“The tallest tower in India,“the seventh miracle of Hindustan”, once towered in the center of the city, which was worn in the XII-XIII centuries. the name of Rai Pithora.
(The height of the tower is 72.55 m, the diameter at the base is 14.4 m, the diameter at the top is 2.44 m).
Nobody knows for sure by whom and when the construction of this magnificent monument was started. Its origins are lost in myths and legends. It is believed, however, that the first floor of the tower, also known as the Vijay Stambh (Victory Column), was built by the Rajput prince Prithviraj Chauhan in 1191, ostensibly so that his beloved and extremely devout daughter Suraj Mukhi could climb tower, get inspired by the contemplation of the sacred river Yamuna. In 1199, the first floor was allegedly altered by the Muslim ruler Qutbuddin Aibek, after which it received a new name - Qutb Minar.
The Qutb Minar was built on gradually. The descendants of Qutbuddin Aibek completed the second and third floors in 1210-1236, and the fourth and fifth were added to them during the reign of Emperor Firuzhah Tughlak in 1370. There are many inscriptions on the tower itself, telling about its construction, restoration and various alterations. Once Qutb Minar was crowned with a dome, which collapsed as a result of an earthquake in 1803. A European engineer tried to restore the dome, but efforts were unsuccessful: the dome remained in the garden near the tower. As a result of earthquakes and rains, the tower tilted somewhat, however, according to devout Muslims, sayings from the Koran, carved on the outer surface in Arabic, gave it the strength to resist the elements.
And today, more than eight centuries after its creation, having passed 156 steps (there are 379 of them in the tower), one can go upstairs, however, only to the first balcony. The cruel canons of the Hindu religion, requiring widows to observe the custom of “sati” (self-immolation), as well as their extremely difficult situation in Hindu families, pushed many women to commit suicide, and all floors of the tower were closed to the general public, including the first.
Many scientists and architects are still arguing: should Qutub Minar be classified as a monument of Hindu architecture or Muslim? The evidence for both points of view is very contradictory. The entrance to the tower faces north, while the entrances to all other floors face east.
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The tower stands directly in the ground, and not on a platform, as Muslim monuments were most often built, and the bells carved in stone on the walls of the first floor are also a typical decorative element of Hindu architecture. It is possible that sayings from the Koran were carved on the walls of the tower later.
The creators of Qutb Minar, of course, were not only talented mathematicians - they also possessed a rare artistic taste. That is why, despite the difference in the decoration of the floors, the tower still amazes everyone who comes to admire it.
The Muslim conquerors of India did not carry architects and craftsmen in their carts. Their first buildings in this country were erected by local Hindu architects, therefore they could not but bear the imprint and influence of Hindu architecture. This is how the mosque Kuvvat-ul-Islam (translated from Arabic - "the power of Islam") was built - the first mosque on Indian soil. Where it now stands, once stood the temple of the god Vishnu, built in 1143 by Prithviraja Chauhan.
The famous military leader of the Muslim ruler Muhammad Guri Qutbuddin Aybek, having conquered Delhi in 1191, turned the temple of the god Vishnu into a mosque. History testifies that he threw out all the idols from the temple, leveled the stone carvings of the walls and from the building material obtained as a result of the destruction of 27 Hindu and Jain temples, he built a mosque (the height of its arches up to 16.5 m, and the width of the walls - 7, 7 m). Walls and well-preserved stone columns with images of people and animals confirm the assumptions of scientists about the origin of the mosque. Purely Muslim architecture is characterized only by a strict geometric and floral ornament.
The construction of the oldest mosque in North India, Kuvvat-ul-Islam, began in 1192 and ended in 1198. This is evidenced by the figures carved in stone at the central entrance, which is located on the east side. It also has an inscription invoking the mercy of Allah to the creator of the mosque, Qutbuddin. The main prayer hall once separated from the courtyard with beautiful stone arches. The central arch, 16 m high, towering behind an iron column, still amazes with graceful carvings on marble and sandstone, geometric ornaments and suras from the Koran. Under Shamsuddin Iltutmysh (1229) and Alauddin Khilji (1310), the mosque was significantly expanded.
In the courtyard stands a world-famous iron column, the origin of which is still not entirely clear. Historians claim that the column was cast in 895 BC. and that, according to the ancient Sanskrit inscription on it, even Raja Dhava, who ruled in Delhi at the beginning of the 9th century. BC, ordered his artisans to cast this iron pillar (height - 7.2 m, diameter at the base - 41.7 cm, at the top - 30.5 cm, weight - about 6 tons). The Muslim chroniclers, in turn, argued that the column was brought by conquerors from the Mohammedan countries located north of India.
The third version calls the emperor Chandragupta II Vikramaditya the creator of the column, because the inscription on the column contains the word “Chandra”. Especially religious Hindus even try to prove that the pillar was cast during the Mahabharata, then transferred to the ancient capital of India, Magadha (Bihar), and finally brought to Delhi and installed in a Vishnu temple by the Rajput prince Anangpal, for his name is also carved on the surface columns. This discrepancy is explained by the fact that an accurate and completely reliable translation of the inscription on the column has not yet been obtained. But she undoubtedly testifies to the high skill of ancient Indian metallurgists, who may have mastered the skills of powder metallurgy. Despite temperature fluctuations, high humidity and many centuries that have passed since its creation,the column has not undergone oxidation and does not even bear traces of rust. Chemical analysis of the metal showed that the pure iron in the column is 99.72%.
When in 1739 the Persian emperor Nadir Shah wanted to take the iron pillar to his homeland, he was unable to pull the column out of the ground. Desperate, Nadir Shah ordered shells to be fired at her, which left only minor marks on the surface.
There is a belief that if someone manages to clasp a post with his hands, standing with his back to him, he is guaranteed happiness for life. Therefore, the metal at this level is thoroughly polished by the visitors of the Qutb Minar.
In 1311, Alauddin Khilji attached a magnificent gate called Alai Darwaza, or the Gate of Allah, to the Kuvvat-ul-Islam mosque. The gate arch (height 18.3 m), decorated with fine marble carvings, resembles a curved horseshoe in shape. Alai Darwaza is considered one of the most remarkable examples of Indo-Muslim architectural synthesis.
A little below the level of the gate, made of sandstone and white marble, is a small, square-shaped tomb of Imam Zamin, the main cleric of the Kuvvat-ul-Islam mosque. Imam Zamin came to India from Turkestan during the time of Sikander Lodi and was a highly respected person among Indian Muslims.
On the opposite side of the Kuvvat-ul-Islam mosque, opposite Alai Darwaz, there is a curious structure resembling the base of the Qutb Minar. This is Alai-Minar. Alauddin Khilji, being an extremely vain man, decided to surpass his predecessors and build a tower that would be more than twice the height of Qutb Minar (183 m). The construction of Alai-Minar began in 1311, but the walls were raised only 15 m. With the death of Alauddin in 1315, the work stopped, and the tower remained unfinished. The entrance to it is located on the east side. The presence of a platform under the minaret also fully meets the requirements of Muslim architecture.
The tomb of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmysh is also of interest as an architectural monument. The mausoleum was built in 1235 by the daughter of the Sultan, Razia Begam, who herself ruled in Delhi in 1236-1240. The tomb is considered one of the oldest Muslim tombs in India. The marble carving, strict ornaments and sayings from the Koran are still well preserved. Above a white marble tombstone, a dome of impressive dimensions once towered.
Built in 1317, the mausoleum of Alauddin Khilji rises directly opposite the tomb of Iltutmysh. Once there was a Muslim school (madrasah) and a small mosque next to the mausoleum.
According to legends, quite often a difficult mission fell to the lot of the Qutb Minar tower - to become an instrument of settling scores with life. As a rule, the wives of the sultans did this.
The very name of this famous tower is interpreted in different ways. One group of scholars believes that the name of this tower comes from the name of the first of the Turkic sultans, Qutbuddin Aybak. The second suppose that it got this name because of the name of a saint from Baghdad, who at the time of construction moved to Delhi and enjoyed a special location of Akbar. His name was Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki.
To date, a fence has been built around the tower, and in order to get to the territory to explore this attraction, you need to purchase a ticket.
Entrance to the territory of the Qutub-Minar complex for foreign citizens costs $ 5, you can take pictures and video without restrictions.
In 1993, the Qutub Minar minaret was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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