Qutub Minar Delhi
After the Red Fort is the most sought after spot
by tourists who come to Delhi.It is 72.5 metres high and o
ne
has to climb 379 steps to get to the top.The diameter of the base
is 14.3 metres while the top floor measures 2.7 metres in diameter.After
an accident some years ago in which many schoolchildren died, no
one is permitted to go inside the minar.The minar was said to have
been built to celebrate the victory of Mohammed Ghori, the invader
from Afghanistan, over the Rajputs in 1192 and it was partly completed
by his viceroy, Qutabuddin Aibak ( 1192 -98), the first sultan of
the Slave dynasty.After his death, the rest was completed by Iltutmish,
another Muslim King.It stands just outside the central courtyard
of Quwwatul Masjid and it was meant to function as a minar so that
the muezzin could call the faithful to prayer and also as a symbol
of the military might of the Turko-Afghan slave dynasty.Lightning
knocked off the uppermost floor in 1368, it was left to Firozshah
Tughlak to restore and also add two floors, which introduced white
marble in the otherwise red and buff sandstone exterior. In the
early 19th century, an earthquake destroyed the crowning cupola
which was replaced by an English engineer, Major Smith. But it looked
so out of place that the then Governor-General,Lord Hardinge , ordered
its removal. Today it stands on the lawns close to the minar
Beautiful calligraphy adorns the adjacent edifices. The tower
has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony.
The first three storeys are made of red sandstone, the fourth
and fifth of marble and sandstone.