Qutub Minar

Qutub Minar

Subject :Art and Culture

Context: The Saket district court on Tuesday dismissed the intervention plea of Kunwar Mahender Dhwaj Pratap Singh who claimed that the Qutub Minar was built on land that belonged to him and hence he should be made party to the main suit filed in the court that demands worship rights in the temples built inside the ASI-protected monument. Dismissing the plea, Additional District Judge Dinesh Kumar said that he will be hearing the main suit, filed on behalf of Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev and Hindu deity Lord Vishnu (through their next of friends) that seeks restoration of 27 Hindu and Jain temples at the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque inside the Qutub Minar, next month

Qutab Minar

• Qutab Minaris a soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu kingdom.
• The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top.
• The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone.
• At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India. An inscription over its eastern gate provocatively informs that it was built with material obtained from demolishing ’27 Hindu temples’.
• A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled.
• 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 rulerof 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 is quite evident in the 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 though in ruins, the Quwwat Ui Islam (Light of Islam) Mosque in the Qutab complex is one of the most magnificent structures in the world. Qutab-ud-din Aibak started its construction in 1193 and the mosque was completed in 1197.
• Iltutmush in 1230 and Alla-ud-din Khiljiin 1315 made additions to the building. The main mosque comprises of an inner and outer courtyard,decorated with shafts and surrounded by piller. 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.