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Sightseeing 1

Date post: 09-Apr-2018
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Delhi Sightseeing Qutub Minar: The Qutub Minar stands tall as one of the prominent examples of Indo- Islamic archi tecture in India. It falls under the category of UNESCO world heri tage site. The Minaret is 72.5 m high with a d iameter of 14.3 metres at the base and 2. 7 metres in the to p floor. It is made of f luted red sandstone and is covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Quran. Hstorical significance: It is said, that Qutub ±ud din Aybak , the first Muslim Ruler of India being inspired by the Minaret of Jam (in Afganistan) laid the foundation of Qutu b Minar in 1193 A.D, but could not complete its basement. His successor Iltutmish added three more storeys in the year 1368 and was completed by Firuz Shah Tugluq by adding the fifth and last storey. In historic times the purpose of a Minar was to call for people for assembling during prayers at the mosque and this is true for Qutub Minar as well with the quwwat ul islam mosque situated to its north east. The other reasons ascribed to its construction are as a tower of victory, a monument signifying the might of Islam , o r watch tower for defence.
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Humayun's Tomb:

Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun (17 March 1508± 4

March 1556) ( was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afganistan, Pakistan and

 parts of northern India from 1530±1540 and again from 1555±1556. The tomb of Humayun was

 built by the orders of Hamida Banu Begum, Humayun's widow in the year 1562. It took eight

years to build the tomb and architects from Herat were especially invited for this purpose.

The Humayun's Tomb complex comprises of the main tomb, (in the honour of emperor Humayun) , the Barber's Tomb and many others. The complex is a World Heritage Site and the

first example of this type of Mughal Architecture in India. The same style of msusoleum was

adopted for the Taj Mahal in Agra.

The Red Fort:

The Red Fort is a 17th

century fort complex constructed by the

mughal emperor Shahjahan in the walled city of Old Delhi. The fort stands at the eastern edge of 

Shahjahanabad and gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone and that defines its

eight sides. The wall is is 2.5 kms long and the height varies from 60 ft on the river side and 110

ft towards the city. The fort was the palace for for moghal emperor Shahjahan's new capital

Shahjahanabad, when he shifted the capital from Agra. Along the fort wall was the YamunaRiver, that fed the moats surrounding most of the wall. After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, ( which

was the stepping stone for freedom against British Rule made by the Indians), the British Army

used the Fort premises as their headquaters. During this time many of the pavillions and gardens

got defaced. However, in the year 1903, a restoration program of the fort began. After India

achieved independence in the year 1947, the Indian Army took over the fort. In December 2003,

the Indian Army handed the fort over to the Indian Tourist Authorities. The walls of the fort are

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Diwan - I ± Aam/ Hall of Public Audiences:

It is a large pavilion for public imperial audiences with an

ornate throne-balcony ( jharokha) for the emperor. The columns were painted in gold and there

was a gold and silver railing separating the throne from the public.

Naqqar Khana/Drum House:

It lies on the eastern side of open space led by the

Chatta Chowk. It is the main gate for the musician's gallery above it.

Nehr - I ± Behisht/ Stream of Paradise: The imperial private apartments lie behind the throne balcony of the Diwan ± I ± Aam. The apartments consist of a row of pavillions that sits on a

raised platform along the eastern edge of the fort looking out onto the river Yamuna. The

continuous water channel that connects the pavillions is known as the Nahr ± I ± Behisth. The

water is drawn from the river Yamuna from the tower Shah Burj located at the northeastern

corner of the fort. The palace has been designed to imitate the Paradise as described in the Koran.

A couplet repeatedly inscribed in the palace reads, " If there be a Paradise on earth, it is here, it is

here". Eventhough the basic architecural concept of the fort complex depicts the typical Moghal

Prototypes there are some distinct influences of Hindu influence as well.

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Zenanas: 

The two southernmost pavilions of the palace are

 zenanas, or women's quarters: the Mumtaz Mahal (now a museum), and the larger, lavish Rang

Mahal, which has been famous for its gilded, decorated ceiling and marble pool, fed by the

 N ahr-i-Behisht . The third pavillion from the south the Khas Mahal contains the imperial

chambers. These include a suite of bedrooms, prayer rooms, a veranda and the Mussaman Burj,a tower built against the fortress walls from which the emperor would show himself to the peoplefor daily ceremony.

The next pavillion comprises of the Hamams or Baths in the Turkish style with Mughal

ornamentation in marble and coloured stones

Moti Masjid:

To the west of the hammam is the Moti Masjid,

the Pearl Mosque. This was a later addition, built in 1659 as a private mosque for Aurangzeb,

Shah Jahan's successor. It is a small, three-domed mosque in carved white marble, with a three-arched screen which steps down to the courtyard.

Hayat Bakhsh Bagh: To its north lies a large formal garden, the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh, or "Life-

Bestowing Garden", which is cut through by two bisecting channels of water. A pavilion stands

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at either end of the north-south channel, and a third, built in 1842 by the last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, stands at the centre of the pool where the two channels meet.

A view of the Red Fort in the night


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