Qutb

Minar
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Qutb
Complex
a walk around the
5. IRON PILLAR
Standing at the centre of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the Iron
Pillar, an intriguing piece, a marvel of architecture and traditional
knowledge, with its austerity and natural brilliance has never ceased
to amaze archeologists, metallurgists, academicians, and of course
tourists, for the way it has resisted corrosion through the last 1,600
years. The pillar may originally have been located elsewhere, as the
inscription on it says that it was placed on a hill called Vishnupada.
It may have been shifted to this location during Tomar times.
The pillar is considered to be a tribute to Lord Vishnu, the
patron deity of the Gupta kings; it is believed that the wonderfully
crafted capital was once crowned by a gure of Garuda (Vishnus
carrier). The pillar is said to have resisted corrosion because of its
pure composition of iron, a high presence of phosphorous, and the
method of casting.
8. ALAI MINAR
This incomplete minaret that lies within the northern boundaries of
the Qutb Complex was started by Alauddin Khalji to commemorate
his victory in the Deccan campaigns. The tower was intended to be
twice the height of the Qutb Minar and was placed right opposite it.
The incomplete minaret stands in undulating rubble masonry with
just a single storey that ceased to be constructed further after the
sultans death in AD 1316.
6. ALAUDDIN KHALJIS TOMB AND MADRASA
To honour his greatness, the sultans loyal nobles gathered after his
death and constructed a tomb and madrasa in his name in AD 1316.
A learning centre in conjunction with a tomb appears here for the
rst time, perhaps inspired by West-Asian traditions. The tomb is
anked on either side by chambers, seemingly smaller in scale,
where perhaps rest the graves of Alauddins family.
7. ILTUTMISHS TOMB
This self-built tomb of the second ruler of the Slave Dynasty,
Shamsuddin Iltutmish, built in AD 1235 sits along the north-west
corner of the Qutb Complex, next to Iltutmishs own extensions of
the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. Interestingly, one of the rst tombs
to be built in the city, it fulls Iltutmishs desire to be placed where
he ruled and secondly
to be close to the dargah
(shrine) in Mehrauli. The
tomb is a 9 m square in
plan. Its sheer austerity on
the exterior, is a striking
contrast to the heavily
decorated interior.
The structure
demonstrates the presence
of a dome originally
which collapsed twice
perhaps because of the
comparatively thinner
walls (2.2 m) that might
not have been able to
support the outward thrust
generated by a dome. The
intricately carved double-arched mihrab (prayer niche in wall), in
white marble, includes different scripts and a rich amalgamation of
Hindu art into Islamic architecture.
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1 Alai Darwaza
Tomb of
Imam Zamin
Alai Minar
Iron Pillar
Qutb Minar
Quwwat-ul
Islam Mosque
Alauddin Khaljis Tomb
Qutb Minar
and Madrasa
Iltutmishs Tomb
Entry
4. QUWWAT-UL-ISLAM MOSQUE
Jami Masjid, later called the Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam)
Mosque, was the rst mosque built in Delhi after Islamic conquest
at the end of the twelfth century. Founded by Qutbuddin Aibak, the
mosque acquired its rst set of boundaries over the remnants of
twenty-seven Hindu-Jain temples that were demolished deliberately
as an act of war to establish the power of Ghurid Turk rule in Delhi.
The mosque was extended after Aibaks death by Iltutmish in the
year 1230. Extension of the western screen wall from either side
resulted in a space almost double the size of the original mosque.
These extensions reveal an apparent maturity in both design and
detailing, being stylistically
more geometric than the ones
erected during Aibaks rule.
Further additions by Alauddin
Khalji (AD12961316) in the
later part of his reign led to a
substantial expansion of the
mosque and other distinct
structures within the entire
complex. The colonnades
possibly served as temporary
shelters and the double storey
enclosures along the corners
seem to have exclusively
served the royalty or perhaps
more particularly the women
for both independent and
community prayers.
A
UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Qutb Minar Complex
is dominated by the early thirteenth century stone tower,
towering above the horizon. It was once part of the rst urban
complex in Delhi, Lal Kot, built by the Tomar Rajput rulers.
Following the victory of Mahmud of Ghazni over Prithviraj
Chauhan, the Turk rulers of Delhi constructed the major
structures that still exist here today. As you enter the complex,
you cross the almost totally collapsed outermost wall of the
Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, constructed by Alauddin Khalji.
The Alai Darwaza on the left formed part of Alauddins wall
and was designed as the entrance to the mosque.The Qutb
Minar was started by Qutbuddin Aibak, who only saw the
construction of the rst storey during his lifetime.What you
see of the Qutb today is the result of additions made by his
successor Iltutmish and later by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Sikandar
Lodi too made repairs to the structure in the sixteenth century.
The British attempted to replace a fallen cupola, but this
was so inconsistent with the rest of the minaret that it was
removed and now forms part of the complex.The wondrous
Iron Pillar, the unnished Alai Minar, and the tomb of
Iltutmish are some of the other structures in the complex.
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1. TOMB OF IMAM ZAMIN
East of the Alai Darwaza stands the tomb of Imam Zamin. A native of
Turkestan, Zamin came to India during the reign of Sikandar Lodi
(AD 14881517) and probably discharged important duties in
connection with the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. This striking tomb
is typical of the Lodi period with sandstone piers lled in with lattice
screens. The square chamber is surmounted by a dome of sandstone
covered with plaster, rising from an octagonal drum.
2. ALAI DARWAZA
The Alai Darwaza was conceived to be the main gateway to the
ambitious extension of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque undertaken
by Alauddin Khalji in the early fourteenth century. Its four gateways,
forming a square, are covered by a wide bulging dome with a central
knob, resting on horse-shoe shaped arches.
Finished in red sandstone and marble, the entire gateway
except the dome is richly carved with geometrical patterns and
inscriptions in naskh characters; the arches
are decorated with a lotus bud fringe
on the undersidefeatures
that seem to be an inuence
of West-Asian traditions.
Its elegant proportions
and excellent decorations
make Alai Darwaza one
of the nest examples of
the early Sultanate style of
architecture in India.
3. QUTB MINAR
One of the great iconic buildings of the thirteenth century, the Qutb Minar is a
maznah (a tower adjoining a mosque, from where the muezzin calls the faithful to
prayer) but is too tall to have served such a purpose. In fact it is simply a victory
tower proclaiming the triumph of Mohammed Ghori over Prithviraj Chauhan
in AD 1192. Begun by his then viceroy, Qutbuddin Aibaklater the rst Slave
sultan ( AD 11921210)who lived only to see the completion of the base
and the rst storey, it appears to have been named after Bakhtiyar Kaki, a local
saint popularly known as Qutb Sahib. Tallest of all, the rst storey depicts a rich
amalgamation of Indian and Islamic aesthetics with intricate oral patterns,
undulating outlines, and even bells at some places blending beautifully with
verses of the Quran. Following Aibaks death, his successor, Iltutmish ( AD
121035), took over the construction work and erected three more storeys
over the rst oor of this minaret. Subsequently, the fourth oor was replaced
by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in AD 1368 with two storeys, faced in white marble and
sandstone, lending a distinctive look and demonstrating a tale of architectural
development from the age of the Slave sultans to the Tughlaq era.
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