KIRORI MAL COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
SESSION: 2023-24

GENERIC ELECTIVE

HISTORY PROJECT FILE

CASE STUDY
ON
HISTORICAL MONUMENT IN DELHI

“QUTUB MINAR”
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
Mr. Sumit Kumar Rohan
Dept. of History B.Sc. (Phy. Sc. with
Chemistry) 1st Sem.
2336146
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 QUTUB MINAR
Qutub Minar is a towering masterpiece of Mughal architecture located in
Delhi, India. The Qutub Minar, is the highest monument of India and one
of the tallest stone masonry towers in the world. Inside, a helical staircase
with 379 steps communicates to five balconies, where the Mu„adhdhin
(muezzin) called to prayer. The minaret has also a symbolic function,
being a sign to glorify the victory of Islam against idolatry. As a reference
to the importance of the monument, the Qutub Minar has been inscribed in
the world heritage monument list since 1993. Here's a concise overview of
this historical monument:

Purpose: Initially, Qutub Minar was constructed as a victory tower,

signifying the beginning of Muslim rule in India. It also served as a minaret
for the adjacent Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, from where the muezzin (the
person who calls Muslims to prayer) would call the faithful to prayer.

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Coordinates: 28.5245° N latitude, 77.1855° E longitude

Location: Qutub Minar is situated in the Qutub Complex in Mehrauli, a

neighborhood in South Delhi.

Geographical Features: The Qutub Minar complex is surrounded by lush

green gardens and other historical structures, creating a serene and
picturesque environment. The area is relatively flat and is easily accessible
from various parts of Delhi.

Construction: Qutub Minar was built in the 12th century by Qutub-ud-din

Aibak, the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Its construction was started in
1192 and completed by his successor, Iltutmish, in 1220.

Architecture: The minar is made of red sandstone and marble and stands
72.5 meters (237.8 feet) tall, making it one of the tallest minarets in the world.
It tapers from a diameter of 14.3 meters at the base to 2.7 meters at the top.
The structure features intricate carvings and verses from the Quran.

Architectural Significance: Qutub Minar is a fine example of Indo-Islamic

architecture, blending Persian, Islamic, and Indian architectural styles. The
minar has five distinct stories, each adorned with unique motifs and
inscriptions.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Qutub Minar and its complex were
designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. The site includes
several other historical and architectural gems, such as the Iron Pillar of Delhi
and the Alai Darwaza.

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Cultural and Tourist Attraction: Qutub Minar is a major tourist attraction
in Delhi, drawing visitors from around the world. Its historical and
architectural significance, coupled with the surrounding archaeological
complex, makes it a must-visit destination for history enthusiasts and tourists
interested in India's rich cultural heritage. Qutub Minar is a historical
monument located in Delhi, India. It is one of the most famous and iconic
landmarks in the country.

Symbol of Power: Qutub Minar was originally built to celebrate the victory
of Muslim rule over Delhi and the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom in the
area. It stands as a symbol of the political power and dominance of the Delhi
Sultanate.

Educational Value: Qutub Minar serves as an educational resource for

historians, archaeologists, and students, offering insights into medieval Indian
history, art, and culture.

Religious Importance: The Qutub Complex, which houses the minaret, also
contains the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, one of the earliest mosques built in
India. The complex's various structures reflect the transition from Hindu to
Islamic architecture, showcasing the multi-religious and multicultural nature
of India.

Preservation: Over the years, Qutub Minar has undergone restoration and
preservation efforts to ensure its continued existence as an important historical
and cultural site. Overall, Qutub Minar stands as a testament to the rich
history and architectural prowess of ancient India and continues to be a
symbol of Delhi's historical significance.
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My visit to Qutub Minar

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INTRODUCTION

The Qutb Minar (also spelled as Qutub Minar or Kutb Minar) is world‟s
tallest rubble masonry minaret and a world heritage site in Delhi. It is situated
within the Qutub Complex, which has been the centre of the first city of Delhi
since the first Muslim ruler stepped here. Before Muhammad-bin-Sam
(Muhammad Ghori) defeated Prithvi Raj Chauhan, this land was with Tomar
Rajpoots & Chauhans (Arkpal Tomar gave it to his grandson Prithvi).
Chauhan extended the walls of Lal Kot to create Qila Rai Pithora. Ghori left
his governor Qutub-ud-din Aibak to rule India after defeating Prithvi Raj
Chauhan in 1060 A.D. and thus the slave dynasty started in India. There is a
huge minar in the heart of this city, which most people attribute to this first
Islamic ruler of north India – Qutub-ud-Din Aibak.

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THE QUTUB COMPLEX

The Qutub Complex was originally a site with 27 Hindu and Jain Temples.
These temples were destroyed by the Islamic invaders to obtain stone and raw
material for their mosques and other buildings. These temples existed much
before Ghori was even born. As the rulers from slave dynasty planned their
buildings, they were short of raw material. By demolishing the majestic
temples, they served another very important purpose. To ensure stronghold, it
was important that the backbone of religion prevailing in conquered land is
crushed. Destroying temples meant that the new Islamic Invaders had no
respect for the religion being practiced by locals. They were in such hurry of
completing the job, that they were not able to deface the statues properly.
Even today, the remains of temples can be seen within the Qutub Complex.

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ORIGIN OF QUTUB MINAR

According to the popular belief, the Qutub Minar was built by the first Islamic
ruler of North India, Qutubud-din Aibak. However, I have found numerous
proofs that he neither had funds, nor time (in his tiny 4 year regime), to build,
or even commence such a majestic structure. It appears to me that associating
it with Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak was a “historian‟s mistake”. If you read
historians & travellers, who came to India during the Sultanate period, you
will find that they honour this Minar as „Sultan Altamash‟s Minar‟. Hasan
Nizami dedicated his work Taj-ul-Maasir (the crown of exploits) to sultan
Aibak but also mentioned major events from the period of his predecessor and
successor. There is no reference to any such Minar in this important piece of
work, which talks about period after 7 years of death of Aibak. If Qutubuddin
Aibak even dreamed about (if not commissioned) this minar, then we must
have found atleast some mention in this book. But Hasan Nizami do talk
about the Jami Masjid of Delhi built by Aibak in following manner:

Kutb-ud-Din built the Jami Masjid at Delhi, and adorned it with the stones
and gold obtained from the temples which had been demolished by elephants,
and covered it with inscriptions in Yoghra, containing the divine commands.”

Following are the other prominent travel historians of related period

• Ibn Asir (with his work Kamil-ut-Tawarikh aka Tarikh-i-Kamil)

• Ata Malik Juwaini aka Alau-ud-din Juwaini (with his work Tarikh-i-
Jahan-Kusha)

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• Maulana Nuruddin Muhammed ‘Ufi, who lived in Delhi during
Altamash‟s period (with his work Jami-ul-Hikayat wa Liwami-ul-Riwayat)

• Minhaj-i-Siraj (with his work Tabkat-i-Nasiri)

The above authors make no mention of Minar. If it was one of the biggest
construction of era, these people, who were living in Delhi and writing
particularly on Qutb-ud-Din Aibak must have mentioned about it.

Fatuhat-i-Feroz Shahi, written by Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq himself has a

mention of Qutb Minar. It says:

“The minara of Sultan Muizz-ud-din Sam had been struck by lightning. I

repaired it and raised it higher than it was before”

It should be noted that Feroz Shah Tughlaq also repaired other monuments
and mention correct names like Hauz-i-Shamsi, Hauz-i-Alai, Madrasa of
Altamash, Rukn-ud-din‟s Tomb, Sultan Jalal-ud-Din‟s Tomb and so on.
Tarikh-i-Firozshahi written by Shams-i-Siraj Afif however refer to this Minar
as “the large pillar at old Delhi” raised by Sultan Shams-ud-Din Altamash.
Ibn Batuta was not sure who built this minar so all he wrote about the builder
was “Is it the minar of Feroz Shah”. Babur in his memoirs mention about this
minar as the Minar of Sultan Alauddin Khilji. This shows that even till late
16th century, this minar was not attributed to Qutb-ud-Din Aibak. Itwas
known by the names of Altamash, Khilji or Tughlaq, who we know built and
repaired portions of minar.

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TRANSLATION ON THE ENTRANCE GATE OF QUTB
MINAR
The prophet on whom be the mercy and peace of God, has declared “whoever
erects a temple to the true God (on earth,) shall receive six such „dwellings in
Paradise‟. The Minar, the building of the king of kings, Shems-ud-Dunya-wa-
ud-Din, now in peace and pardon, be his tomb protected, and his place be
assigned in heaven was injured by lightning in the reign of the exalted
monarch Secander the son of Behlol : (may his power and empire last for ever
and his reign be glorious); and therefore the slave Fatteh-Khan, the son of
Mesned-Ali the liberal of the liberal, and the meritorious servant of the king,
repaired it according to command. The 13th of Rebi-ul-Akher in the year 909.

FROM DOOR ON FIRST BALCONY

The Sultan Shams-ul-Hak-wa-ud-Din Altamash ---erected this building

FROM FOURTH STORY

“The erection of this building was commanded in the glorious time of the
great Sultan, the mighty king of kings, the master of mankind, the lord of the
monarchs of Turkistan, Arabia and Persia; the Sun of the World and Religion,
of the Faith and the Faithful, the lord of safety and protection, the heir of the
kingdom of Sulman Abul Muzeffer Altamash, Nasir-Amin-ul-Momenin”

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MINARETS OF JAM, GHAZNI AND KONYE

Reputed historian Sir Syed Ahmed in his work Athar-us-Sanadid said that this
Minar was actually built by Prothvi Raj Chauhan so that his daughter can
have a view of Jamuna river. But if it is true, then its design and architecture
must be unique and not match with the other Minars of Islamic countries.

Minaret of Ghazni: Built by Muizuddin Bahram in 10th century in the city

of Ghazni. It is little different from the Qutb Minar but has many similarities,
like built by same generation of rulers and it is also the minaret of a mosque.

Minaret of Gutluk Temir in Konye-Urgench: This is the third tallest rubble

masonry minaret in world built in Old Urgench city of Turkmenistan in 11th
century.

Minaret of Jam: This Minaret, very much similar to the architecture of

Qutub Minar is situated in Shahrak District of Ghor Province of Afghanistan.
It is right next to the Hari River. This 65 metre high minaret was completed in
12th century. This place (called Firuzkoh) was the summer capital of Ghorid
Dynasty (from where Qutbuddin Aibak came). This is the second tallest

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rubble masonry minaret of world and was probably attached to a mosque, just
like Qutb Minar.

Many people claim that since there were 27 temples and Qutub Minar has 27
edges on base, this could be a Hindu observatory to study the Constellation
movement as Hindus believe in 27 Nakshatras. Well, before paying attention
to any such rumour, I would request readers to ponder upon following points:

1. There were 27 temples. They were a mix of Jain and Hindu Temples. This
makes it impossible to form a pattern for observatory

2. These temples were built in different eras, some even decades apart. There
is no proper documentation for each.

3. Temples were not in a single complex. They were spread across the length
and breadth of this first city. Some were even outside the walls of Lal Kot and
Rai Pithora. We still have Jain Dada Badi and few other remains

4. A portion of Temple is still intact in the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. One

should see its placement and design, before reaching the final conclusion.

5. The base has 27 conical edges and 27 circular ones. This makes it 54 at
base.

CONTROVERSY

On 14 November 2000, Delhi newspapers reported that the Hindu

nationalist groups, Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, planned to
host a yajna, a ritualistic Hindu ceremony related to cleansing or
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purification, at the Qutub Minar complex where the minaret is located. The
Delhi police detained 80 activists led by Ram Krishan Gaur that were
located by the Qutb Minar and were stopped from performing
the yajna inside the tower. Due to a police barricade, the activists instead
performed the ritual on the streets outside the mosque complex. Since
the spolia of Jain and Hindu temples were used to construct the minaret,
the right-wing Hindu groups believed that they needed to perform a
cleansing at the complex in order to free the Hindu icons that were
"trapped" in the minaret and the mosque complex.

On 18 May 2022, a former Regional Director of Archaeological Survey of

India, Dharamveer Sharma, has claimed that Qutb Minar was built by
Raja Vikramaditya in the fifth century to observe the changing position of
the sun. On 21 May 2022, The Secretary at the Ministry of Culture,
Govind Mohan, took the decision to conduct excavation and iconography
of idols found at Qutub Minar. The Ministry has now asked the ASI to
submit an excavation report. Excavation can be started in the south of the
minaret at a distance of 15 meters from the mosque.

CONCLUSION

In summary, Qutub Minar is important due to its architectural brilliance,

historical relevance, cultural significance, religious importance, and its role as
a major tourist attraction, making it a symbol of India's rich heritage and
diversity. Qutub Minar is an iconic historical monument that represents India's
architectural and cultural heritage, its historical significance, and the
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coexistence of diverse religious and cultural influences in the region. It
continues to be a source of pride and an educational resource for people
worldwide. Qutub Minar has a long and mysterious history. People like me
will never be able to unfold it completely. However, I have tried my best to
put forward the facts that I learned.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 "WHC list". who.unesco.org. 2009. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27
October 2011.
 Balasubramaniam, R. World Heritage Complex of Qutub. Aryan Books International, 2007.

 Blair, Sheila S.; Bloom, Jonathan M. (1996). The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800. Yale
University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-06465-0.
 Godse, Gopal Vinayak. Qutub Minar is Vishnu dhwaja: The lotus based Vishnudhwaja on the
base of vastushastra : a scientific survey. Delhi: Surya Bharti Prakashan, 1997.
 Lahiri, Nayanjot. Archaeology and the Public Purpose. Oxford University Press, 2021.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190130480.001.0001.
 Sangondimath, Gururaj. "Qutub Minar of New Delhi, India, at Twilight." Spine 36, no. 22
(October 2011): i. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/brs.0b013e318239664f.

 Sharma, Milan (18 May 2022). "Qutb Minar was built by Raja Vikramaditya to observe the sun: Ex-ASI officer's
big claim". India Today. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
 Shepetyak, Oleh Myhailovych. "Religious tolerance as a condition for the prosperity of a multi-
religious state: a historical example of India of the Great Mogul era." Religious Freedom 1,
no. 19 (August 30, 2016): 54–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.32420/rs.2016.19.1.923.

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