Qutb Minar

Coordinates: 28°31′28″N 77°11′07″E / 28.524355°N 77.185248°E / 28.524355; 77.185248Qutub Minar

Qutub Minar
कुतुब मिनार

Qutub Minar in Delhi, India
Type Cultural
Criteria 7
Designated 1993 (17th session)
Reference no. 233
Country  India
Continent Asia

Qutub Minar,[1][2] at 75.1 meters, is the tallest brick minaret in the world, and the second tallest minar in India after Fateh Burj at Mohali. Qutub Minar, along with the ancient and medieval monuments surrounding it, form the Qutb Complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2][3][3] The tower is located in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, India. Made of red sandstone and marble, Qutub Minar is a 72.5-meter (237.8 feet) tall tapering tower with a diameter measuring 14.32 meters (47 feet) at the base and 2.75 meters (9 feet) at the peak.[4] Inside the tower, a circular staircase with 379 steps leads to the top.[5] Qutub Minar station is the closest station on the Delhi Metro.

In 1200 AD, Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate started construction of the Qutub Minar. In 1220, Aibak's successor and son-in-law Iltutmish added three storeys to the tower. In 1369, lightning struck the top storey, destroying it completely. So, Firoz Shah Tughlaq carried out restoration work replacing the damaged storey with two new storeys every year, made of red sandstone and white marble.[6][7]

Qutb Minar is surrounded by several historically significant monuments, which are historically connected with the tower and are part of the Qutub Complex. These include the Iron Pillar of Delhi, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, Alai Darwaza, the Tomb of Iltutmish, Alai Minar, Ala-ud-din's Madrasa and Tomb, and the Tomb of Imam Zamin. Other minor monuments include Major Smith's Cupola and Sanderson's Sundial.[2][3]

History

Kuttull Minor, Delhi. The Qutb Minar, an aquatint by Thomas Daniell, 1805
The top storey was reconstructed in marble by Firoz Shah Tughlaq

The construction of Qutub Minar was commissioned by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate in 1199 AD. The minar was built on the ruins of the Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika.[8] It and the complex around it used the ruins of 27 Hindu and Jain temples purposefully destroyed in the Islamic incursions. Aibak's successor Iltutmish added three more storeys to complete the tower.

It has not been established with certainty whether Qutub Minar has been named after Qutbu l-Din Aibak, the emperor who commissioned its construction or Qutbuddin Bakhtiar kaki, the famous Sufi saint.[4]

The culture of tower architecture was established in India before the arrival of the Turks. However, there is no evidence on record to confirm that the Qutb Minar was inspired or influenced by earlier Rajput towers.[9] Numerous inscriptions in Parso-Arabic and Nagari characters in different sections of the Qutb Minar reveal the history of its construction. According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351–89) and Sikandar Lodi[10] (1489–1517).

The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, located to the north of Qutb Minar, was built by Qutbu l-Din Aibak in 1192. It is one of the earliest surviving mosque in the Indian subcontinent.[11][12] Later, an arched screen was erected and the mosque was enlarged by Iltutmish (1210–35) and Ala-ud-din Khilji.

The topmost storey was damaged by lightning in 1368 A.D. and was rebuilt by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Firoz Shah Tughlaq built two floors one of which can be distinguished easily as it was built of white marble. In 1505, an earthquake damaged Qutb Minar and the damage was repaired by Sikander Lodi. On 1 August 1903, a major earthquake again caused serious damage to Qutb Minar. Major Robert Smith of the British Indian Army renovated the tower in 1928 and installed a cupola to the top of Qutb Minar. The cupola was later taken down under instructions from Lord Haringe, then Governor General of Pakistan and was installed to the east of Qutab Minar, where it rests now.[13]

Architecture

The Minar was made of Dark red sandstone covered with Iron intricate carvings and verses from the Qur'an. The Minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth and sixth storeys are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat ul Islam Mosque. The minar tilts just over 65 cm from the vertical, which is considered to be within safe limits, although experts have stated that monitoring is needed in case rainwater seepage further weakens the foundation.[7]

The nearby 7 meters high Iron Pillar from Gupta empire is a metallurgical curiosity. The pillar standing in the Qutb complex has Brahmic inscriptions on it and predates the Islamic minar.[3]

Accident

Before 1974, the general public was allowed access to the top of the minar accessed through a narrow staircase. On 4 December 1981, 45 people were killed in the stampede that followed an electricity failure that plunged the tower's staircase into darkness. Most of the victims were children because, at the time school children were allowed free access to historical monuments on Fridays. Subsequently, public access to the inside of the tower has been banned.

In popular culture

Bollywood actor and director Dev Anand wanted to shoot the song Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukar from his movie Tere Ghar Ke Samne inside the minar. However, the cameras in that era were too big to fit inside the tower's narrow passage, and the song was shot inside a replica of the tower instead.[14] The site served as the pitstop of the second leg of the second movier of The Amazing race Australia, the Australian version of the Emmy-winning series The Amazing race .This is the first Indian monument to have an E-ticket facility.

A picture of the minaret is featured on the Travel Cards issued by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. A recently launched start-up in collaboration with Archaeological survey of India has made a 360 degree walkthrough of Qutub minar[15] available.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ "World Heritage Sites - Qutub Minar". Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "WHC list". whc.unesco.org. 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Singh (2010). Longman History & Civics ICSE 7. Pearson Education India. p. 42. ISBN 978-81-317-2887-1. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Qutub Minar Height". qutubminardelhi.com. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Facts About Qutb Minar". Lifestyle Lounge: Travel. iloveindia.com. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Qutub Minar". qutubminardelhi.com. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 Verma, Richi (24 January 2009). "Qutb Minar tilting due to seepage: Experts". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  8. ↑ Ali Javid, ʻAlī Jāvīd, Tabassum Javeed (2008). World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India. Google Books. pp. 14, 105, 107, 130. ISBN 9780875864822. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  9. ↑ Chandra,Satish. Medieval India; From Sultanate to the Mughals Part One. p. 233
  10. ↑ File:Plaque at Qutub Minar.jpg
  11. ↑ "Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque". qutubminardelhi.com. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  12. ↑ Ali Javid, ʻAlī Jāvīd, Tabassum Javeed (July 1, 2008). World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India. Google Books. pp. 14, 105, 107, 130. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  13. ↑ "Major Smith’s Cupola". qutubminardelhi.com. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  14. ↑ Mehul S Thakkar, Mumbai Mirror 22 Nov 2011, 10.13AM IST (22 November 2011). "30 years later, Qutub ready to face the camera — Times of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "Qutub Minar in MEHRAULI, Delhi - 360-degree view on WoNoBo.com". Places.wonobo.com. Retrieved 2014-05-17.

Further reading

External links

Media related to Qutb Minar at Wikimedia Commons

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