THE KUTAB MINĀR.
I had seen many drawings of this famous minār, and imagined I had a perfect idea of what I was to behold. The reality far exceeded my expectations, on account of its grandeur, its enormous height, and the beauty of the building. Around the Kutab are the ruins of the most magnificent arches I should think in the world. Only one of these arches is entire, its proportions are very fine; a few years,—another year, perhaps,—and this beautiful arch will give way; the upper part is tottering to its fall even now. The Kutab Minār is perhaps so called from Kutb the polar star, as being particularly distinguished and attractive of general attention; or after the conqueror of Delhi, Kutab-ud-din-Ibek, the polar star of religion; or after the famous saint, Kutb-ud-din, whose tomb lies about half a mile S.W. of the column.
Inscriptions on the Kutab Minār, transcribed and translated by Walter Ewer, Esq.
“Kutub-ud-din-Ibek, on whom be the mercy of God, constructed this mosque.”
“In the name of the most merciful God.—The Lord has invited to Paradise, and brings into the way of righteousness, him who wills it.—In the year 592 this building was commenced by the high command of Moez-ud-dunyā-ul-din Mahomad Beni Jam-Nasir Amir Mominin.”
“The Sultan Shems-ul-Hak-wa-ud-din Altamsh erected this building.”
“In the year 907 this minār, having been injured by lightning, by the aid of, and favour of God, Firoz-mund Yamani restored whatever was needed by the building. May the Lord preserve this lofty edifice from future mischance!”
“The erection of this building was commanded in the glorious time of the great Sultan, and mighty King of kings and Master of mankind, the Lord of the monarchs of Turkistan, Arabia, and Persia; the Sun of the world and religion, of the faith and the faithful; the Lord of safety and protection; the Heir of the kingdom of Suliman Abul Muzeffer Altamsh Nasir Amin-ul-Mominin.”
“The prophet, on whom be the mercy and peace of God, has declared, ‘Whosoever erects a temple to the true God on earth, shall receive six such dwellings in Paradise.’—The Minār, the dwelling of the king of kings, Shems-ul-dunyā-wa-ud-din, now in peace and pardon,—(be his tomb protected, and his place assigned in Heaven!)—was injured by lightning in the reign of the exalted monarch, Secunder, the son of Behlol—(may his power and empire last for ever, and his reign be glorious!): and therefore his slave, Futteh Khan, the son of Musnud Ali, the liberal of liberals, and the meritorious servant of the king, repaired it according to command, the 13th of Rubi-ul-Akber, in the year 909.”
March 30th, 1825.
Franklin’s account of this pillar is as follows:—“The Coottub Minar is situated near, and derives its name from, the tomb of Khaja Cuttubadeen. His disciple, Shemsadeen, of the family of Ghazi, erected this column, anno Hijira, 770. The column has a most stupendous appearance: conceive a shaft of sixty feet diameter, composed partly of red stone, partly of white marble, rising to the height of two hundred and fifty feet.
“Ascending this pillar, relief is afforded by four projecting galleries of red stone; tapering towards the summit, it was crowned with an octagonal pavilion, which perhaps would have contained at least a dozen persons. Each of the galleries are most richly, though differently, ornamented: the column is relieved and rendered strikingly bold by convex and angular projections.
“Within this grand tower is a circular staircase of three hundred and eighty steps of red stone; there are, at intervals, landing-places, which communicate with the windows; from the octagon on the summit the view is strikingly grand. Inscriptions in several parts twelve inches in breadth, embrace the column; these contain verses from the khoran, in the Arabic character. The galleries are supported by sculptured ornaments, of which the richness is greatly heightened by a profusion of frieze-work.”
On the night of the 31st of August, 1803, the minār was shattered from the foundation by an earthquake; the injury occasioned by it has been lately repaired by Colonel Edward Smith, of the engineers, who conducted the work with great judgment, having to remove and refix some of the large stones at the base of the tower. His judgment and taste failed when repairing the top of the edifice; even from a distance the sort of pavilion which he erected on the top appears heavy, and unfitted to the proportions of the rest of the minār, which is fine by degrees, and beautifully less. Not content with this, he placed an umbrella of Chinese form on the top of the pavilion; it was not destined to remain,—the lightning struck it off, as if indignant at the profanation. The minār is covered with Arabic inscriptions and the most elaborate workmanship.
The colonnades around the Kutab are very remarkable; some of them are of the same style of architecture as the old Hindū ruin at Kanauj, of which I have given a sketch; one large long stone placed upright upon another of the same description, without any mortar. Some of the colonnades are almost perfectly plain, others richly sculptured; they appear to be very ancient.