What is Jantar Mantar in India? Why It has become the center of CJP's protest

As the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) gains attention for its youth-led protests over alleged examination irregularities, one location has once again become the focal point of demonstrations in India’s capital: Jantar Mantar.

For many people outside India, the name frequently appears in news reports covering protests in New Delhi. Farmers, students, government employees, pensioners, women’s groups and civil society organisations have all gathered there over the years, making it one of the country’s best-known venues for public demonstrations.

What is Jantar Mantar?

Jantar Mantar is an 18th-century astronomical observatory built in 1724 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Jaipur and a renowned patron of astronomy.

It was the first of five observatories he commissioned across northern India, with similar structures later built in Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura.

The name “Jantar Mantar” is derived from Sanskrit and Persian words that refer to instruments used to measure celestial movements. Long before modern telescopes, its massive masonry structures were designed to track time, planetary positions and the movement of stars using the naked eye.

Today, the observatory is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and remains one of Delhi’s popular heritage attractions.

How did it become a protest site?

Jantar Mantar’s transformation into a symbol of democratic protest is closely tied to its location and political history.

Following India’s independence in 1947, the government allotted a nearby bungalow at 7, Jantar Mantar Road to the Indian National Congress, which used it as its national headquarters for more than two decades.

During this period, the area became a major political hub, attracting ministers, Members of Parliament, diplomats, journalists and party workers.

After the Congress split in 1969, the property became the headquarters of the rival Congress faction. It later served as the headquarters of the Janata Party following its landmark 1977 election victory and eventually housed offices of successor political organizations.

With Parliament, government ministries and central administrative offices located nearby, Jantar Mantar gradually emerged as one of the few designated spaces where citizens could stage demonstrations and voice their demands.