4.2 Jantar Mantar of Jaipur—A Place for Exploring the Universe斋浦尔简塔•曼塔天文台——探索宇宙奥秘的绝佳平台

简塔•曼塔天文台是斋浦尔城建造者萨瓦伊•杰伊•辛格二世的杰作。萨瓦伊•杰伊•辛格二世对天文学和数学有着浓厚的兴趣，他引进了古希腊和伊斯兰的很多集合和天文著作，并修建了天文学图书馆。他于1724年在德里修建了第一座简塔•曼塔天文台，又于1728年至1734年间在斋浦尔修建了简塔•曼塔天文台。

斋浦尔的简塔•曼塔天文台据说是世界上最大的石制天文台，是保存最完好的一处。它是当年的星象家用来观测天象，预测事务的场所。在天文台，设有日晷、星座仪、子午线仪、黄道仪和天体经纬仪等14个主要几何仪器，分别用于测量时间、预测日食、跟踪轨道上的星体、测量行星的偏转角、确定天体的高度以及相关的数据。现在斋浦尔天文台还在使用中。

斋浦尔的天文台曾经被评为世界十大被错过的绝美建筑。碧绿的草坪上，散布着众多奇形怪状的砖砌建筑，以及世界最大的日晷，每个都有特别的用途。精准的观测设施说明古代印度人民很早就具有了观测天文的科学知识，体现出他们的聪明和智慧，这使该天文台颇具盛名。

Jantar Mantar of Jaipur claims the distinction of being the largest stone observatory（天文台）in the world. It is situated near the City Palace complex and was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in the year 1727. It took approximately six years to complete the observatory, which was even designed by Jai Singh himself. Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is one of the five astronomical observatories built by Maharaja all over the country. The universe and the cosmos have always been of interest to man, and it was this interest that compelled（驱使）the Maharaja to build an astronomical observatory.

Maharaja Jai Singh II, the founder of the "pink city", was a great scholar and an avid astrologer. He studied philosophy, astrology, architecture and religion in various schools, and was also well versed（精通的）with universal mathematical concepts such as Euclid's Clements, Ptolemy's Syntaxes and the master works of Aryabhatta. In the year 1718, he wanted to construct（建造）an observatory of renown. For this, he studied the subject of astronomy and then built five different observatories around North India. At these places, he would sit with other scholarly astronomers, such as Pt. Kedarnath, for astronomical observations. The "Jantar Mantar" at Jaipur, being the biggest conservatory in the country, was renovated time and again and houses various instruments that offer precise（精确的）measurements of time, the azimuth（方位）, declination（倾斜度）of the sun and the positions of constellations（星座）, along with several other astronomical phenomena. The Jaipur observatory was functional for seven years only, as the Maharaja was not very successful in deriving accurate, astronomical observations.

The original name of the observatory was Yantra Mantra, meaning instruments and formulas. However, people mispronounced（发错音）the name as "Jantar Mantar" and gradually this became the official name of the observatory. Jantar Mantar houses an amazing collection of astronomical instruments. The most applaudable（值得赞赏的）feature of the observatory is that even after so many years, it still provides accurate information. The scientific settings and shapes of the compound instruments of Jantar Mantar serve as a reminder of the advancement of the Medieval Indian Astronomy. The entire structure of Jantar Mantar has been constructed with stone and marble.

Metals have not been used in the construction of the observatory, since metal instruments fell short of Jai Singh's expectations. It has fourteen statistical instruments, which serve the purpose of measuring time, predicting eclipses（日食和月食）and ascertaining（探知）other astronomical events. Jantar Mantar was renovated in the year 1901 and in 1948; it was declared as a national monument.The most popular instrument of the observatory is the Sundial, which is 27.4m high and tells the time with an accuracy of about two seconds.

The astronomical observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, tracking constellations and, even for, observing the orbits around the sun. Popular structures within the Jantar Mantar are the "Samrat Yantra", "Raj Yantra", the "Jaiprakash Yantra" and various geometric structures with astronomical devices to probe the "universe".

Samrat Yantra is a triangular structure, with a huge sundial. The arc on its left displays the time from sunrise to midday and the one on its right displays the time from midday to sunset. Raj Yantra, the King of Instruments, is used in the preparation of the Hindu calendar. For the purpose, a telescope is fixed over the central hole and a sighting bar is attached at the back. The plain disk is used to record the sightings. Jai Prakash Yantra determines the precise coordinates of celestial bodies. It has a small iron plate, which is strung between the crosswire（交叉线）. This plate is used to know the longitude（经度）and latitude（纬度）of the sun as well as and the zodiacal（黄道带的）sign it is passing through.

用英语畅谈Jantar Mantar of Jaipur黄金句

☺ The universe and the cosmos have always been of interest to man, and it was this interest that compelled the Maharaja to build an astronomical observatory.宇宙万物总能引起人们的兴趣，正是这样的兴趣驱使萨瓦伊去建造一个天文台。

☺ The Jaipur observatory was functional for seven years only, as the Maharaja was not very successful in deriving accurate, astronomical observations.斋浦尔天文台只用了七年，因为萨瓦伊没能很成功地获得准确的天文观测结果。

☺ The most applaudable feature of the observatory is that even after so many years, it still provides accurate information.天文台最值得赞赏的特点是，即使这么多年过去了，它还是可以提供准确的信息。

☺ Metals have not been used in the construction of the observatory, since metal instruments fell short of Jai Singh's expectations.在天文台的建设过程中并没有使用金属材料，因为金属仪器达不到杰伊•辛格的期望值。

☺ The astronomical observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, tracking constellations and, even for, observing the orbits around the sun.天文台包括14个主要的几何仪器，用来测量时间、跟踪星座，甚至被用来观测环日轨道。

☺ Raj Yantra, the King of Instruments, is used in the preparation of the Hindu calendar. For the purpose, a telescope is fixed over the central hole and a sighting bar is attached at the back.支配器是仪器之王，用于测量印度历的日期。为此，需要把一个显微镜固定在中央洞的上方，后面安上瞄准杆。

用英语畅谈Jantar Mantar of Jaipur