Qutub Minar - the Lone Witness

Around 13 kms south of Connaught Place on the way to Mehrauli lies the Qutub Minar Complex on the ruins of Lal Kot, the first city of Delhi.

At the centre of the complex stands the Qutub Minar, the most famous landmark of Delhi. It is the tallest brick minaret in the world - a five-storied tower, all of 234 feet in height and has a climb of378 steps.

No one knows why exactly this was built. In all probability, it was a tower to commemorate a victory over Qila Rai Pithora, which stood at the same spot as the citadel and the capital of the last Hindu Rajput ruler of Delhi, Prithviraj Chauhan. It could even have been an expression of rapture for Qutub-ud-din Aibak to be elevated from the position of a slave to the status of a king. Or may be it was the place for the 'Niyazzi' to call the faithful for prayer. No one really knows. But history says that Mohammed Ghori of Ghazni defeated Prithviraj Chauhan who was ruling over Delhi in 1192 AD and entrusted the administration of his newly acquired kingdom to Qutubuddin Aibak, his slave general of Turkish descent.

After the death of Ghori in 1206, following a brief struggle for power, Aibak became the new Sultan of Delhi and thus he became the founder of the Mamluk dynasty, or the "Slave Dynasty". Aibak shifted his capital from Ghazni to Lahore first, and then from Lahore to Delhi. His reign was short and he died in 1210 as he fell from horseback while playing polo and was severely injured.

Qutb-ud-din Aibak, commenced construction of the Qutub Minar in 1193, but could only complete its base. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more stories to it and in 1386 Firoz Shah Tughlaq constructed the fifth and the last story.

Built mainly of red sandstone, the fifth storey of the Minar was restored by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1369 who used contrasting elements of marble alongside the red sandstone.

Reportedly it has been struck thrice by lightening and also damaged by earthquakes. Sikandar Lodi carried out some more repairwork to it in 1505 and later it has been further renovated by the British major Smith and then again by Governor General Henry Hardinge.