Qutub Minar, New Delhi

Qutab Minar, a 73-meter tall tower in Delhi, India, was by Qutab-ud-din Aibak. The origins of Qutab Minar are shrouded in controversy. Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served as a minaret to the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer.

Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar in 1193 AD, but could only finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmush, added three more storeys, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last storey.

The tower (Qutab Minar) has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone. The development of architectural styles from Aibak to Tughlak is quite evident in the minar. The relief work and even the materials used for construction differ. The 238 feet Qutab Minar is 47 feet at the base and tapers to nine feet at the apex. The tower is ornamented by bands of inscriptions and by four projecting balconies supported by elaborately decorated brackets.At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India. A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled. (The write-up up to this has been sourced from Delhi Tourism website).

There was a time when visitors were allowed to climb up to the top and down the years, it was restricted to the first storey of the twelfth century monument. I have myself gone up to the first storey. But that was a long, long time ago! That was way back in 1966! After a few people jumped to their death, it was restricted to the first storey. And, after a stampede some twenty years ago on the narrow starirs that led up to the first storey, climbing up was totally banned. However, they have kept a camera on top of the tower and one can view the snapshots from the camera on a monitor screen at the entrance of the tower on the ground. The intricate stonework and the inscriptions are a treat to watch. A must visit place in Delhi. 

India Gate, New Delhi

India Gate is a 42-meter archway, bang in the middle of Rajpath, a road that leads to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President's Estate. It commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919. The arch was dedicated to the nation in 1931 by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin.

Another memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti, an eternal flame, that was added much later burns day and night under the arch to remind the countrymen of the soldiers who laid down their lives in Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971. The national monument comes alive in the evenings with colorful lights and the lush green lawns around the arch is a favorite evening spot for most Delhi families.