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 Spearing
its way proudly into the sky, Qutab Minar
with a length of 238 feet, commands a
panoramic view of the green fields extending
into a sprawling city of Delhi. Started in
1192 by the slave king, Qutab-ud-Din Aibak,
the tower was built in three stages.
Qutab-ud-Din completed the first storey
while the other three were built by
Iltutmish in 1230. The Minar was damaged in
1322 and then repaired by Mohammad Bin
Tughlak and again in 1368 by Firoz Shah
Tughlak. All the five storeys of the
tapering Qutab Minar consist of ornamental
bands of Koranic inscriptions. Each storey
is marked by a balcony. The first three
storeys are made of red sandstone, while the
fourth and fifth are of marble of sandstone.
The most outstanding feature of the tower is
the stalactite support to the balconies and
the circular plan with its alternating
semi-circular and angular flutings.
Quwwat-Ul-Islam Masjid
To mark his victory over Rai Pithora,
Qutub-ud-Din Aibak built the Quwwat-ul-Islam
Masjid (Might of Islam) in 1192 which was
completed in 1198. It is the earliest extant
mosque in India, having a rectangular court.
The court is enclosed by cloisters which
were erected with carved columns and other
architectural members from the 27 Hindu and
Jain temples, which were later demolished.
Iron Pillar
The complex also hosts an Iron Pillar in the
courtyard of the mosque. The quality of the
iron used for constructing the pillar is
exceptionally pure and has not rusted even
after 2000 years. An inscription in Sanskrit
clearly indicates that it was initially
erected outside a Vishnu temple, possibly in
Bihar. It was raised in memory of the Gupta
King Chandragupta Vikramaditya, who ruled
from 375 to 413. It is said to have been
brought to Delhi by the Tomar king Anangpal,
somewhere in the 11th century.
Iltumish Tomb
Also located in the complex is the Iltutmish
Tomb, northwest to the Iron Pillar.
Iltutmish died in 1236, but had his tomb
built a year earlier in 1235. This is a
landmark in Indo- Islamic architecture.
Alai Darwaza
Described as one of the most treasured gems
of Islamic architecture, this gate was built
on entirely Islamic principles. lt is the
first building employing whole Islamic
principles of accurate construction and
geometric ornamentation. The Alai Darwaza is
a square, domed building with intricate
carvings in red sandstone and marble.
Alai Minar
Ala-ud-Din wanted to build a second tower of
victory twice as high as Qutab Minar but
when he died the tower had reached only 27
meters and later no one was willing to
continue his over ambitious project. Alai
Minar is the uncompleted tower today which
stands to the north of the Qutab Minar and
the mosque.
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