Jantar Mantar Delhi: Timings, Ticket Price and Visiting Tips
Opening hours and ticket prices for Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Official and travel sites give different numbers, so here is what each says and how to confirm before you go.
Jantar Mantar is open every day, from around sunrise to sunset, and the ticket costs a few hundred rupees at most. The exact numbers differ depending on where you look, so check on the day.
Timings and ticket price#
| Delhi Tourism (delhitourism.gov.in) | delhitourism.travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Days | All days | All days |
| Hours | Sunrise to sunset | 6:00 am to 6:00 pm |
| Indian visitors | Rs 25 | Rs 20 |
| Foreign visitors | Rs 300 | Rs 250 |
| Video | Rs 25 | Rs 25 |
The government tourism page and a travel site list different prices. We could not match either to an Archaeological Survey of India notice, so confirm at the ticket counter. Photography is listed as free on both.
Best time to go#
Mid-morning or late afternoon, when the shadows on the big instruments are sharp. Allow 45 minutes to an hour. October to March is the comfortable season.
What you are looking at#
Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur built it in 1724. He had found existing astronomical instruments too small to measure accurately, so he built larger ones. The Samrat Yantra, the giant sundial, is the one everyone photographs. It is the first in a series of observatories he built, followed by Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura.
What you are looking at#
The Delhi observatory has 13 instruments. Four are the ones most people notice:
- Samrat Yantra: the large sundial. The shadow of its edge moves along a scale to show local solar time.
- Jai Prakash Yantra: two sunken, bowl-shaped halves with engraved markings and steps for the observer. The Delhi bowl is about 27 feet across at the rim (jantarmantar.org).
- Ram Yantra: a masonry instrument for astronomical measurement, one of Jai Singh's own designs.
- Misra Yantra: the fourth of the main instruments named in most accounts.
Visit when the sun is well up if you want to see the shadow-based instruments working. Wikipedia notes the complex had decayed considerably by the 1857 uprising.
A short history#
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber built it in 1724 at the request of the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah (Archnet). It stood in what was then open land south of the walled city of Shahjahanabad, in an area called Jaisinghpura. It is one of five observatories Jai Singh built, the others being at Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura. The name is usually explained as "instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens". Everything was built to be read with the naked eye, with no telescopes.
How long to plan for#
TasteYatra suggests 45 minutes to an hour, and mid-morning or late afternoon for sharp shadows. Add the walk from the metro (see the next section) and some time in nearby Connaught Place if you want a half-day.
Getting there#
Take the metro to Patel Chowk or Janpath. See our nearest station guide.
During protests#
Jantar Mantar Road is a protest site. During the October 2026 protests the area has been barricaded and we couldn't confirm whether the monument has been open. See protest updates and check before you go.
Two things worth knowing#
- Photography is listed as free, video as Rs 25, on both sources we checked.
- Because the site is also a protest ground, access can change at short notice. See protest updates and closed metro stations before you set out.
“Plan a 2-hour visit to Jantar Mantar with a good lunch nearby”
FAQs#
What time does Jantar Mantar open? Around sunrise, or 6 am per one listing. Closing is sunset or 6 pm.
Is it open on Mondays? Both listings say all days.
How much is the ticket? Rs 20 to Rs 25 for Indians and Rs 250 to Rs 300 for foreigners, depending on source.
Sources: delhitourism.gov.in, delhitourism.travel, TasteYatra, indiacinehub.gov.in. Last checked 5 October 2026. Prices may have changed.