For People Who Ask How Tall I’m, I Was Once Called Qutab Minar!

That’s a comment the local eve teasers passed years ago and I’ve brooded over it for 15 years or so. Now that I’ve witnessed this historic monument, I take that as a compliment! A victory tower, an architectural wonder in red sandstone and marble, standing 73 meters tall and one that dates back to 1192 AD! Oh boy, I am flattered! :P

Visiting historical monuments thrills me. Walking down such remarkable places you once learned or heard about, regulates imagination with reality and that’s an experience beyond words can describe! So, here is Qutab Minar through my lens!

Notes** - The day was partly cloudy and sunny, so some of the photos came out bright and certain others dark. Hope you wouldn’t mind.

I could barely contain the excitement at the sight of the minar, just as we were approaching the Qutab Complex in Mehrauli. Finally on entering the complex, the beautiful relics in sandstone and marble did not fail in transporting me to something sort of a medieval era. Owned by the Archaeological Survey of India, the complex hosts –

1. Qutab Minar

2. The tomb of Iltutmish

3. Ala'i-Darwaza

4. Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque

5. The Iron Pillar

6. Alai Minar

Along with a few other tombs, madrasa and more relics!

Qutab Minar

One look and this old boy has aged gracefully! This eulogy in red sandstone and marble was built as a victory tower to praise the story of Qutbu'd-Din Aibak, the Muslim ruler who laid the foundation of the minar in 1192 AD. With 5 storeys and 379 steps, the tower stands 73 m tall; the inscription in the venue says this is the highest stone tower in India, however, there are references that this is second to Fateh Burj in Chappar Chiri at Mohali.

When Qutbu'd-Din Aibak raised the first storey, the rest were added and completed during the reign of Shamsu'd-Din Iltutmish, who was his successor and son-in-law. The tomb of Iltutmish is also in the premises, adorned with marble and intricate designs on stone.

Standing tall comes with a price :P, just as my experience says, and Qutab Minar too incurred some brutal  earthquake damage, one of which affected the 4^th storey. The subsequent rulers Firuz Shah Tughlaq and Sikandar Lodi performed massive revamp to bring back this architectural wonder to this original glory.

There are numerous inscriptions on the tower in Arabic revealing the history of Qutb.

 Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque

For the earliest mosque erected by the Delhi Sultans, this piece of architecture has withstood the ravage of time impressively. This is also Delhi’s first mosque. When a good portion of the mosque clearly exudes ancient Islamic architecture, there are some bits and hints here and there that convey Hindu style of architecture.

So the curious me did a research after getting back home and I was not wrong – quoted from a source “Qutb was a fanatical Muslim. When his garison occupied Delhi under the command of Muhammed Ghari in 1192, he ordered the destruction of twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples to furnish building materials for the construction of Delhi's first mosque. Quwwat-ul-Islam, the "Glory of Islam," was hastily erected by the young amir, who conscripted an army of local craftsmen, presumably Hindus, to assemble the structure. The Hindu stonemasons re-used columns from the destroyed temples, but adapting them to use in a mosque proved problematic given Islam's injunction against the use of images in temples. The masons were forced to plaster over the highly sculpted Hindu columns and presumably cover them with geometric designs. However, after centuries of neglect the plaster has fallen away, revealing the original Hindu carvings.”

Ala'i-Darwaza is the massive southern gateway of the mosque and displays detailed Islamic ornamentation.

The Iron Pillar

Yes, the pillar if you stand in front of it with your back towards the column and can encircle it is said to grant all your wishes. But unfortunately, I couldn’t even try because there is a fence around it now. Hopefully, just the sight of the pillar will grant me my wishes! :P

Alai Minar

You could call this the incomplete dream of Alau'd-Din Khalji, who wished to build a minar twice in size and height of the original one. However, the construction of this minar still remains incomplete, and now stands with a half built first storey of 25 m.

So, if you are in Delhi and haven’t yet visited this marvellous piece of history, please make time and you will not regret!