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 Qutub
Minar 13
km to the south of Connaught Circus at Lalkote
of 8th century Tomor Rajputs, the 72.5 m high
Victory Pillar stands as a victory stand of
a Muslim King Kutub-ud-din-Aibak in India. At
Kila Roy Pithora, on the dilapidated fort of
the last Hindu king Prithwiraj, this victory
stand was made like throne in Gajni. In 1199
Kutub-ud-Din started its construction and it
was completed in 1236 by Iltutmish, the son-in-law
of Kutub. However, there is a 2nd opinion. Some
say, the construction came to an end around
1357-68 during the reign of Feroz Sah Tughlak.
However, the Kutub which was built in Afghan
style underwent repairing and remaking for more
than occasions. Revolving steps of flights are
367 in number in slightly leaned Kutub. It has
some spl features- at its root the radius is
being 14.40 m which gradually reduced at its
top to 2.44 m. In Kupee language it has been
inscribed on Kutub that- The Tower was erected
to cast the shadow of God over both East and
West. Aayaat from Quran is also inscribed. At
the foot of the Minar a Mosque was built in
1197.
Construction
of Qutub Minar
Qutab-ud-din
Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced
the construction of the Qutub Minar in A.D. 1193,
but could only complete its basement. His successor,
Iltutmush, added three more stories, and in 1368,
Firoz Shah Tuglak constructed the fifth and the
last storey. The development of architectural
styles from Aibak to Tuglak are quate evident
in the minar. The relief work and even the materials
used for  construction
differ. The 238 feet high Qutub Minar is 47 feet
at the base and tapers to 9 feet at the apex.
The tower is ornamented by bands of inscriptions
and by four projecting balconies supported by
elaborately decorated brackets. Even in its ruin,
the QUWWAT-UL-ISLAM(Light of Islam) MOSQUE in
the Qutub complex is one of the most magnificent
in the world.
The main mosque comprises an inner and outer courtyard,
of which the inner one is surrounded by an exquisite
collonade, the pillars of which the inner one
is surrounded by an exquisite collonade, the pillars
of which are made of richly decorated shafts.
Most of these shafts are from the 27 Hidus temples
which were plundered to construct the mosque.
Close to the mosque is one of Delhi's most curious
structures the Iron Pillar. Dating back to 4th
century A.D., the pillar bears an inscription
which states that it was erected as a flagstaff
in honour of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and in the
memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta II(375-413).
How the pillar moved to its present location remains
a mystery. The pillar also highlights ancient
India's achievements in metallurgy. The pillar
is made of 98 per cent wrought iron and has stood
1,600 years without rusting or decomposing.
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