Gyarah Sidi (''Literally: Eleven steps'') are the remains of the astrological observatory of the

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northe ...

. The ruins are situated at a stone's throw from Babur’s

Mehtab Bagh Mehtab Bagh () is a charbagh complex in Agra, North India. It lies north of the Taj Mahal complex and the Agra Fort on the opposite side of the Yamuna River, in the flood plains. The garden complex, square in shape, measures about and is perfe ...

, in a field on the banks of the

Yamuna river The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Ba ...

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...

History

Gyarah Sidi or Eleven Steps refers to the steps overlooking the hemispherical cavities in the ground from which astronomical readings could be taken. Though nowhere close to their size, Humayun's observatory is an interesting, diminutive precursor to the massive Jantar Mantars at

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

built nearly 200 years later.

Humayun and astronomy

was absorbed in astrology and astronomy, manifesting his passion in the most eccentric way. The business at court was not conducted according to exigencies of matter on hand but deferred to the planets: *Sunday and Tuesday for government - As the sun regulates sovereignty and Mars is the patron of soldiers. *Saturday and Thursday were devoted to matters of religion. He even went so far as dressing himself and his ministers according to the colours of the planets associated with particular days.

References

https://web.archive.org/web/20110715023650/http://traveller.outlookindia.com/destinationlink.aspx?id=168&destinationid=44&pagenum=2
{{coord missing, Uttar Pradesh Buildings and structures of the Mughal Empire History of Uttar Pradesh Tourist attractions in Agra Buildings and structures in Agra Astronomical observatories in India Defunct astronomical observatories

History

Humayun and astronomy

See also

References