Bada Gumbad Complex, Lodi Gardens, New Delhi

"For good reason, the most popular place in the park (Lodi Garden) is the extensive lawn on the southern side of what must have been the main mosque, the Jami Masjid, built in 1494. The reason for its popularity is its dome, which is an exact replica of a young woman's bosom including the areola and the nipple. Most mosques and mausolea have domes but they have metal spires put on top of them which rob them of their feminine charm. Not the Bara Gumbad, the Big Dome. You can gape at it for hours on end and marvel at its likeness to a virgin's breast. You will notice that men sprawled on the lawns have their face towards it; their womenfolk sit facing the other way."

– Khushwant Singh, "The Sunset Club"

Radiating immense strength & magnificence, the imposing Bada Gumbad (“Big, domed tower”) is undoubtedly one of the finest structures ever erected by the Lodis – a dynasty that ruled over North India from 1451-1526 AD & left behind numerous tombs & mosques scattered throughout Delhi & its surroundings. Humongous as it is, on the outside the structure gives the appearance of being a double-storied building & has left scholars & architects baffled as to what its true purpose actually is – some surmise that it is a mausoleum dedicated to one of the Generals in the army of Sultan Nizam Khan Sikandar Lodi II (ruled AD 1489-1517), others contend that it is a gateway leading to the small mosque that exists besides it – either case the structure has its own aura, it calls for a visit on its own since no other structure within the landscaped Lodi Gardens can match it, be it in terms of proportions or grandeur. The entire structure, along with the associated mosque & a third rectangular enclosure (which is either a “mehmaan-khana” (guest house) or a “majlis khana” (assembly hall)), stand on a very high plinth that is reached by a wide flight of stairs & is visible from afar. The mosque & the guesthouse face each other & both are built perpendicular to the Gumbad. A few steps up the stairs, one reaches a landing & from here the stairs diverge in three directions – one headed to the mosque, the other to the guest house & the third to the exceedingly large square mound that is located directly opposite the Gumbad’s entrance (that is, in the center of the whole complex) & shelters grave(s) underneath. In my opinion, this elevated rubble mound is the only thing that reflects the Gumbad’s vast proportions & could therefore be construed as the center point of the complex in its heyday when it too would have been ornamented with marble & stone & would have perhaps been led to be the majestic Gumbad – interestingly, the Gumbad complex hides surprises at places one wouldn’t even expect to look at - the mound/grave was once a large water tank, later filled up to accommodate the grave. Even though all the three structures share the same plinth & have certain stylistic & ornamental similarities, they were not planned as a complex nor built at the same time – the Gumbad & the mosque were built in the year 1494 during the reign of Sikandar Lodi; the guesthouse was added later.

The Bada Gumbad (center) flanked by the Jami Mosque (left) & the guesthouse (right)

Ironically, the first structure I entered in was the guesthouse, an unornamented, rectangular building with a flat roof built with dressed grey quartzite with three arched-entrances on its front. The exteriors display lotus medallions around the entrances & a continuous chajja (“eaves”) supported by equidistant stone brackets along the roof; the interiors possess artwork in stone & medallions – all of them now in a ruinous state. The guesthouse is a remarkably undistinguished structure; the interior is divided into seven chambers separated by means of gray granite walls but interlinked by the arched openings in the walls such that the overall picture is that of symmetry & grace – highly incongruous with the ruinous state that the structure finds itself in now. Hornets & insects (the name of which I do not know) buzz around the entire structure, especially in the dark side chambers – although the patterned artwork on the roof of the side chamber has gone black & rotten with time, it is covered in a layer of white insect silk that looks terrifyingly dirty & teems with threatening-looking insects. Nonetheless the remains of the artwork on the flat roof are impeccable – graceful flowers, astonishingly well-carved geometrical motifs & other simplistic designs.

This modest enclosure is either a "Mehmaan khana" (guesthouse) or a "Majlis Khana" (assembly house). In the foreground is the aforementioned rubble mound.

The rectangular mosque, on the other hand, is a picture in contrast – it is supposedly the Friday congregation mosque of the Sultan which explains the lavish treatment that has been conferred on it during its commissioning & construction. The construction of the mosque introduced many new features that were later adopted in all such structures built during the reign of the Lodis & later the Mughals, including the extended courtyard & the simple but highly ornamented five-arch entrance. Its exteriors are decorated in stunning calligraphy & art work; the walls are etched with inscriptions from the Quran. The interiors are richly ornamented with intricate gold-painted calligraphy; the roof displays profuse paintwork in red, blue & golden. The mosque shares some of the features of the guesthouse, such as a chajja supported by stone brackets & dressed quartzite finish. A line of “kanguras” (arched crenellations/ornamental battlements) marks the roof level. A dome each surmounts the three chambers of the mosque, each dome itself topped by a lotus finial. The central dome is relatively larger than the other two domes. The base of the dome (drum) is ornamented with leaf-motif that was a characteristic of Sikandar Lodi’s reign. Five arches – the central one being the largest & the ones at the extremes the narrowest – lead within the mosque. The central arch is surrounded by a projecting rectangular frame that interrupts the chajja that is otherwise continuous along the roof.

The mosque is elegance personified, even though it looks simple from afar!!

The mihrabs (the Mecca-facing wall faced by Muslims while praying) are ornamented with arched niches bearing striking patterns & exquisite craftwork. Intricate artwork consisting of floral, geometric & calligraphic patterns in incised & painted limestone plaster lends the mosque an aura of brilliance & unmatched dazzle. A jharokha (protruding window) marks the far side of the mosque parallel to the Gumbad; the jharokha’s small curved roof too is decorated with calligraphy & geometrical patterns so arranged to form six concentric circles embedded within a larger hexagon. The backside of the western wall (mihrab) has tapering turrets  protruding through it, an architectural addition reminiscent of the style practiced by the Tughlaq Dynasty (ruled AD 1325-1414). The dressed rubble is flaking at places & boisterously displays the material that the entire structure is built with.

The mosque interiors - Now you believe me??!

The Gumbad is open on all four sides – however it can only be entered via the side facing the elevated mound or from a flight of stairs emanating from the garden level along the side facing the mosque. All entrance openings are set within a large, arched niche which is further set in a rectangular frame. Except for the side facing the elevated mound, the rest of the entrances face the landscaped Lodi Gardens, however only the mosque facing side has a double-staircase adjoining it; all the other entrances end in limbo mid-air. The Gumbad’s massiveness can be gauged by the measurements of its sides – each side is 20 meters wide & reaches a height of 12 meters. The monument is crowned by a hemispherical dome which sits on a 16-sided drum (base) – together the dome & the drum rise a further 14 meters. The entire structure sits on an equally massive plinth slightly more than 3 meters high (My height is only 1.8 meters!!).

Grandeur personified - The Gumbad & the mosque as seen from the lawns towards its rear. Notice the protruding window along the mosque's side.

The monotony of the dressed grey quartzite exteriors is relieved by the use of black stone & red sandstone along with decorative features such as arched niches & kanguras. The two sides facing the mosque & the guesthouse are extended to form a rubble backbone around the three structures. Tapering turrets & jharokhas mark this rubble extension on the mosque & guesthouse side. The sixteen-sided drum on which the dome rests is also decorated with kanguras & relieved by arched niches set in rectangular frames. The Gumbad is considered to be one of the first instances in India (& the first in Delhi) where a complete hemispherical dome (that is, forming an exact semi-circle) was used to crown a building. Turrets exist along the corners of the Gumbad as well as the corners of the rectangular frames in which the arched entrances are set. On the outside, the monument appears double-storied, divided vertically in two equal parts by projecting horizontal bands of stone. Arched niches that give the appearance of windows mark both the floors, however only the two ground-floor niches on either side of the entrance are open; the rest have been filled in with granite masonry. Another smaller window exists above each of the entrance.

Look at all the puny people scurrying around the structure!! - View from Sheesh Gumbad

The Gumbad is dark inside; the narrow windows fail miserably to illuminate the interiors. The ornamentation is sparse & consists of paintwork & plaster dressing. There is no grave within nor any inscription detailing the period & purpose of construction giving credence to the belief that the Gumbad is meant as a doorway to the exceedingly small mosque-guesthouse complex. If that’s the case then I believe the Sultan’s guests were disappointed – walking through the intimidating Gumbad they would have expected a magnificent guesthouse only to come across an unremarkable, monastic building that looks more of a horse stable than a royal guesthouse. Nay, even Thomas Metcalfe’s stables in Mehrauli were bigger than this guesthouse (refer Pixelated Memories - Quli Khan's Tomb). But was it too once thickly ornamented with patterns & artwork & covered with cushions & carpets?? I highly doubt it – the thick quartzite walls are as plain as it could get, they never supported any ornamentation on their surface. Moreover the stylistic differences & the different periods in which the three structures were executed do not support the theory that the Gumbad is just a gateway for the mosque. Some scholars also postulate that at one time the Gumbad might have been a gateway to the entire Lodi Gardens. I’d like to believe that the Gumbad was also a tomb, an exceedingly large tomb for a man of superior birth or accomplishment – perhaps a remarkable commander in the retinue of Sikandar Lodi, confidante of the king or a favourite of the people, whose history & legacy have been forgotten but whose tomb survives the onslaught of time & nature.

Intimidatingly huge & yet so serene & inviting!! 

A walk around the plinth gives a visitor the pleasure of exploring the Gumbad from different angles & perspective. The whole structure appears ethereal, inspite of its imposing proportions it appears to be floating among the trees & shrubs that flank it & add to the beauty of the complex. Framed by the walkways, the dense trees with their heavy, overhanging branches & accompanied by its close neighbor, the Sheesh Gumbad (literally “Mirror Dome”, given that its exteriors were once decorated with mirrors), the monument stands testimony to the strength of a man who decided to leave his dignified mark on the world in the form of this majestic structure.

Location: Lodi Gardens, Beside India International Centre
Nearest Metro Station: JLN Stadium
How to reach: One can walk/take an auto or a rickshaw from the Metro station
Open: All days, Sunrise - Sunset
Entrance Fee: Free
Photography/Video Charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: 30min
Relevant Links - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Quli Khan's Tomb

Suggested Reading - 

1. Archnet.org - Bara Gumbad Masjid
2. Hindu.com - Article "And live to tell the tale!" (dated Jan 22, 2004) by Ajay Chaturvedi & T.N. Behl
3. Indiatoday.intoday.in - "The Sunset Club (Khushwant Singh)" Review

Hauz Khas Complex, New Delhi

Though he himself was an illiterate man with unabashed contempt for learning & arts, Alauddin Khilji, Sultan of India from 1296-1316 AD, took it upon himself to convert Delhi into a citadel of intellect & craftsmanship, hiring over 30,000 builders & artists, patronizing 47 of the most gifted men of his time in his court & enabling the acquisition of knowledge & skill from neighboring nations. His work force of builders could raise a fortress in 2-3 days flat!! (I think that is quite exaggerated, but then 30,000 is no small number either). Among his court nobles were the notable poets Amir Khusroe & Amir Hassan, the historians Kabir-ud-din & Amir Arsalan & the theologians Ruknuddin & Qazi Mughlis-ud-din. He was also a devotee of Nizamuddin Auliya, the patron saint of Delhi. Despite these qualities, Alauddin was by heart a military warlord & a clever strategist, who built his city Siri on the lopped-off heads of over 8,000 Mongols who dared attack his capital (read more here - Pixelated Memories - Siri Fort Remains). He consolidated his empire at a time when almost the whole of Asia was reeling under frequent Mongol attacks & raids, he invited talent from the furthest confines of Asia & Africa, turned his court into a refuge of the learned & the talented. It is thus a fitting tribute to Alauddin, the patron of the learned, that Feroz Shah Tughlaq (ruled AD 1351-88), the master builder-architect Sultan of Delhi, constructed a magnificent center of learning next to the hauz (“hauz” is “water tank” in Persian) commissioned by Alauddin to provide water to his subjects residing in Siri. Alauddin had this tank (dimensions 600 X 700 X 4 meter cube) dug up to collect rainwater when his city was being built & christened it Hauz-i-Alai, but over the years the tank had become silted due to lack of maintenance & neglect. An acute water shortage forced Feroz to build a new citadel at Ferozabad at the bank of river Yamuna & he also had the Hauz-i-Alai tank de-silted & repaired. Following this, he undertook extensive construction activity in the area around the tank. Feroz always liked building things, he would build fortresses & hunting lodges, establish cities, repair mosques, tombs & minarets – he left his mark everywhere he visited in the form of sturdy structures crafted with impeccable artistry & fine taste. He too showed a great zeal for the cause of education & it was in his time that “the capital of Delhi, by the presence of unrivalled men of great talents had become the envy of Baghdad, the rival of Cairo & the equal of Constantinople” (Zia-ud-din Barani, traveler-historian).

Alauddin's Tank, now much reduced in size

The newly renovated tank was christened “Hauz Khas” (“Royal Tank”) & Feroz Tughlaq’s double-storied madrasa (institute of Islamic learning) came up next it in AD 1352. Its architects were Malik Ghazi Shahna & Abdul Haq. The large, architecturally impressive madrasa built of rubble was christened Madrasa-i-Feroz Shahi & went on to become one of the foremost institutions of learning in the world. Learned men, theologians & teachers would come from within the country & abroad to the madrasa, large-scale seminars were organized regularly, the esteemed students would learn various subjects including arts, theology, history, philosophy, calligraphy & mathematics. The madrasa had an associated mosque for use by the students, teachers & visitors – though not as large as the mosque Feroz had built in his citadel of Ferozabad/Feroz Shah Kotla (refer Pixelated Memories - Kotla Feroz Shah), it certainly looks distinguished even now despite being in a ruinous state for several centuries. The madrasa was well-funded & well-equipped, its first Director was Jalal-ud-din Rumi, himself a very learned & renowned man. Though now in ruins, the madrasa was originally covered with plaster & brilliant stucco work, the walls were painted in bright colors like red, the domes were painted golden. The vibrant colors were reflected by the water of the tank & the overall effect was that of striking brilliance. The rooms of the madrasa used to be covered with fine Persian rugs, the doors were of sandalwood. Gardens filled with flowering plants & fruit-bearing trees surrounded the complex. Alauddin’s tank was the site where Feroz’s predecessors Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq & Muhammad Juna Tughlaq encamped when they fought against & seized Delhi from Khusrau Khan in AD 1320. Feroz’s madrasa-tank complex became the site where the Mongol invader Timur encamped when he sacked Delhi in AD 1398. Even Timur sings paeans to the glory & affluence of the madrasa & its surrounding village Tarapur (literally "The Abode of Happiness").

Past the streets of the upcoming Hauz Khas Village, lined with high-end boutiques, eateries, coffee houses & showrooms that sell everything from cars to home décor, often hailed as the arrival of Delhi on the stage of luxurious living & Bohemian culture, the entry to the historic site of the madrasa is through a rubble arch that comes as a surprise at the end of the narrow lane teeming with cigarette-smoking youngsters, short skirt wearing girls, English-speaking men & women who would drive a hard bargain unmindful of the wads of cash they carry in their pockets (the place is still referred to as a “Village”, mind you!!). Oh & BMWs zip past kids whose protruding rib bones would put any pulchritudinous model to shame. Perhaps the absence of a ticket counter too contributes to this feeling of surprise. Behind the façade of glamour & wealth, the centuries-old secluded madrasa nestled in a quaint little complex, a symbol of man’s eternal quest for knowledge & education, suddenly finds itself transported into an era where modern-day students throng to its hallowed grounds not for world-class education, but to make out & find an escape from the oppressive burden of socializing & maintaining modesty.

In through the arched entrance, one arrives straight into a small garden, landscaped with grass, dotted with a few tombs - everything cramped into a small area & hemmed in on three of its sides by residential apartments & showrooms. The fourth side overlooks the tank dug up by Alauddin, which even though it has been greatly reduced in its size as a result of the demands of an ever-expanding urban Delhi, is still a vast body of water flanked by lush greens where the ducks waddle by quickly, perhaps afraid that their quacks would disturb your contemplation. The whole tank, visible from the entrance, comes as a surprise to hardcore Delhiites like me who have a hard time imagining a large lake & green lands in the center of Delhi. The larger part of the complex & the lake, including the madrasa’s huge entrances & the associated gardens, have been lost to encroachment, what survives is now being protected by the government by transforming it into a park-cum-tourist spot.

After the lake, the first thing one notices is a cluster of five pavilions, each unique in its own stead, located just across a railing opposite the entrance. Three of these Tughlaq-era pavilions are actually tombs, perhaps belonging to the teachers who taught in the madrasa, a fact that becomes clear as soon as one climbs into one of these pavilions & notices that a shallowly-marked grave rests in the center of the pavilion, merging seamlessly with its bottom. Most historians believe that the simplistic tombs were built in such a fashion to enable pupils to sit & study in the “presence” of their dear departed teachers. Wouldn’t the students be horrified, I wonder??! Of the three tombs, one is four-sided, another six-sided & the last eight-sided, each with a large, simple dome that rests on a drum (base) that is “2n” sided, n being the number of sides of the tomb. Both the roof of the tomb & the drum are decorated with kanguras (battlement-like projection that serve ornamentation purpose). Austere & unornamented, these tombs are charming in their own stead. One thing that they do seem to prove is that teachers are usually relegated to humble lives & simpler farewells in our society – both medieval & modern. The large, hemispherical dome rests on thick pillars & the overall picture is that of striking symmetry. On the inside, the domes have lost most of their ornamentation & are actually falling apart at the places, the only embossment still retained are the bands of calligraphy that mark the base of the dome. Even these bands are discontinuous. Pigeons & parrots – those wanderers whose favorite haunts are tombs & old monuments – nest in the holes in the dome.

The pavilion tombs & the cylindrical pavilion (right)

The other two pavilions are cylindrical in design & are not large enough to accommodate graves within. The purpose of these pavilions is not clear, however it has been argued that these were part of some of the larger structures of the madrasa, now lost, given the presence of heavy projecting stone beams attached to their dome drums. Several men sat in the cylindrical pavilion in the far of corner of the grassy patch, deep in discussion they were. I wondered if the students too would sit here in Tughlaq’s time, a cup of tea or sherbet in their hands, discussing concepts & exams like we now do in our college canteens.

After having photographed the pavilion-tombs I was in a bit dilemma – next to the pavilion-tombs stands the comparatively larger, slightly pinkish tomb of Feroz Shah Tughlaq & next to it stretches a portion of the magnificent madrasa, but on the others side of the entrance were more, smaller, domed pavilions that beckoned me with their colonnades. 

Feroz Shah Tughlaq's Tomb

I decided to see the colonnaded pavilions first as these were relatively smaller & could be photographed quickly. That & the presence of hot girls sitting in the shade of the pavilions!! This particular cluster of pavilions is made up of three interlinked domed-structures that form a T-shaped building, a dome mounted on each corner of the T. The pillared halls of the two arms of the T form a long arcade, the last side actually looks a bit out of place. The entire structure stands on a high platform, there is a small tank (now dry) at the base of the platform & the ruined remains of a staircase with large windows exists close by from where one can descend to the lower levels of the madrasa.

The three-domed pavilion

The roof of the T-cluster is supported by strong square pillars, after all the whole structure has existed for more than 650 years. Though the purpose of this building too is not known, it is conjectured that it was used as a seminar room when the classrooms of the madrasa fell short of accommodating all the students present. Some historians say the structure too housed graves, though none can be seen now. Obvious to all this, the structure is fairly famous with tourists & youngsters trying their hand at modeling & photography which can be gauged by the number of young boys & girls posing & photographing each other here. Interestingly, after the fall of the Tughlaq Dynasty following the death of Feroz in 1388 AD & subsequent raid on Delhi by Mongols led by Timur in 1398 AD, the structures fell in disuse & were used as residential accommodation by the population that settled in the complex.

Colonnades..

Next to the T-cluster are the remains of the in-house mosque of the madrasa that was used by the students & teachers residing here. Led to by a large, domed gateway, the open mosque consists of a Qibla wall (western wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca, faced by Muslims while praying) fixed with overhanging windows (“jharokhas”/wickets). The windows are unique to this mosque as elsewhere the Qibla/Mihrab walls are continuous structures with no openings & fairly rich in ornamentation & calligraphy. Sadly the gateway to the mosque is barred with iron railing, an ASI-installed board nearby details the mosque’s architectural features but nobody around knows or cares to know why entry to the mosque is disallowed. Perhaps the authorities did not want the couples who frequent the complex to make out in a mosque. A crumbling staircase next to the mosque leads to the lower level of the madrasa, from here one can have an unhindered view of the tank & the jharokhas that ornament the mosque. Small cells line one side of the alley, the other side, now in a totally run-down state, perhaps once had arched openings from where the resident students could enjoy the cold breeze & the whiff of food that would come wafting from around the tank. The cells are now taken up by couples searching for places to get cozy with each other.

The mosque as seen from the tank level

One can see the ducks & the pintails waddle around in the water below, a few capsized boats bob on the surface of the still water that is disturbed only by the ducks & not even ruffled by the wind. At the very end of the alley, one can climb down the stairs to reach the ground floor of the madrasa but the staircases are blocked by means of extremely sharp barbed wires. I tore my jeans trying to navigate myself on the ledge along the wire. Sad & frustrated, I walked back & climbed the stairs leading to the mosque & T-cluster. The small structure in front of the small tank near the T-cluster also does not lead down to the ground floor, though a dark & narrow, downward spiraling staircase leads to the first floor of the madrasa. At least from here the view of the other wing of the madrasa (perpendicular to this wing which consists of T-cluster & the mosque) with the pinkish-creamish tomb on one corner & a domed tower made of black-ish stone on the other is splendid.

The tombs & one of the wings of the madrasa

Back near the entrance, I head to Feroz’s tomb. I had never actually imagined that the Sultan of India would opt for such a simple resting place for himself. The square tomb, much larger than the rest, is a very simple structure, quite in line with Tughlaq-era structures that were known for their straight, fortified walls & battlement ornamentation. It forms a pivot to which the two perpendicular wings of the madrasa connect to (in effect, the madrasa is L-shaped) & looms above the rest of the structures. The tomb is built with quartzite rubble finished with plaster to give it a smooth, white appearance. The dome rests on an octagonal drum (base), the finial topping it is small & circular. Both the drum & the roof are detailed with a row of red sandstone kanguras (battlement-like ornamentation). Though not built in a defensive pattern, Feroz’s Tomb is only ornamented around the entrance & that too in a very dignified, somber manner – the entrance is set in a larger niche, a small jaali (stone latticework), calligraphic detail & medallions – that’s about it. Interestingly, the entrance is not arched, but trabeate in nature – stone ledges panning the distance between two ends – an architectural style that is very common in Hindu & Buddhist structures (the Muslims employed arches in their palaces, tombs & mosques). Even more interesting is the presence of a small courtyard marked by a stone railing which is reminiscent of Buddhist temples & viharas of that era. Feroz belonged to the line of Qaraunah Turks (as the Tughlaqs were known as) who prided themselves for being born from Hindu mothers & Turkish fathers & therefore “possessing both Hindu modest & Turkish virility”, he was the son of a Rajput Hindu mother, his prime minister Malik Maqbul Telangani was a convert from Hinduism & so was the architect Abdul Haq – perhaps all these factors had a role in influencing Feroz’s choice of a tomb built in Hindu-Buddhist pattern.

The emperor's tomb

Three steps led inside his Tomb, the interiors are vast & better decorated than the exteriors. Feroz’s grave lies in the center, on one side sleep his son & grandsons. In the corners, squinch arches are used to convert the square tomb’s roof into an eight-sided polygon so as to support the dome. This is again a step back in terms of architecture because by Feroz’s time, native Indian artists had mastered Islamic building techniques & knew how to build true arches & domes. Squinch arches were prevalent half a century before Feroz’s time during the reign of Sultan Shamsh-ud-din Iltutmish as is apparent from his tomb (refer Pixelated Memories - Iltutmish's Tomb). The dome rests on a band of calligraphy which further rests on another band with regular geometric patterns. It is marked with medallions in several sizes, each inscribed with calligraphy drawing upon the Quran & the Hadiths, arranged around two concentric stars with a large medallion for their center.

Quranic verses & Hadiths - Feroz's blanket

The particular verses inscribed on the medallions & the arches in Feroz’s tomb make their appearance as architectural additions for the first time here, they weren’t used as part of Sultanate architecture before. They are then seen in structures built during the reign of Sikandar Lodi (ruled AD 1489-1517), another sultan of Delhi who took an active interest in repairing structures built by previous sultans. It is now believed that it was Lodi who added these medallion embellishments to Feroz’s tomb when he had it repaired in the year 1507-08. Among these verses is one of my favorites, Quran Sura 109 –

"Say: O disbelievers!

I worship not that which ye worship; Nor worship ye that which I worship.

And I shall not worship that which ye worship. Nor will ye worship that which I worship.

Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion."

One of the domed entrances of the madrasa close to Feroz's Tomb

Next to Feroz’s Tomb is another domed structure that is part of the second wing of the madrasa & leads into it. Yet another domed chamber exists close to Feroz’s Tomb near the edge of the madrasa’s wing, this one however is barred by an iron door. Another portion of the madrasa, separated from the rest of the complex by a wall with a break for an entrance, has been converted into the office of the Archaeological Survey of India (A.S.I.), this is the only place in the complex where a water cooler dispensing cold water has been installed. This wing of the madrasa has several interconnected chambers & a number of overhanging windows (jharokhas) overlooking the tank – couples can be found sitting in these deep windows arm-in-arm, cooing into each other’s ears & glossing over their sweet dreams. This invasion of the medieval-structure by couples seems traumatic at first, tragic afterwards, acceptable later. Unmindful of the history of the structures or the scorching heat of Delhi’s summers, they would sit here in each other’s laps for hours. Some would also scratch their names on the walls, others resent the presence of photographers. An hour into the complex, one’s thoughts range from feeling sympathetic towards the couples who too need space to meet each other, hold hands & kiss, away from the eyes of unrelenting parents, gossiping relatives & those members of our society who proclaim themselves guardians of modesty & culture to feeling frustrated with them for looking at any history-loving &/or camera-toting person with distrust. Seriously, people if you want some privacy, get a room!!

Teeming with couples!!

The lower level of the madrasa can be reached by a staircase, the double colonnades here are in a better preserved condition, the pillars are all intact & so are the medallions. Most of the chambers on this level are only dimly illuminated by sunlight & the passageways that connect these chambers are totally dark. Consequentially, the passages are infested with bats & it is actually better to not make any noises when traversing these passages. The dark is so bad that you can’t even make where you are headed & might have a jolt or two when you encounter a step in the passage (It is better to pretend that the bats aren’t there, I was fine till someone pointed them out to me!!).

I found this pavilion tomb the most striking

After much asking around & consulting guards, I finally found a way to the tank. The route takes you out of the complex from the entrance you came in from, then across a series of shops in a narrow side lane that leads to more shops. At the end of these shops there is an even narrower lane that opens into a makeshift dump yard for electronic goods & construction material. The place has been marked as their territory by some of the best graffiti artists in Delhi – Daku, Iron Curtain, 156. Then guided by a few of the shopkeepers, I headed towards the right on another narrow lane that finally terminated into what looked like an entrance to a park (this point connects the nearby Deer Park to the Hauz Khas Park, I later found out. I shall be writing about the structures within Deer Park soon). Off a bridge, I finally reached the tank & saw the madrasa spread out in front of me.

Graffiti "Delhi style"

The lake is still, the partially submerged dead trees & capsized boats bob up & down. Ducks swim from one side to the other effortlessly. Colorful birds appear once in a while, only to disappear even quickly. Visitors to the complex, sitting in the large overhanging windows, glance down my way only to go back to their conversations & gossips. A few impoverished kids run around, unmindful of the history of the ruins that surround them. Ignorance they say is bliss. If the kids knew the stones they are playing with were laid on the orders of the sultan of the entire country, powerful enough to have their whole city destroyed & charred, would they still play here with the same enthusiasm??

Lucky to live alongside centuries-old heritage!!

A high & sharply inclined staircase can lead one up to the mosque, but the entrance from here too is barred by barbed wires. That did not deter some of our monument-spoilers to deface the mosque – they simply scribbled names & love letters on the exterior walls of the mosque. @$%^%^& (had a run in with some of those vandals at Deer Park too earlier that day, nasty creatures). On the other side, one can go around the madrasa & the black dome tower. The dome tower formed one of the original entries to the complex from the tank level, however now the staircases that led up are gone & the dome tower can only be reached by climbing through uneven land layered with thorny vegetation interspersed with glass shards from beer bottles. A small hovel exists close by & as with all slums, there are no sanitation facilities & the stink is simply gross. I did however climb through the slope & have photographs to prove it too. For those not so eager to see these structures from different sides, all entrances to the madrasa from the tank have been blocked, but one can go around the structures, sit on the tall grass, look at the ducks, feed them with tidbits, enjoy the cool breeze or simply contemplate how those boats in the tank capsized. The madrasa & the tombs present a magnificent picture, providing numerous point of views & different perspectives to a photographer’s delight. & while you are at it, don’t forget to check out the Munda Gumbad (“Bald Dome”), a double-storied structure that once was in the center of the tank but now stands away from it directly opposite Feroz’s Tomb but on the other side of the tank (thus giving us an estimate of the original size of the tank). I forgot that this structure exists too & will now have to go all the way to the complex (a good 2 hour journey by auto & metro from my home) just to see this one structure. But it would be worth it!!

Plan of the complex (Photo copyright - Anthony Welch)

The tank had dried up several years back as the sources that fed it were diverted for other uses. In 2005, Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) & Delhi Development Association (DDA) launched an extensive program to develop the lake again using treated sewage water. The program has been a huge success & now the water level of the tank is maintained constant with the aid of treated water & feed from nearby storm water drains. Several steps were also taken up to maintain the continuity of an active ecosystem around the lake including introduction of several fish species & regular cleaning of the tank to remove debris & decaying organic matter. The area around the complex was developed as a residential & commercial zone catering to the city’s wealthy. The market is one of the most expensive in all of Delhi & there are numerous art galleries, upscale boutiques, showrooms & restaurants.

Exquisite!! - A gift from Sultan Sikandar Lodi to Sultan Feroz Tughlaq

You have several options at your disposal once you are done with photographing monuments - visit one of the many eateries in the area & pleasure your taste buds, collect your thoughts sitting in one of the overhanging window of the madrasa (do this only if you can be cautious, there are no barricades to prevent you from falling), sit down near the tank with a cigarette (or a joint!!) between your fingers, or befriend some girls there like I did & let small talk relax you after a long day.

Open: 10 am – 6 pm
Nearest Metro Station: Green Park, however it’s quite a walk away (2.5 km) & it’s better to take an auto from the metro station.
How to reach: Take an auto or walk from the Green Park Metro Station. Ask the locals for directions. If going by car, keep in mind that parking inside the Hauz Khas “Village” is only allowed for the “villagers” & the rest have to park their cars at a parking lot near the village entrance.
Entrance fee: Nil
Photography/Video charges: Nil
Relevant Links -

1. Pixelated Memories - Amir Khusro & his Tomb
2. Pixelated Memories - Feroz Shah Kotla
3. Pixelated Memories - Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
4. Pixelated Memories - Iltutmish's Tomb
5. Pixelated Memories - Siri Fort Remains

Suggested Reading - 

1. Archnet.org - Download pdf document "A Medieval Center of Learning in India: The Hauz Khas Madrasa in Delhi" by Anthony Welch
2. Archnet.org - Hauz Khas Complex
3. Sarsonkekhet.in - Too close for comfort

Rectangular Canopy, Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Delhi

Seated ungracefully and asymmetrically adjacent the monumental mausoleum of Prince Muhammad “Khan Shahid” (refer Pixelated Memories - Khan Shahid's Tomb) which unarguably overshadows its mere presence, a rectangular pavilion structure, an unusual kind of “Barakhamba” (“twelve-pillared construction”), composed thoroughly of unmalleable grey Delhi quartzite stone and surmounted by a pyramidal roof, exists within the beautifully desolate Mehrauli Archaeological Park which overlooks the massive Qutb complex where are located some of the foremost specimens of early Indo-Islamic architectural and artistic heritage (refer Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex). Perennially ignored and subjected to a state of forgotten existence underneath a canopy of enormous trees with gnarled branches and lush foliage, the structure, itself not very different from a canopy, could have originally functioned as a mausoleum or a guardhouse or a resting pavilion – it is no longer known why it was constructed nor who commissioned it or when – while some historians classify it as Mughal-era (AD 1526-1857), others conjecture it to be the tomb of Maulana Majduddin Haji (died AD 1233), a 13th-century Islamic cleric who was a disciple of the famed Sufi mendicant-saint Sheikh Shihabuddin Suharwardy and held religious discourses and imparted judicial instructions during the reign of Sultan Iltutmish (ruled AD 1211-36).

The Heart of Darkness

Impressed by the Maulana's command over jurisprudence and religious decrees, the Sultan conferred upon him the position of "Wazir" (Prime Minister) from which however he subsequently requested to be relieved of following two diligent years in office. He was renowned far and wide for the several pilgrimages he undertook to Mecca (believed to be no less than a dozen in number!), but is said to have stayed aloof from his contemporary Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (regarded as the foremost in line of the Chishti sect of Sufi saints who graced Delhi with their hallowed presence, refer Pixelated Memories - Hazrat Kaki's Dargah) since he possessed little regard for musical assemblies and congregations as a mean of divine reverence which the latter however was extremely passionate about.

The structure must have indeed been evocatively spellbinding in its former elegant state when it still possessed in its entirety the considerably beautiful calligraphy inscriptions and geometric patterned artwork painted on the undersurface of its diminutive roof. In stark contrast to the unornamented, unchiseled pillars, the obstinately well-preserved patterns, envisaged within plasterwork framework embossments, are some of the most astonishingly splendid that exist in Delhi and yet few visitors, if any, stop by to explore and observe them. The sad state of affairs is that even the archaeological authorities have come to accept that when a city is literally littered with over a thousand monuments and relics from its ancient civilizational history, why bother with a single, inconsequential structure, and thus while the larger, historically important monuments nearby are being restored and chemically treated, it has been forgotten once more. One can only hope the status quo won’t be for long.

Delhi's best kept secret

Location: Mehrauli Archaeological Park
Nearest Metro station: Qutb Minar
Nearest Bus stop: Lado Serai
How to reach: The Archaeological Park's entrance is immediately opposite Lado Serai bus stop at the intersection of Mehrauli-Badarpur and Badarpur-Gurgaon roads. Walk/avail an auto from Qutb Minar metro station or avail a bus from Saket metro station. Sandstone markers indicate the routes to different monuments inside the park.
Photography/Video charges: Nil
Time required for sightseeing: Approx. 20 min
Note – There are no facilities (toilets, food or drinking water) available within the Archaeological Park. While you can avail food & refreshments at one of the restaurants at Lado Serai, you can only find toilets at the shopping malls close to Saket Metro Station, almost a kilometre away. The park remains deserted in the evenings and is best avoided then by female enthusiasts.
Other monuments within the Archaeological Park premises –

1. Pixelated Memories - Balban's Tomb 
2. Pixelated Memories - Chaumukh Darwaza 
3. Pixelated Memories - Gandhak ki Baoli 
4. Pixelated Memories - Jamali Kamali Complex 
5. Pixelated Memories - Khan Shahid's Tomb 
6. Pixelated Memories - Lodi-era Canopy Tomb 
7. Pixelated Memories - Lodi-era Tomb 
8. Pixelated Memories - Metcalfe's Chattri  
9. Pixelated Memories - Metcalfe's Ziggurats 
10. Pixelated Memories - Mughal Tombs and Choti Masjid Bagh wali  
11. Pixelated Memories - Rajon ki Baoli  
12. Pixelated Memories - Settlement ruins  
13. Pixelated Memories - Quli Khan's Tomb

Other monuments/landmarks located nearby - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Ahinsa Sthal 
2. Pixelated Memories - Azim Khan's Tomb
3. Pixelated Memories - Hazrat Kaki's Dargah
4. Pixelated Memories - Moti Masjid
5. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex
6. Pixelated Memories - Unmarked Ruins

Mihrab Screens, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, New Delhi

Hinduism & Islam are two very different religions – different in almost every aspect, from their customs & religions, to their belief systems & lifestyles, as well as architecture & construction. When it comes to construction, Islam is a comparatively much simpler religion, the mosque & the towers being relatively simple structures with ornamentation consisting of geometrical patterns, designs & Quranic inscriptions. Hinduism, on the other hand, is known far & wide for its varied forms of architecture, the better-than-life representations of humans, flowers, animals & deities. Abounding with more than 330 million Gods & Goddesses within the Indian subcontinent only, along with its plethora of life-form depictions, Hindu artists of India & South-East Asia at large have excelled at creating stone masterpieces with their blade & chisel, their art & craft continuing in the same form over millennia – one looks at the erotic sculptures of Khajurao (Madhya Pradesh) & the modern representations of God in Akshardham (New Delhi, refer Pixelated Memories - Akshardham Temple Complex), & is forced to wonder at their uniqueness. It is no wonder that when the adventurous forces of Islam led by Muizuddin ibn Sam aka Muhammad of Ghur (Afghanistan) first swept into the Indian subcontinent to face the mighty Hindu army led by the Rajput Prithviraj Chauhan, it was a battle between unequals. Prithviraj’s army was routed, & within a short span of time, these Muslim invaders settled in India & the relative periods of peace-time saw them shifting their attention from wars & defences to the culture & traditions that existed within the country. The new rulers of Delhi Sultanate took to wanton destruction of the Indian sculptures & temples, irrespective of the faith they represented (Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain), often replacing the said temples with mosques, & many a times utilizing the debris & construction material from the felled temple for construction of new structures. Hindu artists & craftsmen were forced to work at these new buildings, & were required to construct these structures while keeping Islamic tenets of art & architecture in mind. The artists, who were used to constructing only pyramidal temples & palaces till now were asked to build mosques, minarets & domed chambers. Often the artists, facing unforeseen situations & demands from their new masters, innovated with the material at hand, creating new architectural forms. The Islamic architecture too underwent a gradual change, thus the Sultans started burying their dead in large, fancy tombs & inlaying their forts & tombs with precious gems & stones, a practice almost unseen in the Islamic world, except perhaps in Egypt. Since Islam forbids the representation of any kind of life form, initially the Muslim rulers & commanders decreed the destruction of Indian sculptures & representations, but over time the Indian style of adding floral motifs & medallions & imbibing creeper-like curved line forms in their buildings started making an appearance in Muslim buildings too. A new fusion art was created by merging several key features of both these forms, stunning enough to awe the spectators, & unique enough to allow classification. This sea change in both these religion’s architectural practises is glaringly visible in Qutb Complex, New Delhi. While we have a huge Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque moulded out of the remains of 27 Hindu & Jain temples that were destroyed by Qutbuddin Aibak, the slave & commander of Muizuddin ibn Sam, we also have the mighty Qutb Minar where calligraphy bands of Quranic inscriptions are bordered by magnificent floral bands (Links at the end of the post).

The arched screens of the Qutb/Qutub Mosque (Photo courtesy - Wikipedia.org)

But nowhere is this gradual Islamisation of Indian art, or rather Indianisation of Islamic patterns & designs, more visible than in the screens of the Quwwat mosque that Qutbuddin constructed in AD 1199. The screens are actually large arches that form one of the smaller sides of the rectangular courtyard of the mosque. While Qutbuddin only constructed three arches as part of his original plan for the mosque, today we see remains of several more arches. These were added later by Shamshuddin Iltutmish (1211-36 AD) & Alauddin Khilji (1296-1316 AD), later Sultans of Delhi who extended the Quwwat mosque & added several new features in order to show their gratitude to the Almighty.

The screens were fashioned after the “Maqsara” (Screen in front of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina) & used to function as the Quwwat mosque’s mihrab (wall indicating the direction of Mecca, faced by Muslims when offering prayers). The central arch constructed by Qutbuddin measured 16 metre high & 6.7 metre wide. The other two arches added by Qutbuddin on either side of the central arch were significantly smaller, but similar in design. The screens are carved with borders of Quranic inscriptions & geometrical designs. However since they were carved by Hindu artisans, who excelled in the depiction of life forms, one notices an abundance of floral designs along the length of the screen. The Hindu artists left the mark of their religion on these Islamic screens in the form of calligraphic strokes woven in stone that end in beautiful petals & tendril bursts. Moreover the Hindu craftsmen had never before seen or used arches in their construction practices, as the Hindu architecture is trabeate in nature & makes use of stone beams & panels to join two separate points/pillars instead of arches. Now forced to visualize in stone their master’s demands, the intelligent craftsmen that they were, the Hindu workers came up with a new architectural form employing corbelled arches – stones place atop each other to form a door-like structure, the inner sides of which were then rounded off to give an arch-like appearance. The innovative craftsmen were able to fool around their masters by adding a few triangular stone pieces at the apex of the arch to give it the appearance of a true arch!! The Quranic inscriptions that fill these screens, surrounded by panels of floral designs, seem not to be the work of mere humans. Notes Hasan Nizami, the chronicler of Qutbuddin, in his book Taj-ul-Maasir “..upon the surface of the stones were engraved verses of the Quran in such a manner as could be done on wax..”

Notice how the calligraphic strokes culminate into floral bursts

By the time Iltutmish ascended the throne of Delhi after murdering Aram Shah, Qutbuddin’s son & successor, the Muslims had imported some of their architectural knowledge to India & taught the same to the Hindu artists. Thus we see the use of fairly complex calligraphy characters & advanced Islamic designs in Iltutmish’s screens. These were however similar in overall form & design to Qutbuddin’s arches. Both Qutbuddin & Iltutmish were fairly dependent on construction material pilfered from existing temples within the country, but decided to build these arches with material fresh from quarry & carved according to their own specifications. This is in contrast with the overall structure of the Quwwat mosque & the extensions made by Iltutmish, which both are constructed from material obtained after destroying Hindu-Jain temples. The arches built by Alauddin did not survive the test of time & have been lost to nature.

The mosque & its screen arches display a fusion of Hindu & Islamic art forms unlike any other in the world. & the intricate designs, in all their majesty, glistening in the morning sun, outrival all other structures built even with modern technological aids. A marvel, simply worth observing from up close!!

Location : Qutb Complex, Mehrauli, New Delhi
Open : Sunrise to Sunset
Entrance fee : Indians - Rs 10, Foreigners - Rs 250 (Free for children upto 15 years of age).
Photography charges : Nil
Video charges : Rs 25
Nearest Metro Station : Saket Metro Station & Qutb Minar Station are equidistant.
How to reach : Taxis, buses & autos can be availed from different parts of the city. The structures are quite a walk from the metro stations & one will have to take bus/auto from there on.
Time required for sightseeing : 30 min
Facilities available : Wheelchair access, Audio guides.
Relevant Links - 

1. Pixelated Memories - Akshardham Temple Complex
2. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex
3. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Minar
4. Pixelated Memories - Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque

Qutb Minar, New Delhi

Two questions have perhaps always confused historians & scholars when it comes to the famous Qutb Minaret in Delhi – One, who constructed this mighty minaret, & what was the purpose of its construction?? & two, why was the minaret named as it is??
If the first question was answered, the second could be easily explained. But that’s wherein the problem lies – nobody knows who constructed the Qutb Minar in the first place. Perhaps one of the most widely known spots in Delhi, the Qutb Minar is full of enigmas & among the several theories in circulation, here are a few more commonly heard ones –

1. The minaret was constructed by ancient Indian kings for the famous astrologer-mathematician Aryabhatta to climb up away from the city life & lights & study the night sky. 
2. Hindu Rajput ruler Prithviraj Chauhan built the minaret for his wife/daughter to climb upon to view the slowly slithering river Yamuna from as part of her daily morning prayers. 
3. The minaret’s construction was started either by Prithviraj or his uncle Vigrahraj to serve as a watch tower for the Hindu kingdom ruled by Chauhan dynasty, but was completed by Qutbuddin Aibak, the slave & army commander of Muizuddin bin Sam aka Muhammad Ghuri, when he led his master’s Islamic forces to victory against Prithviraj in AD 1192. 
4. The minaret was entirely constructed by Qutbuddin Aibak as a victory tower commemorating his master’s ascension to the throne of India after defeating the forces led by Prithviraj. 
5. The minaret was constructed by Qutbuddin Aibak when he became the Sultan of India after his master’s death, but as a tower for the muezzin to climb on & call the faithful Muslims for prayers in the adjoining Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque that was commissioned by him to display to his Hindu subjects & the world at large the might of Islam. 
6. Iltutmish, who became Sultan after killing Aram Shah, Qutbuddin’s son, built the minaret & named it after Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, popularly called Qutb Sahib, a leading Sufi saint of that period who used to live & is buried nearby. 

Bewildering!! The first three points can of course be disregarded, given that neither the pillar is so old, nor does it show any signs of Hindu art or design, rather it boasts skilled Islamic calligraphy & patterns (more on that later). But then none of the records of that period attribute the minaret to Qutbuddin or Iltutmish either. It is much later, when the minaret was damaged by lightning & repaired by later kings that Iltutmish’s name popped up. But modern history books credit Qutbuddin for the minaret’s construction. My friend Vikramjit Singh, who is perhaps one of the most learned authorities when it comes to the built heritage of Delhi, suggests that the tower was built by Iltutmish & wrongly attributed to Qutbuddin by the writ of some clerical/historian error. I would highly recommend his take on this issue here – Vikramjit Singh Rooprai - Untold Story of the Qutub Minar

An enigma after more than 800 years of its construction

The most accepted theory is actually a mix of all these claims, & propounds that Qutbuddin started the construction of the Qutb Minar at the site of Prithviraj’s fortress-capital Lal Kot as a victory tower but died much before he could complete it. He left behind only the ground floor of the minaret which comprises of alternate circular & triangular fluting. Inscriptions carved in the minaret give us its complete history, including the commencement of construction & subsequent repairs, though the shoddy work by some of the later restorers have rendered most of these inscriptions unintelligible. After ascending the throne of Delhi, Iltutmish decided to fulfill Qutbuddin’s unfinished legacy & added three more floors to the tower. The first floor therefore features only circular fluting, while the second floor boasts of triangular fluting only. These fluting are very precisely aligned so as to create a highly symmetrical structure. The minaret till this part is built of red sandstone & is calligraphed with bands of Quranic inscriptions.

The three original floors - Notice how the lowest floor has alternate circular & angular fluting, the next has only circular fluting & the third has only angular fluting.

Sadly, the third floor was destroyed when lightning struck the tower in AD 1368, & we have no idea of what it looked like. Feroz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88), the architect-emperor of Delhi, who took an uncanny interest in building new cities (read Feroz Shah Kotla, Pixelated Memories - Feroz Shah Kotla) & repairing existing structures, replaced the remnants of the third floor with two comparatively smaller floors of his own. Fatuhat-i-Ferozshahi, a chronicle of Feroz’s rule notes that he “repaired the minar of Sultan Muizuddin, which had been struck by lightning, & raised it higher than before”. This is congruent with the fact that Feroz added two small floors which together were slightly taller than the fallen floor of Iltutmish. It must be noted that Iltutmish’s floor was more proportional to the bottom floors as compared to these replacements. By the time Feroz became the emperor of India, Indian art & architecture were Islamized to a large extent & the Muslim rulers had become habitual to the use of stone & marble that was easily available in India. Hence his additions feature the use of smooth panels made of white marble & contrast with the overall red of the tower. Feroz went ahead to even add a cupola atop the tower, thus crowning the minaret with his own extensions. 

One of the marble floors added by Feroz

Sikandar Lodi too repaired the minar after lightning again struck it in 1503 AD. Sikandar refers to the Qutb Minar as “the minar of his majesty Shamshuddin (Iltutmish)” in his memoirs. But nature had its way again, & lightning again destroyed Feroz’s cupola & damaged the other floors. The British were gaining a foothold in India then & Major Robert Smith of British Army Engineers was asked to repair the damaged minaret. Smith too couldn’t bear the lure to add more floors atop this already huge minaret & crowned it with his own Bengali-style cupola. Before nature could intervene again, Lord Hardinge, then Governor-General of India, ordered Smith’s cupola be brought down & cast it away to a corner of the Qutb Complex where it still lies, christened with the horrific title of a folly, viz. Smith’s Folly (refer Pixelated Memories - Smith's Folly). Nonetheless, Smith has been largely appreciated for his restoration & conservation work within the Qutb Complex. Since then several glass tubes have been embedded within the structure of the minaret to monitor seismic activities. If the tubes break, it would act as a signal to the archaeologists & engineers to begin pre-emptive restoration work. The minaret is already slightly leaning some two feet off the perpendicular as a result of the various lightning storms & earthquakes it has withstood in the past 800 years. Given its tall height, the tower is literally asking for lightning attacks. “Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice” is complete bullshit!! Lightning always hits the tallest point in a neighbourhood, & the Qutb Minar is a glaring example of the same.

An artsy shot!!

The fact that the minaret has largely withstood the ravages of time & nature has been attributed to the use of lime mortar & rubble masonry in its construction, which are both tremor-absorbing agents. Also the minaret stands on rocky landscape, which further mitigates the impact of earthquakes. However the minaret is being more damaged by rainwater seepage through its structure, increasing its tilt by several more degrees. The A.S.I. has started implementing several measures to arrest the condition & prevent a further deterioration. 

The tapering tower is 73 meters tall & its diameter decreases from 14.32 meter at the base to 2.75 metre at the top. Unlike the adjacent Quwwat mosque (see Pixelated Memories - Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque), the minaret is Islamic in its construction, & features Islamic patterns such as Quranic inscriptions & calligraphy, & Hindu patterns appear only in the small floral bands that flank these inscriptions. 

Inscriptions galore..

What I found the most interesting were the projecting balconies of the minaret that separate the different floors. These balconies are so skilfully constructed out of stone that they appear like very delicate bee combs. The details are carved out so meticulously, adhering to all the basic principles of geometry & Islamic architectural practices, & even today the intricate patterns tend to attract & bind one’s gaze. This type of design – a series of mini-arches supporting a series of brackets that together hold the entire balcony - is referred to as stalactite vaulting & features throughout Islamic construction & architecture. The arches of the minaret are corbelled in nature – the straight pieces of stone are placed in order & then their inner corners are rounded off to give the complete structure an arch-like appearance. The Indian artists set to work on these structures by their new masters were unaware of what arches were as Hindu architecture is largely trabeate (makes use of stone panels & beams to fill space, as in above entrances & in ornamentation work), & hence they came up with this new technique of building corbelled arches. Creative, right?? 

Spell-binding

One can see a door on each floor opening up to the balcony, & a total of 379 steps make up the staircase leading to the top of the world (or Delhi at least!!). Major Smith has often been criticized for adding Gothic features to the doorways when he was restoring them. But a close inspection shows that these additions are not Gothic in nature, but resemble the kanguras (battlement-like decorative work) that actually do make an appearance in the later Indo-Islamic architecture, especially in the doorways above the first floor of the Qutb Minar itself. I still vividly remember the thrilling climb up the narrow & winding staircases of the gigantic minarets of the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi (though they too are small when compared to Qutb Minar, refer Pixelated Memories - Jama Masjid) & would have loved to climb to the top of the Qutb Minar!! But the Government has closed the minaret for public entry since the year 1981 when a power outage & subsequent lights-out led to a stampede within the minaret & death of several visiting school children.

Door to nowhere

The Qutb Complex has been included in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites & attracts more tourists than the famous mausoleum called Taj Mahal!! A picture of the minaret also features on the cards & tokens issued by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, & the HOHO Bus Tour of Delhi also makes a stop at the Qutb Complex. I gave the complex a miss when I went for a HOHO tour almost a year back.

Alauddin Khilji (AD 129-1316), a later emperor of Delhi, initiated the construction of the Alai Minar within the Qutb Complex. It was supposed to be another victory tower commemorating his successful military campaigns in central India & was to be twice the height of Qutb Minar. Sadly, Alauddin died before he could give a concrete shape to his minaret & left behind only the undressed ground floor. One is again forced to return to the question of who built the Qutb Minar, because if Qutbuddin is credited for commencing its construction, he too died leaving behind only the ground floor of his minaret. If his successors took up his unfinished business, why did not, or why could not, Alauddin’s successors do the same?? Read about the Alai Minar here – Pixelated Memories - Alai Minar

One last click

The victory tower of Qutbuddin was inspired by the Minaret of Jam (Afghanistan) from what I have read. But what if the other group is right & this wasn't a victory tower, but a religious tower. In fact, Qutb Minar literally translates to “Axis Minaret”, & given that Qutbuddin himself was a fanatic Muslim who destroyed several Hindu & Jain temples to construct his Quwwat mosque, he might just have wished for a religious super-tower to act as a new axis for his faith. In that case he would not have intended the minaret to be so high, right?? Maybe he just wanted it to be a single floor high, else how would his muezzins be heard from the tall tower. Maybe that’s why lightning struck the tower again & again!! Now ain’t I also speculating like several of the historians who delved into these mysteries & left behind more questions than answers!!

The minaret of Jam (Photo courtesy - Lonelyplanet.com/Afghanistan)

Location : Qutb Complex, Mehrauli, New Delhi
Open : Sunrise to Sunset
Entrance fee : Indians - Rs 10, Foreigners - Rs 250 (Free for children upto 15 years of age).
Photography charges : Nil
Video charges : Rs 25
Nearest Metro Station : Saket Metro Station & Qutb Minar Station are equidistant.
How to reach : Taxis, buses & autos can be availed from different parts of the city. The structures are quite a walk from the metro stations & one will have to take bus/auto from there on.
Time required for sightseeing : 30 min
Facilities available : Wheelchair access, Audio guides.
Relevant Links -

1. Pixelated Memories - Alai Minar
2. Pixelated Memories - Jama Masjid
3. Pixelated Memories - Feroz Shah Kotla 
4. Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex
5. Pixelated Memories - Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
6. Pixelated Memories - Smith's Folly