Important India

Discover India with Important India

  • Home
  • About
  • History
  • Important India
  • Categories
  • TOU
  • Contact Us

History of Qutub Minar

On March 15, 2014 By Ananya Mishra Category: History of India

The Qutub Minar (also Qutb, Qutab) is an outstanding monument of the Muslim rule in India. Ibn Battuta, a famous Moorish travelerand commentator of the Middle Ages, spoke of the Minar as “one of the wonders of the world – which has no parallel in the lands of Islam”.

The only Muslim building known to be taller than the Minar is the Minaret of the mosque of Hassan at Cairo. The Qutub Minar, however, has a far nobler appearance and is distinctly superior to its Egyptian rival in design and finished.

The Qutub Minar, which stands a little outside the south-east corner of the original mosque – Quwwat-ul-Islam - served a double purpose, namely, as a tower of victory and as a minaret of the mosque.

The history of the Qutub Minar is writ on its Amir Khusrau’s profile. One of the Arabesques on the basement storey contains the name of Qutb-ud-din Aibak who laid the foundation of the Muslim power in India. Two other bands refer to his master, Muhammad-bin-Sam of Ghur. The inscription on the second, third and fourth stories bear the name of Iltutmish, the successor of Qutb-ud-din Aibak. On the fifth storey, a rubric indicates the restoration of the tower by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq. The inlet of the tower, which is more recent, refers to its renovation by Sikandar Shah Lodi in 1503. Thus it is clear that the Minar is the work of Qutb-ud-din Aibak who is said to have commenced it in about 1200 A.D. and probably finished the basement storey.

As the Qutub Minar was damaged by lightening in 1368 A.D., Firuz Shah Tughluq rebuilt the fourth storey, added the fifth and surmounted it with a harp-shaped cupola. The cupola has since disappeared (having collapsed in an earthquake in 1803 A.D.); but the fourth and fifth stores still survive. They are essentially different, both architecturally and in medium of their construction, from the work of Aibak and Iltutmish. The fluted storeys are replaced by cylindrical shafts, and the bulk of the work is in white marble in lace of red stone. During the waning glow of the Mughal power in India, the Minar was again damaged by an earthquake. In 1828 A.D., Major Robert Smith of the Bengal Engineers carried out its repairs with skill but his innovations – the balustrades, built in ‘true Gothic style’, and the entrance gateway – are open to serious objection. Smith also added to the Minar a kiosk which appeared so incongruous that Lord Hardinge ordered its removal in 1848 A.D.

The Qutub Minar is 72.56 meters in height with a base diameter of 14.4 meters, and an upper diameter of nearly 2.7 meters. The shaft is divided into five stories of which the lover storey is 7.72 meters and that of the fifth storey are 6.8 meters. The shaft is thus 71.33 meters high, excluding Firuz Shah’s cupola, of which now only the stump,. 0.6 meters high, may be seen on the top of it. The plinth on which the shafts stand is 0.6 meters high. Thus the total height of Qutub Minar is 72.55 meters. An attractive feature of the Qutub Minar is that the lowest storey has twenty-four flutings, alternately angular and circular; the second storey had circular flutings, and the third only angular. Each fluting is carried right up to the end of the storey, and this undoubtedly adds to the beauty and effect of the tower. These three storeys are of red sandstone. Above this, however, the Qutub Minar is plain and made principally of marble with belts of red sandstone. Another remarkable feature of the Minar is that it is ornamented by four boldly-projecting balconies. A doorway in each storey opens on to its own special balcony.

Another notable feature of the Minar is that unlike the Qutb Mosque its decoration is “consistently saracenic in character from base to top”.

Related posts:

  1. History of Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
  2. Qila Rai Pithora (Delhi)
  3. Alai Darwaza
  4. Brief History of Mandu (in Madhya Pradesh)
  5. Indo-Islamic Architecture
  6. Art and Architecture during Delhi Sultanate Period
  7. Important Monuments of India
  8. Hiran Minar in Fatehpur Sikri
  9. Brief History of India: Ancient, Medieval and Modern History

Category: History of India Tagged With: Monuments

Related Posts

  1. History of Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
  2. Qila Rai Pithora (Delhi)
  3. Alai Darwaza
  4. Brief History of Mandu (in Madhya Pradesh)
  5. Indo-Islamic Architecture
  6. Art and Architecture during Delhi Sultanate Period
  7. Important Monuments of India
  8. Hiran Minar in Fatehpur Sikri
  9. Brief History of India: Ancient, Medieval and Modern History

Search ImportantIndia.com

Tag Cloud

Women In India Water Tribal People of India Tradition Tourism Short Moral Stories for Children Science and Technology Rivers in India Pollution Minerals in India Maratha Empire Mahatma Gandhi Indian Festivals Indian Constitution History of Akbar Freedom Fighters of India Family System Education Ecosystem Delhi Communication Buddhism Battles and Wars in India Art and Architecture Agriculture in India

Categories

Archives

  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • Categories
  • History of India
    • History of Ancient India
    • History of Medieval India
    • History of Mughal Empire
    • Modern History of India
  • Important India
    • Administration in India
    • Indian Constitution
    • Parliament of India
  • Indian Geography
  • Indian Government
  • Indian Literature
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Report an Article
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Copyrights.

Copyright 2013 -2017 · Discover the Importance of India ·