Mughal history has dominated the scene so far – they pretty much ran India from C16 until the Brits came along in the form of the East India Company. Today we were introduced to the Ashok and Gupta periods. So it was a whole nother period to get my head round. It timed out.
So we just wandered around the very pleasant Qutab Minar complex taking in the history and atmosphere. The highlights were:
Qutab Minar dominates the skyline – a 73-metre high tower built by Qutab ud Din Aibak, first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, to celebrate the victory of the Muslims.
It tapers from 15m diameter at its base to just 2.5m at the top and is distinctive by its bands of Qu’ran script:
… and it’s curved/pointed surfaces which made it look rather like a very tall sandcastle. Or jelly. I’m not sure either was quite the effect he was going for.
Imam Zamin’s tomb was built 944 AH. “AH” stands for Anno Hegirae which is Latin for “in the year of the Hijra”. The “Hijra” is Muhammad’s migration in 622 CE (Common Era) from Mecca to Yathrib (now Medina) to establish the first Muslim community.
Imam Zamin died a year after construction was completed, which was very efficient. Whilst it was built in the Mughal era, it’s in Lodhi style (in this case, a square footprint):
Ala’i Darawaza mosque featured Selguqian characteristics of pointed horseshoe-shaped arches, squinches and lotus bud fringes on the arches. Apart from being a fantastic word, a squinch is “a straight or arched structure across an interior angle of a square tower to carry a superstructure such as a dome”. So now you know 🙂
Iron Pillar was next up. Scientists are still at a loss to explain how this was built within the technological capabilities of the time, and it would have been even more impressive when it was all shiny and new:
The courtyard’s “cloisters” were also good (including the mousehole):
Finally, Alai Minar was conceived to be twice the height of Qutab Minar by Alauddin Khalfi (1296 – 1316), but he died when it had only reached the first storey. Epic fail.
Wandering round the complex (summed up as: “my willy is bigger than your willy”) was an enjoyable way to spend my last full day in India. Gandhi’s Smriti and Lodhi gardens had also been on the agenda, but enough was enough. Brain overload.
Our journey on the metro to the Qutab Minar is also worthy of note. First off, the various ways in which you can say “please be nice” – much more inventive than those found on the Underground:
- Please offer this seat to someone who needs it more than you do
- For Ladies
- For old or physically challenged
- Please offer your seat to physically challenged, senior citizens and ladies
For the record, women want equality, not preferential treatment. And this includes men not staring at us. Well, me. I can’t speak for the other women. The suggestively-raised eyebrows don’t go down well either – it’s not flattering, it’s disrespectful and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Please cease and desist.
Some translations that made me smile (remembering, of course, that their English is astromonically better than my Hindi):
- “Deboard” – it’s not a word, but you already know what it means
- “Use footover bridge” – ditto 🙂
Other random stuff from today:
Falcons (?) circling their tourist prey:
Fence painting with a rag:
Foreigners might pay more, but at least you can skip the queues:
And – the bit you’ve all been waiting for – today’s selfie stash (note the old geezer – first one for a while).
It’s become a bit of friendly competition between my companion and I to see who gets the most requests. Despite his extreme introvert tendencies, he said today: “I’m annoyed I didn’t get those three in the mosque now”. Extreme introvert, but even more extreme competitor 🙂
But I won. For the record.
Not that I’m competitive at all.
