there is political unrest.