Through the years my car zoomed by Mehrauli on a number of occasions and I used to see the red and buff sandstone minaret stand tall in all its glory. To me, Qutub Minar was just a minaret. No big deal. The fact that it is the tallest minaret in India didn’t provide much motivation either. It was a couple of years ago when the shutterbug bit me and I developed a keen interest in photography that I stepped into the monument complex. Exquisite and breathtakingly beautiful, I fell in love with the overpowering structure and its architecture instantly. Despite the cacophony of the thronging crowds, there’s a certain serenity that exudes from its surroundings.

In the book “The Golden Calm: An English Lady’s Life in Moghul Delhi: Reminiscences by Emily, Lady Clive Bayley, and her father Sir Thomas Metcalfe, accounts the wistful and evocative days when Emily Metcalfe spent days enjoying the picturesque aerial views from atop the Qutub Minar. She would carefully walk step by step up the spiral staircase with a basket of oranges in her hand and have a picnic up there. In this diary from the 1840s, she narrates: “Many a time have I, with Colonel Richard Lawrence, taken a basket of oranges to the top of the Kutab pillar, two hundred and thirty-eight feet high, to indulge in a feast in that seclusion…” Such happy memories!

Looking up at the Minar also relives the day when it was shrouded in shrieks and sadness. On Friday, December 4, 1981, a blackout occurred after 11.30 am, when 300-400 visitors filled the inside of the tower and an enthusiastic crowd outside was forcing itself to gain entry. The pitch darkness inside led to panic and chaos resulting in a stampede and death of 45 dead and about 24 injured. A dark day in history! The entry inside the minaret has been banned ever since.

Qutub Minar: Awe inspiring through the ages

Surrounded by well-manicured gardens, Qutub Minar is an insignia of Muslim dominance in Delhi and is the contribution of three different rulers. Started by Qutub-ud-din-Aibak in 1192, the basement of the minaret was completed during his rule. The subsequent successor Iltutmish, further added three more storeys of fluted red sandstone to it in 1230. Finally, in 1368, the top most storey was added by Firoze Shah Tughlak. The last two storeys are made of marble and sandstone. Today, the 72.5 meter tall minaret made of marble and sandstone is both mystical and magnificent. Every storey is designed with a balcony and tapers , and the entire exterior is etched with Islamic scriptures – intricate carvings and verses from the Quran.

Iron pillar from the Gupta empire stands tall in the courtyard of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. It has Brahmanic inscriptions.

However, the way I look at Qutub Minar today is far different from how I saw it the first time.The Qutub Minar complex doesn’t comprise only the minaret but also the Quwwat-us-Islam Mosque which is the first mosque ever to be constructed in India, the 23 feet 8-inch high rust-resistant Iron pillar, the tomb of Iltutmish, Ala’i-Darwaza and the Ala’I Minar. These structures are memoirs of the past. And when the iconic monument is enlivened by hundreds of visitors each day, there is a juxtaposition of the historical backstage with the emotions and moods of people onstage.

The Qutub Minar provides a spectacular subject for photographers especially when photographed from different, unique angles. School students, tourists, photographers, lovers, friends, a wanderer, philosopher, the thinker, a child, an escapist – my eyes scan through the crowd. Against the mystical background, there is an interplay of energies and emotions. Qutub Minar doesn’t seem the same on any two days. Each part of the complex conveys a different story.

Scriptures from the Holy Quran engraved around the complex

Some time to rest and soak in the beauty of the complex

The minaret, thus, towers above the surrounding tree line and complex as a symbol synonymous with Delhi still awing generations of Delhiites and Indians. It’s magical and mystical!

Entry Fee: Rs 30 (Indians), Rs. 500 (foreigners)

Location: Mehrauli

Timings: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Nearest Metro station: Qutub Minar Metro Station

Open all days

18 Comments

Aritra Chakrabarty on March 1, 2019 at 3:55 am

Wow, such incredible hues. Loved the compositions, each of them.
- Tess on March 1, 2019 at 10:54 am
  
  Loved the history of the place… Beautiful structural design ..would love to see
Preeti Chauhan on March 1, 2019 at 5:56 am

I think the idea of purposefully taking people with their myriad expressions against the background of the stoic Qutub Minar was very creative .Loved your take !
- Dipali Bhasin on March 7, 2019 at 6:21 am
  
  Thank you Preeti! Appreciate your feedback.
U K on March 1, 2019 at 7:37 am

This is one place which we all want to visit at least once in a lifetime. I loved the captures and had never looked at it the way you have put it in words. beautiful indeed.

UK
Kajal kothari on March 1, 2019 at 8:21 am

Such a detailed post and beautiful pictures. I’ve been here long time back but now if wish to visit again after reading this
- Dipali Bhasin on March 7, 2019 at 6:20 am
  
  Thank you, Kajal. The beauty of Qutub Minar can be captured once you’re in the complex. No wonder it is one of the most frequented monuments by tourists.
Sandy N Vyjay on March 1, 2019 at 11:35 am

The Qutub Minar is indeed a photographers delight. Have been there multiple times yet always discover something new. The last time we got some amazing shots of an airplane flying against the Qutub Minar.
- Dipali Bhasin on March 7, 2019 at 6:19 am
  
  Yes! The airplane flying over it at continuous intervals makes a good capture.
Tess on March 1, 2019 at 11:54 am

Loved the history of the place and the structural design… It is one of the magnificent beauties I feel… Loved how well you have described the place…
Chahat on March 1, 2019 at 1:25 pm

I love the way you walk us through the place.
Keep posting
- Dipali Bhasin on March 7, 2019 at 6:18 am
  
  Thank you for the feedback.
Richa Mina on March 1, 2019 at 5:29 pm

Wow such a great picture of the Qutub Minar i’ve been there long back. It was like revisiting the place.
Sharmila Sinha on March 2, 2019 at 3:20 am

You’ve brought in breath of fresh air to an oft visited monument.
- Dipali Bhasin on March 7, 2019 at 6:16 am
  
  Thank you so much. Your words mean a lot.
Savvy on March 2, 2019 at 4:52 am

Nice read dear. Thanks for reigniting my mission to get to Delhi and visit its amazing tourist spots. . . More so for my 10yr old son who has never been to Delhi.
- Dipali Bhasin on March 7, 2019 at 6:17 am
  
  You must see it when in Delhi next. It is spectacular.
arv on March 8, 2019 at 12:53 pm

I have lived in Delhi for many months but never visited any of the historic places. I hope someday I’ll be able to visit Delhi as a tourist.