An
explosion of historical delights
The next day started off in a curious fashion.
An uncle who had almost severed contacts and had stopped talking with us
called me in the morning. Or rather woke me up and the entire zostel dorm I was
staying in. He asked for my mom’s number. After reluctantly sharing the number I was thinking if this is the start of some other misunderstanding (to
put things mildly). The reason for us not staying in touch for the last three
years is a story in itself. Without me getting into those details let me recount
how I spent the rest of my day in Jaipur.
I had booked a cab with just one thought in
mind – to visit the majestic Amer Fort. Gopi had suggested that irrespective of
what I see in Jaipur I must not miss visiting this place. And I was extremely
happy I took his word for it. The entire fort was built on a hillock and spread
wider than my cone of vision even when I was a couple of Kms away. Needless to
say that there was a short climb involved to get to the actual fort. The heat
was the only turn-off in the whole exercise. I’ve always had this thought in
mind when I think of forts and especially in places like Rajasthan where the mercury
reaches unbearable levels during the summers. I’ve even thought maybe global warming
was responsible for the temperatures recorded nowadays and maybe the olden days
weren’t hot enough. Then I came across a study which said the earth’s average temperature
has increased some 0.30C over the last century and this was
considered an alarming rate of increase. That is when I decided that the olden
days must have far worse for people, what with no electricity and therefore no
fans or air conditioners. But in Amer fort I came across several spots, several
closed passageways, hallways and aisle and even rooms which were well ventilated.
A pleasant breeze used to pass through making it significantly colder. There
was a massive courtyard with a pedestal at the centre (where I presume the
maharaja would have conducted his daily court). The pedestal was now converted
into a rest area for tourists with multiple chairs and rope beds. Inspite of
the structure being in the open, the temperature of this area was a definite 5 –
10 degrees lesser than the actual temperature of the day. I was fascinated. The
architects of the old were artists indeed. They have engineered nature in a
simple and effective fashion. This reminds me of a story which my friend who
has roots in Rajasthan told me.
Rajasthan being one the hottest places on earth
and has vast desert lands is extremely hot during summers. And Mango, the queen
of fruits is sweetest and best in summers. But it generates a lot of heat. Now
the people of Rajasthan have come up with an ingenious way to reduce the amount
of bodily heat generated while still savoring the delicious fruit. Before
consumption, the mangoes are soaked in water for a good 4 hours. The water acts
as a coolant (when it can cool nuclear reactors down, can it not cool a mango?),
removing its heat. Simple and effective. Now mind you, this water is also
precious in a place as parched as Rajasthan is. And hence this water is not
thrown away but rather reused in some form or the other. Fascinating it was to
hear this!
As I moved away from Amer fort, the cabbie who I
had taken for the day suggested I visit the Jaipur Palace and Jantar Mantar,
which were adjacent to each other. My second stop was the City Palace. Here I
need to recount one interesting story I read only about the ruling family in
Jaipur. The Maharaja Jai Singh, who was invited to court by the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb
was surprised and flabbergasted by his knowledge and wit and praised him saying
he was worth more than a man and infact he was equal to 1 ¼ of any other man.
He used the Persian word “Sawai” which literally means 1 ¼. History also inform
us of the Maharaja (who has lent his name to the city of Jaipur) was a “Sawai”
in “Astra” as well as “Shastra”. While the title of Sawai was bestowed upon the
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singhji, his successors decided to add it to their names as
well. And we also have a city which is 1 ¼ of any other city – Sawai Madhopur,
named after the Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh.
The Jantar Mantar which was very close to the
Palace was my next stop. For all its historical value, it is actually a set of
instruments used in astronomy to observe celestial bodies with the naked eye. These
were constructed over a period of a decade or longer under the instructions of
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh. According to Wikipedia, this historical monument
houses astronomical instruments operating in the three main celestial
coordinates (the horizon-zenith, the equatorial and the ecliptical). These were
built using the principles of astronomy borrowed from Hindu Sanskrit and
Islamic texts.
Two instruments fascinated me the most. The
Vrihat Samrat Yantra (the world’s largest gnomon* sundials) which is actually a
gigantic clock that could predict the time at any given point in the day with
an accuracy of 2 seconds. It consisted of a large dial which was first split
into 24 parts each denoting 1 hour. Each hour was in turn divided into 4 parts
and further into 15 sub parts and then into 10 fractions and finally into 3 sub
fractions. Moreover this instrument was angled at 270 to the ground
level. Was that because of the angular tilt of the earth on its axis? I don’t
know, but still it was interesting. The second instrument called the Rashi
Valaya Yantra which caught my attention was actually a set of 12 sundials, each
at a different angle and orientation and facing the sky. As I went about these sundials
and read the plaques I understood that each one was to determine the coordinates
of stars and planets the solar system. My jaw almost dropped at this. I had
just one question in mind. Why are we reading about the Copernicuses and
Galileos of the world and not about the Sawai Jai Singhs of India who were equally
important pioneers in astronomy? What about Stonehenge? Was it a medieval
Sundial? Where has this knowledge been lost? I’m well aware of the fact that
today we have powerful telescopes which can do these measurements at spectacular
accuracy. The inventor of telescopes is indeed among the greatest of scientists
the world has seen. But why are we not taking these successes of Jantar Mantar
and Stonehenge in the same breath? History has been a must in every school for
a long time. But its utility is not properly understood by the teachers. What
is the reason for studying it, some might ask? In my opinion, history is to be used
as an inspirational tool. To tell today’s kids that our ancestors of the past
have achieved so much with the limitations on available resources and knowledge
gathered. And to open their minds to dream bigger and better.
With these thoughts running through my mind, I reached
the end of my time at Jaipur. Au Revoir, Pink City. I will definitely be back.
*Gnomon – the triangular blade on the sundial
which casts a shadow to measure the time of the day
