Qutb Minar--Revisited

I had the good fortune of re-visiting the Qutb Minar yesterday. I say good fortune because the skies were blue, the clouds were white, and I had the company of two friends who have studied history and have a keen interest in the subject even today. I'm happy with my photographs thanks to the background provided by the blue skies and white, fluffy clouds. The history lessons I received will stay with me for a long, long time to come and the awesome time spent with friends laughing over inane stuff just made me a happier person :-)

Qutub Minar @ Nirulas

There was a photo-walk at Qutub Minar, where some friends had decided to meet and go shutter crazy over the weekend. I, unfortunately, could not go because I was under the weather. However, my heart was very much there and I decided to go to the next best place--Nirula's for a delicious 'chatak matak burger' with the Qutub as a backdrop. This Qutub photo graces one of the walls at the Connaught Place outlet of Nirula's :-)

Delhi Logo #1

I spotted this logo at the Delhi Domestic airport. the inner circle is made of Qutub Minar, the middle circle is India Gate and the outer circle is Lotus Temple. All three have been featured on the blog from time to time. I will post a similar logo with different monuments tomorrow.

Dilli ki Sardi (Delhi Winters)

With the mercury dipping to less than 8 degrees Celsius over the past few days and cold winds blowing all around, Nirula's, an eatery in Defence Colony is one of our favourite hangout zone. The walls are colorful and will tell you all there is to know about Delhi - Qutub Minar, white Ambassador car, a sardarji, horn signs visible on the trucks and yummy food. A happy winters everyone!

Aayatein

These are verses, called Aayatein, from Quran engraved on the Qutub Minar. Such inscriptions are a common factor across the Mughal monuments. What these writings, in Arabic, mean, I have no idea but as an aesthetic attribute to the Mughal buildings they add a lot of beauty.

Theme Day: Paths and Passages: Qutb Minar

This is the derelict adjacent to the Qutb Minar. This passage is a pillared shade that the dignitaries used to protect themselves from the scorching summer sun, while visiting the minaret. Paths and passages from around the world await your visit. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

January Theme: Best Photo Of The Year

I am posting this photo today under the theme, best photo of the year, as this one is really special to me. I had taken special effort to go Qutb Minar and click the photograph that is the symbol for Delhi across the world. Hope all of you have a great 2009!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

History Modernised

This computer, installed in the Qutb Complex, gives a 15 minute of aerial tour of the monument and surrounding buildings, for a very reasonable fees. I found this very interesting and informative. Plus getting a complete guided tour and getting an aerial view from the minaret was more than one can get ordinarily since climbing the minaret has been banned by the government following incidents of stampede at the monument. I like this marriage of history and modernization.

Qutb Minar, Ruins

This is a what is left of the maze at the Qutb complex. Even after so many years of neglect, the gates still are awe-inspiring with their beauty and magnificence.

Tall Guy

Fly fly on the wall,
Whose the tallest of them all?

My brother, Akshat, boasting that he is taller than me and can easily touch the top of the Iron Pillar and soon would be able to touch the Qutb Minar.

Fine Arts Class

An art class going in the open grounds of Qutab Minar complex. These are students of 12th standard, working on their final submissions for the fine arts subject. They were drawing and painting beautiful images of the Minaret and the other structures in the complex.

The Iron Pillar, Qutb Minar

This is the iron pillar, a remnant of an old Jain temple that historians guess the Mughal rulers failed to destroy. Considered to be a metallurgic mystery, the pillar still stands tall after almost 1,500 years. It is believed that if one stands with the back joined to the pillar and give the iron structure a reverse back hug successfully, their wishes come true. However, rusting in the past few decades forced the ASI to forbid visitors from touching the pillar. Today the mighty structure stands caged with a guard on constant vigil. The arch behind the pillar is the ruin left of the original Qutb complex.

Qutb Minar, Mehrauli

I started my day today with a 20 kilometre drive to Mehrauli to visit Qutb Minar, the minaret that symbolizes Delhi, just like Eiffel Tower is synonyms with Paris. The morning trip was fun as I returned to the monument after 20 odd years. I had first gone to the Qutb complex with the school trip when I was in class 1. It is as beautiful as I remember.

Below is a plaque that tells the visitors all about Qutb Minar.