Qutub Minar in Delhi

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Qutub Minar is one of the most important historical monuments of Delhi. As the name suggests it is a "minar" or a tower which was supposed be the tallest building at that time in India. The construction of Qutub Minar was started by Qutubu-Din Aibak in 1199 AD but was later completed by his son-in-law Illtutmish.

The most striking thing about Qutub Minar is its massive height. Any tourist is amazed by the unusual height of the tower and thinks about the purpose of making such a tall tower. Historians have two opinions regarding this. Firstly, it is believed that according to the Mughul tradition this minar was built to celebrate victory in war. While others say that Qutubu-Din Aibak made the structure to offer prayer to the God from the top most minaret of the building. The later is supported by the fact that there is a mosque just adjacent to the minar.

Qutubu-Din Aibak started the construction of Qutub Minar but could only complete the first storey. The next three storeys were built by his son-in-law Illtutmish. The minar is surrounded by lush green lawns much crowded with visitors in summer evenings and winter afternoons. The mosque adjacent to the minar, Quwwat-ul-Islam masjid is one of the first mosques built by Delhi Sultunat.

Qutub Minar also houses the Tomb of Illtutmish built in AD 1235. The tomb is made of red sandstone and has inscriptions and geometrical carvings on it.

All the storeys of the minar are surrounded by circular balconies. The structure of the minar is such that it rises from wide to narrow from bottom to top. The wide base of the minar provides support to the tower. It takes 378 steps to reach the top of the minaret. The height of the tower is 72.5 mts.

The exterior of the tower is done in red sandstone. The inner walls are made of white marble and adorned with inscriptions and carvings that tell the story of Mughul rulers. The inscriptions on the wall include verses from the holy Quran. These inscriptions are in Arabic and Nagari. The writings on the wall reveal the number of repairs that the monument has undergone.

Frequent earthquakes taking place in Delhi have destroyed portions of minar several times. According to the inscription, the minars were repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlak and Sikandar Lodi. On both the occasions, the damage was due to the earthquake. In 1794, the minar was again struck by quake and was repaired by an engineer Major Smith.

Reaching the top of the Qutub Minar is a very exciting experience. You can get a bird's eye view of Delhi from the top. Some of the famous monuments visible from the top are Humayun's Tomb, Firoz Shah Kotla, Purana Quila and many more.

Qutub Minar is a magnificent Mogul structure. It is a member of the World Heritage Sight. The minar had been affected by weather and natural calamities but with little maintenance it is still an awe-inspiring monument.