Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is going to be a World Heritage Site soon. The decision has been taken by the teams of UNESCO and Archaeological Survey of India jointly. Jantar Mantar is one of the five astronomical observatories in west central India that includes multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. After Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur), Jantar Mantar would be the second site from Rajasthan to be listed as the World Heritage Site. The former joined the league in 1985.
According to director of archaeology and museums B L Gupta, the final report will be submitted soon for its inclusion in the list. It is noteworthy that due to the immense academic value attached to it, the 300-year-old monument daily attracts about 5,000 tourists including architects, artists and art historians from all over the world. The decision of its inclusion in the list however comes as a consequence of the World Heritage Committee's decision, which requested the director of the World Heritage Centre to explore further the thematic initiative "Astronomy and World Heritage" as a means to promote, in particular, nominations which identify and celebrate achievements in science.
