Finally last Sunday I got a chance to visit the Minar ...
I used to see it while going from Delhi to Gurgaon ...from buses, Ladu sarai bus stand ....
and then I was there....
We reached around 11 am and it was awfully hot ...took tickets and went inside ....
I personally liked the place more than Taj.
Its Architecture is awesome........
Am posting some of the snaps of my visit here....and some copied information on it from Net ...
Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world, and an important example of Indo-Islamic Architecture. The tower is in the Qutb complex at Mehrauli in South Delhi, India.
The Qutub Minar and its monuments are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Qutub Minar is 72 meters high (237.8 ft) with 379 steps leading to the top. The diameter of the base is 14.3 meters wide while the top floor measures 2.75 meters in diameter. Surrounding the building are many fine examples of Indian artwork from the time it was built in 1193. A second tower was in construction and planned to be taller than the Qutub Minar itself. Its construction ended abruptly when it was about 12 meters tall.The name of this tower is given as Alau Minar and construction of the same ended due to the death of the Sultan ,Alauddin Khilji.Only the core made of RAndom Rubble masonry and Mortar remain of this unfinished Tower which was to have been twice the height of the Qutb Minar of Qutb ud din Aibak.
According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the place where Qutub Minar stands today was once occupied by about 27 Jain and Hindu temples. These were demolished and the stones reused to build the present complex.The temples columns were used to build the Mosque Quwwat ul Islam (translated as the Might of Islam) by Qutb ud din.
Inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan and wishing to surpass it, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced construction of the Qutub Minar in 1193, but could only complete its base. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more storeys and, in 1368, Firuz Shah Tughluq constructed the fifth and the last storey. The development of architectural styles from Aibak to Tuglak are quite evident in the minaret. Like earlier towers erected by the Ghaznavids and Ghurids in Afghanistan, the Qutub Minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels. The minaret is made of fluted red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Qur'an. The Qutub Minar is itself built on the ruins of Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika, the capital of the Tomars and the Chauhans, the last Hindu rulers of Delhi.
The purpose for building this monument has been variously speculated upon. It could take the usual role of a minaret, calling people for prayer in the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, the earliest extant mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. Other possibilities are a tower of victory, a monument signifying the might of Islam, or a watch tower for defense. Controversy also surrounds the origins for the name of the tower. Many historians believe that the Qutub Minar was named after the first Turkish sultan, Qutb-ud-din Aibak but others contend that it was named in honour of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, a saint from Baghdad who came to live in India and was greatly venerated by Iltutmish.
According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firuz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351–88) and Sikandar Lodi (AD 1489–1517). Major R.Smith also repaired and restored the minaret in 1829.
The nearby Iron Pillar is one of the world's foremost metallurgical curiosities, standing in the famous Qutub Complex. According to the traditional belief, any one who can encircle the entire column with their arms, with their back towards the pillar, can have their wish granted. Because of the corrosive qualities of sweat, people are no longer allowed to perform this act.
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Hi Ashjeet/ Jyotsna
I had been to Mandu twice last August...this is a report on those trips...
Am looking forward to another trip this year...
regards
Dev
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Hi DK V,
Yes I have been to Mandu n number of times...its one of my favourites....specially at this time of the year .....clouds ..rains ....last time i went was on 15 th Aug, over crowded....but cool...as always ...
This reminds me ..will post some snaps from there ....if u have some plz post them ...Mandu takes us to a diff era altogether ...
you remind me of indore ....
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Thanks Yashasvi........
for noticing the pics in so much detail..... yeah the desings ....and the pattern it creates...the combi of bricks....is wow...
Cheers
Jyotsna
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very beautiful pics there
especially the one where you capture the exact words written about teh Madarsa by Khilji
and the way you captured the designs on the inner walls....
The information collected by you is also awesome
a great blog with superb pics and information
keep it up dear
yashasvi
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Sara
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Meera jee...........
Delighted ..u liked the pics and write ....Have increased the font size for You!!
Will keep in mind next time too...
the place takes you to another world....architecture is just wow.....i was mesmerized..............
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Soumya jee,
Am happy that u liked the pics ..thanks for the visit ...
yeah i heard ppl were allowed previously ...unfortunately its not alllowed now...
You might have njoyed it ...
Most of the places its like that only ...in Chaar Minar in hyderabd too ..same story ...
I heard even the sweat of ppl was destroying it ..so stoped...
Jyotsna
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Thanks a million Yash jee for the visit....am glad you liked the pics....
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Dear Keshav Jee,
Am delighted you liked the snaps ...
Very true indeed...its really sad that most of the great historical monuments are in a bad state of decay ...
Thanks for the info on Might of Islam!!
Jyotsna
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