Qutub Minar in Delhi
¤ Constructed As A Holy Minar
 The
world famous towering Qutub Minar, started in 1192 by Qutub-ud-din
Aibak (1192-98), breathes down the neck of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque.
There is a slight difference of opinion as to its purpose: it probably
was a tower of victory, but then again it could have been built to be
a minar (tower), attached to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, for the
muezzin (priest) to climb up top for a prayer.
¤ Other Belief of Its Construction
Among Delhites there are lots of other theories about the origin of
the tower. Some say it was the observatory of the great scientist
Aryabhatta of ancient India, other claim that it was built by Prithvi
Chauhan for his daughter to see the Yamuna. In fact everything short
of an extraterrestrial origin has been attributed to it. The presence
of the ancient non-rusting Iron Pillar within the complex further
appears to add credence to the first theory. However the tower, its
entire design and architecture are undisputedly Islamic and all the
other theories are just matters of wild surmise.
Considering how shortchanged he was for time, it is doubtful that
Qutub-ud-din got much further than a couple of levels of the minar, in
fact many suggest that lived to see only the first storey complete.
Altamash, his successor, completed the remaining tower.
¤ Measures Taken To Keep The Minar In Perfect Shape
It is clear that the tower was very close to the sultanate's heart,
since repeated efforts were made to keep it in perfect shape. In its
long career, the tower got hit by lightening twice – something
that, of course, with its height it was literally asking for. Once
during the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, who very decently repaired
the ensuing damage. The next time was in the indefatigable builder
Feroze Shah Tughlaq's time, when the topmost storey got damaged.
Feroze Shah, who of course couldn't well leave things alone, not only
repaired the floor, but also sneaked in another level.
The result of this combined effort is an interesting mix in styles
that is clearly discernable all over the tower. Each of the original
three storeys has different designs. The base storey has alternate
angular and circular flutings while those of the second one are round
and the third one has only angular flutings. Their alignment is
mercifully similar, so giving the tower a rhythmic harmony. The pretty
projecting balconies have a very interesting pattern, with
icicle-shaped pendentive (an intricate design in which triangular
pieces of vaulting spring from the corners of a rectangular area and
support a rounded or polygonal dome) type of brackets. The
attractiveness of the balconies is heightened by the bands of sonorous
inscriptions. The diameter (at base) of the Qutub Minar is 14.32m and
about 2.75m at the top.
¤ The Attraction of Crownig Cupola
The tower had a crowning cupola on the top at one time, however this
was struck down sometime in the early 19th century, an
earthquake felled it. This was replced by a well meaning English
engineer Major Smith. However it must have looked quite an eyesore for
when Lord Hardinge was Governor-general of British India, he had it
removed. You can see it now on the spruce lawns of the Qutub complex.
Come to think of it, it must have been eyesore – it's called
Smith’s folly.
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