QUTUB MINAR-Introduction,History,Interesting facts,How to reach , Quwwat-ul-Islam,Alai Minar,Nearby Tourist Attractions

QUTUB MINAR-Introduction,History,Interesting facts,How to reach , Quwwat-ul-Islam,

Alai Minar,

Nearby Tourist Attractions

Introduction;-

Qutub Minar was built by Qutub-ud-Din in 1199. It is one of the most visited tourist spot of Delhi.

Located in Mehrauli, South Delhi, it is said to be the largest brick minaret in the world measuring about 72 meters high.

One 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.

History & Story Behind This :-

There are various stories being told about the reason the Qutub minar was built. Some say that it was constructed

as tower of victory to declare the might of Islam. Some others have the view that it might have been used as a tower for

defense. Qutbuddin Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced construction of the Qutb Minar in 1193, but could

only complete its base. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more stories and, in 1286, Ala-ud-din constructed the

fifth and the last story.

The minar was said to have been built to celebrate the victory of Mohammed Ghori.There are numerous inscriptions on

the Qutub Minar.

These inscriptions are in Arabic and Nagari characters. According to one inscription, the Qutub Minar

was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88), the Tughlaq ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Sikandar Lodi (AD 1489-1517)

also got the Qutub Minar repaired.

Another repair work was undertaken by Major R. Smith in 1829.

The Qutub Minar was built

on the ruins of Lal Kot, the Red Citadel in the city of Dhillika, the capital of the Tomar and Chauhana Rajputs, the last

Hindu rulers of Delhi.

Interesting Facts:-

• The first three storeys

  are made of red sandstone and are heavily indented with different styles of fluting, alternately round and angular on the

  bottom floor, round on the second and angular on the third. The fourth and fifth floors are made of marble and sandstone.
• Tomb of Iitutmish, which was constructed in 1235 AD. The tomb is made up of red sandstone and it describes the Arabic

  architectural patterns.
• Alai Minar, which stands north to Qutub Minar was constructed by Alaud-Din-Khalji with an intention to make it twice the

  size of Qutub. But he could complete only one storey and the work was abandoned after his death. Alai Minar is 25meters in height.
• Quwwat-ul-Islam, a mosque constructed by Qutub-ud-din in 1198 also stands in the Qutub complex.
• A famous Iron Pillar, which was erected in the 4th Century AD, is located in the courtyard of Quwwat-ul-Islam. It raises

  to a height of 7 meters and weighs more than 6 tons. The Sanskrit inscriptions on the pillar tells that it is erected as

  a flagstaff in honour of hindu god Vishnu and the memory of Chandra Gupta. It is made up of 98% wrought iron and it stood

  the test of time of more than 1600 years with our rust or decomposition. This proclaims the metallurgical excellence of ancient India.
• There are many other installations like madrassas, graves, tombs, mosques in the vicinity of Qutub Minar.

How to reach :-

By Air : Delhi has two airports – Indra Gandhi International Airport and Palam Domestic Airport. Both these airports are connected

with regular flights from important cities of the country and the world as well. Frequent shuttles run between these airports.

By Train : Delhi has three major railheads namely – Delhi, New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station. These stations are

served by many express and super fast trains from various parts of the country.

By Bus : Good motorable roads including National Highways and State Highway link Delhi with nearby states and rest of the country.

Local Transport : Buses, Taxis, Cars, Auto-rickshaws are available as local modes of transport, you can reach Qutab Minar by

opting any mode. Metro railway is new attraction in Delhi but presently it is not linked to Qutab Minar.

Special Event/ Attraction: Light Show: Rs 20 for citizens/ Rs 250 for foreigners/ Timings: 7.00 pm- 9.30 pm.

Views from the top of the tower shown through a camera: Rs 10 through the day.

Nearby Tourist Attractions: The Qutab Minar complex has many interesting structures. Some of these are the Alai-Darwaza Quwwatul-Islam Mosque,

Iron Pillar, Alai Minar, Tomb of Iltutmish, Imam Zamin's Tomb and Ala-ud-Din Madars.

Nearby Places to Eat: Places to eat near the Qutab Minar complex include Thai Wok at the Ambavata Complex, Osaka at

Aurobindo Marg, Red Snapper at Aurobindo Marg and a number of roadside food stalls for the adventurous street food eater.