 |
| Iron Pillar and Qutb Minar |
Though the Iron Pillar and Qutub Minar are located around 15-20 meters apart, in terms of history, they cover a time of around 900 years. Between them, and the site they cover, they narrate the tale of transition from Rajput kingdoms to the Delhi Sultanate and also emergence of Delhi as a capital city.
The inscription on the Iron Pillar (belonging to 4th century CE) valorizes the achievements of Chandra II identified as Chandragupta II of the Gupta dynasty. This rust-free metallurgical marvel is also associated with the tale of Dilli. According to a popular legend, one Brahman told the Tomar king Ananagapala that the Pillar rested on serpent king Vasuki’s hood and was immoveable. Further, his rule would last as long as the Pillar stood firm. Out of curiosity, the king got the Pillar dug out only to find the base smeared with Vasuki’s blood. He tried hard to fix the Pillar.
However, even after several attempts, the Pillar remained loose (Dhili, in Hindi). The name of the capital ‘Delhi’ is often traced to this lore about the ‘dhili’ pillar. The Tomars soon lost the kingdom to the Chauhans who in turn lost it to the Turks. Qutubuddin Aibek, the slave general of victorious Muhammad Ghori built the capital city of Delhi in the heart of the former Rajput stronghold called the Lal Kot and Rai Pithora. The temple complex gave way to the ‘Quwwat-al Islam’ Mosque and a part of the Minar. The sky-scape of North India also changed with domes, minars, and arches replacing the flat-roofed or pyramid-shaped tops of the building structures.
However, even after several attempts, the Pillar remained loose (Dhili, in Hindi). The name of the capital ‘Delhi’ is often traced to this lore about the ‘dhili’ pillar. The Tomars soon lost the kingdom to the Chauhans who in turn lost it to the Turks. Qutubuddin Aibek, the slave general of victorious Muhammad Ghori built the capital city of Delhi in the heart of the former Rajput stronghold called the Lal Kot and Rai Pithora. The temple complex gave way to the ‘Quwwat-al Islam’ Mosque and a part of the Minar. The sky-scape of North India also changed with domes, minars, and arches replacing the flat-roofed or pyramid-shaped tops of the building structures.
Known as ‘Qutb Saab ki Lath’ (the staff of Bakhtiyar Kaki, the Sufi saint respected hugely by Sultan Iltutmish who built the subsequent storeys), the Minar was popularly believed to connect the earth to the heaven. More importantly, it served as an imposing visual reminder to the advent of the new Sultanate and Islamic supremacy.
Delhi never looked back after this and though the seats of power kept on changing within the city, it continued to remain the capital city.
The two Pillars still stand tall talking to each other and to the visitors about the glorious and not-so-glorious times they have seen.
Written by Dr. Shashank Sekhar Sinha
No comments:
Post a Comment