India, Oct. 15 -- In popular consciousness, at least in the national capital and abutting cities, Jantar Mantar is synonymous with protests against the government. It offers a particular setting deemed desirable for rallies to be heard by the State - proximity to the corridors of power (Parliament) and a prominent urban-scape the masses visit in the normal course (Connaught Place). That perception could perhaps change with the government denotifying it as a protest site. This may end an era, since the term 'Jantar Mantar' has been closely connected to the expression of dissent in India since the 1990s.

Jantar Mantar and its environs have always occupied a very distinctive place in Delhi's landscape. Its history begins sometime in the 16t...