QUTUB MINAR

Location : 15-km South Of New Delhi
Houses : Quwwatu'l-Islam Mosque, The Iron Pillar, Alai Minar & Alai Darwaza
Architecture : Afghan Architecture
Built By : Qutub-Ud-Din-Aibak

Spearing its way proudly into the sky, Qutub Minar with a height of 72.5 mts commands a panoramic view of the green fields extending into a sprawling city. The Qutub Minar was built as a victory memorial by the Muslims who captured Delhi. Minar is the root of the English word "minaret" meaning "Little Minar" or pillar.

Construction Of A Sandstone Tower
Qutb-u'd-Din Aibak laid the foundation of Qutub Minar in A.D. 1199 for the use of Mu'azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Shamsu'd-Din IItutmish. All the storeys are surrounded by a projected balcony encircling the Minar and supported by stone brackets, which are decorated with honeycomb design, more conspicuously in the first storey.

Numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari characters in different places of the Minar reveal the history of Qutub. According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Sikandar. Major R. Smith also repaired and restored the Qutub Minar in 1829.

Attraction The Qutub Minar

The Tomb of Iltutmish The Tomb of IItutmish was built in AD 1235. It is a plain square chamber of red sandstone, profusely carved with inscriptions, geometrical and arabesque patterns in Saracenic tradition on the entrances and the whole of interior. Some of the motifs viz., the wheel, tassel, etc., are reminiscent of Hindu designs.

Alai Minar The ambitious rubble Alai Minar was started by Alauddin Khalji but the sultan lived to see it only to the height of 24.5m and no body was ready to complete his over-ambitious project. It was built to match the enlarged Quwwatu'l-Islam Masjid. Today it is used more like an illustration, by parents, that when you get over ambitious, the plans remain unfinished.

Alai Darwaza The southern gateway of the Quwwatu'l-Islam mosque, as extended by Ala-ud-Din Khalji, is known as the Ala-i-Darwaza and among its several inscriptions executed to form an ornamental surface, three mention the date of its erection as 710 A.H. (1311).

Ala-Ud-Din's Tomb And College To the southwest of the Quwwatu'l-Islam mosque lie some rooms and halls in ruins making an L-shaped block. They are believed to represent Ala-ud-Din's tomb and college or Madrasa, which was started by him to impart instructions in Islamic theology and scriptures.

Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, to the northeast of Minar was built by Qutbu'd-Din Aibak in A.D. 1198. It is the earliest extant -mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. It consists of a rectangular courtyard enclosed by cloisters, erected with the carved columns and architectural members of 27 Hindu and Jain temples, which were demolished by Qutbu'd-Din Aibak as recorded in his inscription on the main eastern entrance. Later, a lofty arched screen was erected and the mosque was enlarged, by Shamsu'd- Din IItutmish and Alau'd-Din Khalji.

The Iron Pillar The Iron Pillar in the courtyard bears an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi script of 4th century AD, according to which the pillar was set up as a Vishnudhvaja (standard of Lord Vishnu) on the hill known as Vishnupada in memory of a mighty king named Chandra. A deep socket on the top of the ornate capital indicates that probably an image of Garuda was fixed into it.

Attraction Around Qutub Minar

Jogmaya Temple Within the original Lal-Kot and approached from the Qutub-Mehrauli road is the Jogmaya temple, built over a century ago during the reign of Akbar II (1806-37), at the site reputed to be that of an ancient temple of the Yoginis, meaning female semi-divine beings, from which Delhi derived the alternate name of Yoginipura.

Tomb of Muhammad Quli Khan About 150m southeast of the Qutub Minar is the octagonal tomb of Muhammad Quli Khan, brother of Adham Khan, a general and foster brother of Akbar

Tomb Of Immam Zamin The gateway through which the visitor enters the Qutub area is, infact, the entrance to a Sarai of the late Mughal period. To the south-east of the 'Alai-i-Darwaza and approached through its eastern gateway is the small attractive tomb of Imam Muhammad Ali, better known as Immam Zamin, who was a native of Turkestan and came to India during the reign of Sikandar Lodi