Qutub Minar

Journey to India and witness the glorious Qutub Minar, one of the famous landmarks of Delhi. Dominating the city skyline, the Minar rises to a proud 230 feet. The construction of architectural wonder was initiated by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 12^th century but was completed by his eventual successors in the 13^th century.

Built to celebrate the victory of Mohamed Ghouri over the Rajputs, this red and buff sandstone structure was meant to announce the Muslim control in Delhi. Qutub Minar has five distinct storeys each of which includes a projecting balcony. While the first three storeys that were constructed by Qutb-ud-din Aibak are made out of red sandstone, the fourth and fifth storeys made of marble and sandstone were later added on by Shamsu'd-Din Illtutmish. All over Qutub Minar, tourists can see beautiful calligraphy in the form of inscribed verses from the Islamic holy book of Koran. There are numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari characters in different places of the Minar, which reveal the history of Qutb-ud-din Aibak.

Apart form the tall minaret itself, there also exists other monuments of archaeological and historical monuments within the Qutub Minar complex. These include the Alai Darwaza and the Alai Minar built by Ala-ud-din Khilji (1296-1316). While the Alai Darwaza is a stupendous gateway with marble decorations and latticed stone screens, the Alai Minar is an 24.5 m tower that was abandoned midway. Besides these, the complex also houses the tombs of Ala-ud-din-Khilji, Imam Zambian, a Sufi saint from Turkestan and Muhammad Quli Khan, one of Akbar's courtiers.

Also there are the ruins of Hindu and Jain temples within the complex. If you patiently explore these ruins, you will be rewarded with the sight of marvelously sculpted ceilings, columns, and capitals. In the middle of the ruins stands an iron pillar, which doesn't have a spot of rust on it. One popular activity indulged in by tourists visiting Qutub Minar is to stand with their backs to the Iron Pillar and see whether they are able to encircle it fully or not.

• Red Fort
• Jama Masjid
• Humayun's Tomb
• Qutub Minar
• Purana Quila
• Jantar Mantar
• Safdarjang's Tomb
• Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
• Rajghat
• Rashtrapati Bhavan
• India Gate
• National Museum
• Hazrat Nizamuddin's Tomb
• Bahai Temple
• Akshardham Temple

A Journey to India offers information on Qutub Minar and online booking for tours and travel packages to Delhi and other destinations in India. To book a tour or for more information, please fill up the query form provided below.