A close-up of the smaller of the 2 sundials at the Jantar Mantar Observatory in Jaipur. The centrepiece is set at the exact same angle as the latitude of Jaipur, calibrated to the North Star. You can read the time off the curved stone at the back, AM and PM.

Built by the Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1730, the Jantar Mantar is a working observatory for marking the time and position of the astrologically important stars,planents and constellations and contains 14 major geometric instruments that map the time and location of the sun, stars and planets.

These instruments were built for calculating the astrological chart of a person at the exact time of his/her birth that is belived to have a vital influence and guidance for a person's life. They could also predict recurring phenomenon such as eclipses and the monsoons.

It is a good example of how important trying to clock time accurately has been for millennia and what tools they used prior to our quartz crysal digital watches, atomic clocks and GPS satellites.