Location: Mehrauli, New Delhi
Entry Fee: Rs.10 (Indians), Rs.250(foreigners)
Qutab Minar is 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.
Posts
