There are five locations known as Jantar Mantar, which are complexes of structures used primarily for astrological purposes. The Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is the newest of the five. I had the opportunity to visit one in Jaipur and one in New Delhi, the latter of which, though not as well preserved, was used much more and has been transformed into a pretty amazing public space.
The instruments were used for various purposes, but as technology has progressed, the structures evolved into what are basically huge playgrounds. I was torn between a love for preservation and a love for public space. Though the structures are suffering from wear and tear, people were tremendously excited to be able to climb them. There were lots of people milling around, sitting and chatting, or eating on the grass around it.
I really think there's something about height in public space that people love, though I may be a bit biased. This picture and the one before it were taken from the top of a really tall...thing. I'm not going to try and explain how any of these worked, but it was really high.
No comments:
Post a Comment