Exploring the D of Delhi - Qutub Minar

“Yaar, I want to see this place” Every time I cross Andheria Mor, my vision automatically stuck at the pride of Delhi…….. a soaring 73 feet high tower of victory ‘Qutub Minar’. It’s been more than five years of my presence in NCR and I still have to explore Delhi. And Qutub Minar is the nearest to my place among all the historic monuments of our capital city. Thousands of time I passed by Qutub Minar area and its tremendous height never let me cross over without attracting my eyes.

Finally the day has arrived and we were on our way to see the tallest minaret in India. The journey started on smooth note from Gurgaon on ‘Delhi Metro’. From Qutub Minar Metro Station it’s about 2KM by road. At first we opted for an auto for Rs. 60 but then an unusual vehicle came in front of us and we moved to that. In actual it was an Omni van but it seems like if it was put on fire last night. There was not even a patch of paint left on it; all the four wheels were smooth like Mr. Gandhi’s head. Let aside the stereo system, even the dashboard was broken from at least 15 places, not even a single switch was on its place. I was suspicious wither it will start or we have to push it. But finally it started and with dwindling moves and scary sounds it reached safely to Qutub Minar. We paid 10Rs. each as it was a shared vehicle and thanked the driver for that wonderful ride.

The worst thing about India is whenever you go to visit some place it seems like all the people are already there, before you reach….. Thanks to the Indian population. I asked Neiha to get in the entry queue of main gate and I went to the ticketing queue to save time. It took us around 30 minutes to enter the majestic structure.

I was first surprised by the cleanliness of the place, and then I got to know that Qutub Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and they make considerable efforts to protect and preserve heritage sites. On the right side of main entrance gate was a souvenir shop and the tall ever attractive monument is on the left of entrance. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins collectively. We first explored other structures before moving to the masterpiece. Every piece of the beautiful structures were so well preserved and maintained that you will feel happy about the authority’s efforts for that.

After spending around one hour in the lawns and clicking small structures we finally reached the minaret. Everyone knows that Qutub Minar is very tall but you get to know its real size when you stand close to it; it was soooooooo tall and attractive. The question that is often being put up and that came to my mind is "Why the monument is that big?"

Then I read the Description of the building on the signboard ‘Built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom constructed with red sandstone and marble Qutub Minar is the tallest minaret in India, with a height of 72.5 meters (237.8 ft), contains 379 stairs to reach the top, and the diameter of base is 14.3 meters where as the last store is of 2.7 meters.’ But the origins of Qutab Minar are shrouded in controversy. Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served as a minaret to the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer. However, no one can, dispute that the tower is not only one of the finest monuments in India, but also in the world.

We missed the chance of climbing up the Minar by few years, as earlier it was open for the tourists but then it was closed for safety reasons and to preserve the splendid structure.

After wandering around for three hours we were feeling tired and hungry and to our surprise there were no eateries or snacks stalls inside the compound; in a way that is good also considering those bad Indian habits of littering around. So hearing our poor stomach’s cries for help, we moved out.

On the way back, I noticed there were audio guides (Electronic gadgets) available on the entry gate at a nominal price of Rs. 100 which will explain everything and anything about all the structures. I will recommend people for that if you are really interested to explore things about the historic building.

There were no good eating joints around but we found some local dhabas there, serving every food available from south Indian to the continental stuff. We acquired a table on the road side and sat sipping the sweet, milky tea as the winter sun slid down towards the horizon.

Ahinsa Sathal - Mid way from Metro Station to Qutub Minar 

Ahinsa Sathal - From here you can have a good view of the city around on a clear day