Fwd: Astrologers cry foul over renovation of world famous Jantar Mantar of Jaipur

[Guest guest]

IndiaArchaeology , " Avtar Krishen Kaul "

<jyotirved wrote:

 

Dear friends,

Namaskar!

<One of the main complaints is that the concerned authorities have

deployed inefficient persons for carrying out renovation. They say

that these employed personnel have no basic knowledge of such aids

vis-?-vis astronomy and astrology.>

 

Yes, astrologers must have a finger in every pie, lest the pie

proceed otherwise on a scientific basis!

 

An " expert " Secretary viz. late N. C. Lahiri was inveigled into Saha

Calendar Reform Comittee of the GOI in 1952 and we are " reaping the

harvest " of his/their efforts these days and will continue to do so

for God only knows how long! (No doubt late N. C. Lahiri had a fair

knowledge of planetary astronomy, but had vested interest in selling

his Vishudha Sidhanta Panjika---Bangla---and Lahiri's Indian

Ephemerish--English---more than reforming the calendar actually!)

The " sweetest fruit " of Lahiri's labours is that we are

celebrating Uttarayana/Dakshinaya/Vasanta Sampat/Hemant Sampat etc.

seasonal phenomena not as per the Ritu-Chakra of the Vedas or the

geographical phenomenon of seasons, but as per the dictates of

Lahiri and Lahiriwalas!

 

As far as my knowledge about the " astronomical yantras " at Ujjain,

Delhi, Nainital and Kanya Kumari observatories goes---I have seen

them all personally---they are aligned to seasons and declination

circle! Maybe that is why jyotishis are sore since anything that is

as per the real scientific and Vedic basis regarding " rashis " (sic!)

will make the poor " Vedic astrologers " jobless as they cannot then

make a fool of the public in the name of a so called nirayana (and

that also Lahiri Ayanamha) rashichakra!

 

Akhir paapi pet ka saswal hai! Let the dharmashastra and the

geography go to hell-- " Vedic astrologers " must have their bread and

butter!

With regards,

A K Kaul

 

IndiaArchaeology , " ymalaiya " <ymalaiya@>

wrote:

>

> Astrologers cry foul over renovation of world famous Jantar Mantar

of

> Jaipur Posted: 2:59p.m IST, September 21, 2008

> Jaipur, Sep.21 (ANI): Jaipur's world famous Jantar Mantar, which

is a

> collection of architectural astronomical instruments and literally

means

> calculation instrument, is attracting wide public attention here

> following the ongoing renovation at the ancient astronomical

> observatory. The renovation work has not gone down well with

traditional

> Indian astrologers.

>

> Absence of knowledgeable and experienced astrologers in the

supervisory

> or advisory committee is being cited as one of the reasons, which

has

> led to the vintage historical gadgets and other aids getting

disturbed

> in the renovation process.

>

> A group of noted astrologers here are objecting to the renovation

being

> carried out by the government agencies here. It is being contented

that

> it is not up to the mark and has already caused damage.

>

> One of the main complaints is that the concerned authorities have

> deployed inefficient persons for carrying out renovation. They say

that

> these employed personnel have no basic knowledge of such aids vis-

?-vis

> astronomy and astrology.

>

> According to the astrologers, the workers engaged in renovation, in

> their haste have dislocated most of the gadgets and allied aids,

> thereby, giving rise to distortion of forecast in astrological

> calculations.

>

> Astrologers complain that novice workers have upset accuracy, which

> prevailed for hundreds of years.

>

> In 1901, Jantar Mantar was renovated. But that time a council of

> astrologers was involved in the renovation. It was done under the

> supervision of the group of astrologers. Now, they have fiddled

with the

> instruments on their own which they shouldn't have done as such

this

> dislocation of gadgets can have a negative effect on the future

> calculations, said Pandit Akhilesh Sharma, an astrologer in Jaipur.

>

> Jantar Mantar is an open-air observatory complex of astronomical

gadgets

> and was built by Maharaja Jai Singh, the second. He constructed a

total

> of five such labs at different locations, including the ones at

Delhi

> and Jaipur. The Jaipur observatory is the largest of these.

>

> These gadgets play a key role, as the reflections of the Moon are

> studied at night and the Sun by day based on which astrologers

compute

> their forecasts.

>

> When Maharaja Jai Singh made this Jantar Mantar the main purpose

was to

> improve astrology in India. We monitor all planets through

equipments of

> Jantar Mantar. At night, we monitor through the positioning of the

Moon

> and at daytime, by the Sun. So they should not fiddle with the

> instruments, said Satish Shastri, a visitor.

>

> Meanwhile, the authorities say that the site was in a bad

condition and

> needed immediate renovation as the allied aids were becoming

brittle

> with the mortar peeling off and also the glass coverings of the

gadgets

> were damaged.

>

> Superintendent Archaeologist of Jantar Mantar, however, did not

comment

> on the displacement of the instruments, which could cause

distorted and

> garbled calculations.

>

> We started renovating in January 2007. The reason we renovated is

> because these instruments were becoming brittle, breaking and they

were

> on the verge to collapse. The cemented plaster was coming off and

> glasses were breaking. Therefore, we replaced and rectified the

damages.

> Besides we have broadened the pathway for the convenience of

visitors

> who throng the place. We've also installed drinking water facility,

> which provides pure and cool drinking water for the visitors, said

> Pandit O. P. Sharma, Superintendent Archaeologist of the Jantar

Mantar

> in Jaipur.

>

> The Department of Archaeology, Government of Rajasthan has spent

around

> 10 million rupees in renovating Jantar Mantar.

>

> Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical

instruments

> and it literally means calculation instrument.

>

> The observatory consists of 14 major geometric devices for

measuring

> time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits,

ascertaining

> the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial

altitudes and

> related ephemeredes.

>

> Each is a fixed and 'focused' tool. The Samrat Jantar, the largest

> instrument, is 90 feet (27 m) high, its shadow carefully plotted

to tell

> the time of day. Its face is angled at 27 degrees, the latitude of

> Jaipur. The Hindu chhatri (small domed cupola) on top is used as a

> platform for announcing eclipses and the arrival of monsoons.

>

> Built of local stone and marble, each instrument carries an

astronomical

> scale, generally marked on the marble inner lining; bronze

tablets, all

> extraordinarily accurate, were also employed. Thoroughly restored

in

> 1901, the Jantar Mantar was declared a national monument in 1948.

By

> Lokendra Singh(ANI)

>

> http://news.smashits.com/297257/Astrologers-cry-foul-over-

renovation-of-\

> world-famous-Jantar-Mantar-of-Jaipur.htm

> <http://news.smashits.com/297257/Astrologers-cry-foul-over-

renovation-of\

> -world-famous-Jantar-Mantar-of-Jaipur.htm>

>

 

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