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| The origins of Qutab Minar are shrouded in controversy.
Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify
the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served
as a minaret to the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer.
No one can, however, dispute that the tower is not only one
of the finest monuments in India, but also in the world. Qutab-ud-din
Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced
the construction of the Qutab Minar in 1200 AD, but could only
finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmush,
added three more storeys, and in 1368, Firoz
Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last
storey. |
| The development of architectural styles from
Aibak to Tughlak are quite evident in the minar. The relief
work and even the materials used for construction differ. The
238 feet Qutab Minar is 47 feet at the base and tapers to nine
feet at the apex. The tower is ornamented by bands of inscriptions
and by four projecting balconies supported by elaborately decorated
brackets. Even in ruin, the Quwwat
Ui Islam (Light of Islam) Mosque in the Qutab
complex is one of the most magnificent in the world. Its construction
was started by Qutab-ud-din Aibak in 1193 and the mosque was
completed in 1197. |
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| Additions were made to the building by Iltutmush
in 1230 and Alla-ud-din Khilji in 1315. The main mosque comprises
of an inner and outer courtyard, of which the inner is surrouded
by an exquisite collonade, the pillars of which are made of
richly decorated shafts. Most of these shafts are from the 27
Hindu temples which were plundered to construct the mosque.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the Muslim mosque has
typical Hindu ornamentation. Close to the mosque is one of Delhi's
most curious antiques, the Iron Pillar. |
| Dating back to the 4th century AD, the pillar
bears an inscription which stated 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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