Qutub Minar Delhi India
Sight Seeing.
By
cruisingindia.com
on
Apr 22, 2006.
Towering over the landscape of the city of
Delhi is the tallest brick minaret in the world – the Qutub Minar, meaning “Axis Minaret”. The Qutub Minar is unique product of Indo-Islamic architecture dating back to the 13th century. UNESCO now demarcates the Qutub complex as a
World Heritage Site.
Qutub Minar Images
Qutub Minar History
Standing five stories and seventy-two-and-a-half meters high, the red and buff sandstone minaret has a long history attached to it. The construction began in 1199 by the great
Slave Dynasty Emperor Qutub-ud-din Aibek who completed the first storey. The next three stories were built by his successor Sultan Iltutmish, and the last and fifth storey by Feroz Tuglaq in 1368.The motive behind constructing such an imposing edifice remains a mystery. Some attribute it to be a monument to herald the Muslim rule in India. Others say it was built to house the Muezzin while calling the faithful for prayer to the nearby Mosque, or perhaps it was built as a watchtower for defense.
Qutub Minar Architecture
The development of architectural styles from Aibak to Tuglaq is evident in the construction of the minaret. The first three stories are made of sandstone and the next two of marble and sandstone. At the base, the diameter of the minaret is a little over fourteen meters and it tapers towards the top, where it is only slightly under 3 meters wide. It has a circular stairway made of three-hundred-seventy-nine steps to reach the top for a spectacular view. It was repaired twice, by Firoz Shah Tuglaq (AD1351-88), who added marble to the top storey, and by Sikandar Lodi (1489-1517 AD).
The MinarLike earlier towers raised by the
Ghaznavids and
Ghurids in
Afghanistan, the Minar comprises several superimposed flanged and cylindrical shafts separated by balconies. All the storeys have a balcony that circles the Minar with stone brackets for support. The Minar is decorated throughout with floral motifs and arabesque. Also it bears inscriptions that are verses from the
Koran and messages from the Sultans.The Minaret has become as famous a world monument as the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is popularly believed that the tower was named after Sultan Qutub-ud-din Aibak but an alternate theory attributes its name after that of Khwaja Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki, a
Sufi saint from Bagdadh who came to live in India.
The MosqueThe towering edifice is matched in its magnificence by another important structure from that period namely the Quwwat-al-Islam Mosque built by Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1198 AD. Meaning the “might of
Islam”, it is the earliest mosque built by the
Delhi Sultanate. It consists of a rectangular courtyard enclosed by cloisters erected with the carved columns and architectural members of twenty-seven
Hindu and
Jain temples demolished by the Sultans. The Minar is in fact believed to have been built to aid the Muezzin of the mosque for prayer calls.
The Iron PillarAnother curious edifice in the Qutub complex is The Iron pillar of Mehrauli which dates back to the 4th century BC. It bears inscriptions that dedicate it as a flagstaff to honor the
Hindu god
Vishnu and in memory of
Gupta king Chandragupta II (375-413 AD). The pillar is a symbol of the progress of metallurgy in ancient India. It is made of 98 percent wrought iron and has survived 1,600 years without rusting. Inscription reveals it was first erected in
Bihar and it is a mystery how it found its way to the Qutub complex. Popular folklore also has it that anyone who encircles the pillar with his two hands is granted a wish.
The Tomb of IltutmishThe complex also houses an imposing tomb of Iltutmish, the third
Sultan of Delhi, built in AD 1235, a year before his death. It is a plane square chamber made of red sand stone, situated northwest of the minaret. It is a landmark in Indo-Islamic architecture. It is carved with inscriptions, geometrical and arabesque patterns in
Saracenic tradition in its interiors. It is believed to have had a dome which was later damaged.
The Alai DarwazaAlai Darwaza, the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, is a gem of Islamic architecture in India. It was built by Alla-ud-din Khilji in 1311. It is the first example of a horseshoe arch and true dome. This is the first building that used true Islamic principles of architecture and ornamentation. Alla-ud-din Khilji also built a
madarassa, or school, to the southwest of the Minar to impart religious education to children.
The Alai MinarThe Alai Minar is the result of an effort by Alla-ud-din khilji to build a second Minar of victory rivaling the Qutub. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1316, when the tower had reached only twenty-seven meters and the Minar remained unfinished. It stands north of the Qutub as an unfinished dream of the emperor. The best time to visit would be in autumn and winter from October to March.
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