Jantar Mantar

If you have seen the movie The Fall (2006), you may recognize the following structures as part of the maze in one of the beginning scenes. (If you have not seen the movie, you should!)

"Jantar Mantar" translates to "instrument" and "calculation", and that's exactly what these were built for, this first one being used to tell the time of places around the world:

 These were built starting in 1724 in India both in Delhi and Jaipur by Jai Singh II, ruler of the kingdom of Amber. The position of stars can be calculated with this:

This one is a giant sundial, aligned parallel to the Earth's axis and pointing toward the North Pole. The small copula at the top was previously used to announce eclipses and coming monsoons.

Wordless Wednesday

(because that's all I have time for)

Rumah Gadang Minangkabau- Indonesia

AnDa Union

                          

We've made it to the second half of the school semester, which is a relief, but also means that much more work to make it to winter break. That paired with the cooler weather and fewer daylight hours and I find myself working inside more, especially through the weekends. I do make sure to take an hour each day for running, and other times I get to do something especially exciting, such as I did last night listening to Mongolian music on campus, played by the group AnDa Union. It was amazing!

I bought a ticket over a month ago because I was tired of a) getting stuck in the second balcony or b) the event being sold out every time I went to see something. Luckily, I was placed in the 6th row center along with all the "supporters" of KU who pay a lot of money to be able to buy tickets before everyone else.

My favorite instrument they played, the morin khuur:

The name morin khuur means, quite descriptively, "fiddle with a horse's head". How beautiful is that? I wish my violin had a carved scroll.

This particular instrument has a sound similar to a cello, and is held between the knees like a cello as well. There were all sorts of other instruments played, including a flute where I couldn't figure out why the player had his mouth open, until I realized he both sang and played at the same time!
                                                              

And the sound is sooo smooth...you'll just have to listen