Thursday, July 15, 2010

Qutab Minar

Hi everybody...Hope you all had a wonderful time enjoying the matches last month and even I was right here cherishing every moment and cheering up for 'my team' ;-) (Always my team is the winning team ;-)...though Argentina and Messi is my favorite team and player)

However, now i am back with some interesting History stuff for you all. Last week I was in Delhi and luckily visited an amazing 800 year old structure - The Qutab Minar.


Delhi the capital city of the world's largest Democracy, has some of the most interesting and monumental museums and age old structure of India.


Qutab Minar is the world’s tallest brick minaret which stands tall above 70 meters in height and is a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture. Verses from Quran are cleanly carved on the exteriors of this structure.


The construction started in 1193 by Qutabuddin Aibak the first Muslim ruler of India. Some historians believe that this is constructed to signify the victory over the then existing Hindu rulers and the beginning of Muslim rule in India.


There are many other structures including a mosque (the first one in India) in this vast complex. Qutab Minar, mosque and various other structures constructed in this complex have some other stories to tell as well. Some Inscriptions here, still states that the whole complex was constructed after demolishing one of the oldest Hindu temples and the materials used for the construction of this mosque and associated structures came from 27 other demolished temples.


Yet this is one of the finest and oldest existing examples of Islamic architecture in India


(Click on the image to get a closer look and read facts and figures)



;-)

5 comments:

Maria said...

Gorgeous photos Narayan. I enjoyed this visit. Always worthwhile...

Sylvia K said...

Glad you enjoyed the games! So did I! And these are fantastic captures of such an awesome place! Thanks for sharing the history -- always makes the photos that more interesting and beautiful! Hope you have a lovely evening and a great weekend, Narayan! Thanks for your visit and comment, always appreciated!!

Sylvia

claude said...

Hi Narayan !
Your photos and explanations are very interesting. This Minar has a beautiful architecture. Thanks for sharing !

Knitting-twitter said...

fantastic pictures!!!
greetings from Switzerland
Christa

Tania said...

Wonderful photos and great architecture! I like the angle of your photo.
Wish you a blessed week:-)

Indolence is a delightful but distressing state; we must be doing something to be happy. Action is no less necessary than thought to the instinctive tendencies of the human frame.