Library

Books

Celestial Mirror: The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh II
In this book, Barry Perlus’s visually driven exploration brings readers to the Jantar Mantars and creates an immersive experience. Panoramas plunge the viewer into a breathtaking 360-degree space, while pages of explanatory illustrations describe the observatories and the workings of their many instruments. The book provides the experience of visiting the sites, the historical context of the Jantar Mantars, and an understanding of their scientific and architectural innovations.
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Celestial Mirror Cover
Other Publications
Articles available for download.

Architecture in the Service of Science
Text and photographs by Barry Perlus.
In this richly illustrated article, written in 2005 the author gives a history of the observatories and explains the principles and details of their operation. Includes a section on the panoramic photography used by the author to create this web site.

Architecture in Service of Science

Solar Nexus
Article by Sharon Tregaskis withphotographs by Barry Perlus. Originally published in the July-August 2003 issue of Cornell Magazine (used by permission).

My Image
Bibliography

Aveni, A.F.  Empires of Time: Calendars, Clocks, and Cultures, Basic Books, New York, 1989

Chetwode, P.  "Delhi Observatory, the Paradise of an Early Cubist", The Architectural Review, 1935

Kaye, G.R.  The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh, Archaeological Survey of India, New Imperial Series, Vol. XL 1973

Lipsey, R.  An Art of Our Own: The Spiritual in Twentieth-Century Art, Shambhala, Boston 1988

Kumar, P.  "Sawai Jai Singh's Observatories", Arts of Asia, 1981 Sept.-Oct., Vol. XI, No. 5

MacDougall, B.G.  "Jantar Mantar: Architecture, Astronomy, and Solar Kingship in Princely India", The Cornell Journal of Architecture 5, Ithaca, 1996

Mukerji, A.S. Jantar Mantar: Maharajah Jai Singh’s Observatory in Delhi, Ambi Knowledge Resources Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2010

Noguchi, I.  "Observatories of the Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II" (photographs by Isamu Noguchi) Perspecta No. 6, 1960

Pingree, D. “Astronomy in India”, Astronomy Before the Telescope, Walker,C. Ed., British Museum Press, 1996

Sharma, V.N.  Sawai Jai Singh and his Astronomy, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi, 1995
Snead, S.  "Observatories Reveal the Imagination of India and the Mind of a Maharajah", Industrial Design, 1960 June, Vol.VII

Starsites: Ancient Buildings Connecting Earth and Sky, CD-ROM (Win2000/Mac OS9) DNA Multimedia Corporation, Vancouver, 1996

Volwahsen, A.  Cosmic Architecture in India, Prestel, Munich, 2001

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