THE Qutab Minar One of best places to visit in Delhi
The Qutab Minar One of best places to visit in Delhi
It is very curious to understand that why some persons , places and building acquire enormous footage and publicity. Like the human beings have the destiny, the buildings have their fate also which even the constructors of that building do not know while they are working on the architecture details. There are numerous beautiful buildings in Paris but it the Eiffel Tower which is most widely talked and has acquired the status of the Paris landmark. What is London Tower to London, what is statue of Liberty to New York and what is Tower Of Pisa to Italy, Qutub Minar which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site acquires the same prestige and glory of being the best accepted landmark of capital of India – Delhi.
Be it any travel guide, magazine or travel initerary, Qutub Minar always finds a unique place. Qutub Minar is a minaret the construction of which dated back to the year 1192 and the construction was ordered by Qutub –ud-din Aibak who was the first ruler of Delhi. Under his rule, only the first story of the Minar could be completed and after his death in the year 1210, his successor Iltutmish added three more stories and due to a lightning strike, the top most story was destroyed and was then repaired together with an additional story added. So at present there are five stories in the Qutub Minar. The Minar’s architecture is that of an Iranian structure and different verses in Arabic and Persian have been inscribed on the walls. The entire structure is made from the famous Red Sandstone from Bharatpur and Karauli in Rajasthan. Tourists were allowed inside the Qutub Minar until 1981 when a stampede occurred due to light failure in the staircases. Well Qutub Minar is the part of a big complex known as the Qutub Complex and there are other ancient monuments which are worth seeing. The Iron Pillar or Delhi stands in the courtyard of the complex and the constructed by one of the monarchs of the Gupta dynasty around 400 CE. It is an area of great significance for scientists and architects around the world as the pillar has a unique trait which is – it shows high resistance to corrosion and even after a time period of so many years has elapsed!. It is said that if one is able to hug the pillar in a way that both his join together as if he is holding the pillar, it brings him great fortune. Other monuments include the tomb of Iltutmish, the son in law of Qutub – ud-din Aibak, Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque which is one of the first Mosques to have been built in India after the Islamic conquest in India. The mosque is a patchwork fusion of decorative Hindu panels, salvaged from temples around the site.Other sites like Alauddin Khilji's tomb and Alai Minar are also to be visites.Thousands of tourists visit the Qutub Complex every year and the place is well managed by the Archaeological survey of India.
