The Jantar Mantar, a few minutes from Connaught Place in central Delhi, is a collection of six strange, abstract constructions which actually is an observatory. Built in 1724 by the Maharajah Jai Singh II, who was a keen astronomer, the Jantar Mantar in Delhi was the forerunner to the larger, 14 piece observatory that was built a few years later in Jaipur and one of a total five built across India. Built with remarkable precision, the pieces can accurately predict many astronomical events. The largest, Samyat Yantra, is a sundial which is said to be accurate to within half a second.