Golden Triangle of India

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Monday, 5 December 2016 - Visited the Qutub Minar and the surrounding Qutb Complex including the Alai Darwaza gateway and Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque ruins with their intricate carvings and iron pillar, walked through lesser-known paths past Rajon Ki Baoli stepwell, and explored the Hauz Khas Complex with its medieval structures before ending the tour in Delhi with museum visits and local sightseeing.

india2016 — Today we began by visiting the Qutub complex

Qutub Minar is 240 feet, is in the Qutb Complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The construction of Qutub Minar was commissioned by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate in 1199 AD. Aibak's successor Iltutmish added three more stories to complete the tower. The topmost storey was damaged by lightning in 1368 A.D. and was rebuilt by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Firoz Shah Tughlaq built two floors one of which can be distinguished easily as it was built of white marble.

india2016 — The Alai Darwaza is the main gateway from the southern side of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. It was built by the second Khilji Sultan of Delhi, in 1311 AD, who also added a court to the pillars on the eastern side. The domed gateway is decorated with red sandstone and inlaid white marble decorations, inscriptions in Naskh script, latticed stone screens, all of which showcase the craftsmanship of the Turkish artisans who worked on it. This is the first building in India to employ Islamic architecture principles in its construction and ornamentation

india2016 — On 1 August 1903, a major earthquake again caused serious damage to Qutub Minar. Major Robert Smith of the British Indian Army renovated the tower in 1928

india2016 — Detail of the Qutub Minar

The Qutub Minar is made of dark red sandstone covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Quran. The Qutub Minar comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies carried on Muqarnas corbels. The first three stories are made of red sandstone; the fourth, fifth and sixth stories are of marble and sandstone.

india2016 — Alai Darwaza

The Slave dynasty did not employ true Islamic architecture styles and used false domes and false arches. This makes the Alai Darwaza, the earliest example of first true arches and true domes in India.

india2016 — A path to the Tomb of Iltutmish

india2016 — Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque

The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, was built by Qutbu l-Din Aibak in 1192. It is one of the earliest surviving mosques in the Indian subcontinent. It was the first mosque built in Delhi after the Islamic conquest of India

india2016 — The ruins of the mosque include several columns which do not seem to match.

According to a Persian inscription still on the inner eastern gateway, the mosque was built by the parts taken by destruction of twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples

india2016 — The muslims chipped off the carved likeness of any animal or human representation on the columns.

india2016 — The iron pillar is a metallurgical curiosity - it does not rust. The pillar weighs more than six tons, was originally erected in 375-414 AD in front of a Vishnu Temple complex at Udayagiri around 402 AD, and later shifted by Anangpal in the 10th century from Udaygiri to its present location. Anangpal built a Vishnu Temple here and wanted this pillar to be a part of that temple.

india2016 — The ceiling of a dome in an entrance gate to the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque

india2016 — Detail on the front of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque ruins

india2016 — We took a small hike - actually a rather long hike through the forest to a famous stepwell in Delhi. The path was not used by many tourists, so we were a little surprised to see a cotton candy vendor walking along the path.

india2016 — Rajon Ki Baoli

This three-story stepwell was built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi in 1516. 'Rajon', in Rajon Ki Baoli, means 'masons', perhaps a group of masons who used this stepwell for sometime during the building of the Qutub complex.

india2016 — As the stepwell was not just meant to act as a source of water, but also as a place of rest for the travellers, the mosque with finely incised designs and the small cells surrounding this water reservoir were used as rooms for rest. In addition, there's also a small tomb in the form of a domed pavilion.

india2016 — Each level of the stepwell is lined with arched niches with carvings and rooms to accommodate the masons, locals and caravan traders. The complex also houses a 12-pillared tomb typical of Lodi era architecture along with a mosque which could be reached through the flight of around forty steps up from the stepwell.

india2016 — The small domed tomb

india2016 — Mixing some shopping with archaeological ruins we went to Hauz Khas Complex

Hauz Khas houses a water tank, an Islamic seminary, a mosque, a tomb and pavilions built around an urbanized village with medieval history traced to the 13th century of Delhi Sultanate reign. It was part of Siri, the second medieval city of India of the Delhi Sultanate of Allauddin Khilji Dynasty (1296-1316).

india2016 — The entrance to Firoz Shah's Tomb. The doorway depicts a blend of Indian and Islamic architecture.

india2016 — The ceiling in the tomb depicts a circular gold medallion with Quranic inscriptions in Naksh characters

india2016 — Firoz Shah's Tomb through the doorway you can see the tomb

india2016 — Established in 1352, the Madrasa was one of the leading institutions of Islamic learning in the Delhi Sultanate. Now in ruins.

From here our tour was over. Cal went into the office for several days and Virginia Ann visited around Delhi mostly shopping.

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