Kutub-Minar

Qutbuddin Aibek laid foundation of the now world- famous Qutub-Minar, a tower of victory but also as a minar attached to the Quwwatul-Islam mosque for the use of the mu'azzin to call the people to prayer.

Later Nagari inscription on the minar calls it "Alauddin's 1296-1316)victory-column(bijoy stambha).

With a height of 72.5 meter and 379 steps, it is the highest stone tower in India.

There exists a tradition that the Qutub-Minar was built by Prithviraja,the last Chauhan king of Delhi, for enabling his daughter to behold the sacred river Jamuna from its top as part of her daily worship.Its entire architecture,however,bespeaks an Islamic origin,with two of its proto-types in brick still existing at Ghazni,although Hindu craftsmen were certainly employed for its construction (like Taj Mahal),as is evident also from certain Dev nagari inscriptions on its surface.Originally the Minar had only four storeys,faced with red and buff sandstone.The uppermost storey which was damaged in 1368 during Firuz Tughluq's(1351-1388) reign,was replaced by him by two storeys,making free use of marble but leaving the lower portion of the fourth storey built with sandstone in its original condition.Qutubuddin had perhaps only succeeded in raising the first storey,the remaining storeys being eventually completed by his successor Iltutmish(1211-1236).Sikandar Lodi(1489-1517) also carried out some restoration in the upper storeys in 1503.

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Source:

Delhi-And its neighbourhood by Y.DSharma[(M.A.,DD.Phil.(oxon.)]

Published by the DG Archaeological survey of India, New Delhi

2001.

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