Chor Minar

Last updated

Chor Minar
Tower of Thieves.JPG
Chor Minar
Chor Minar
General information
Town or city New Delhi
Country India
Construction started Khalji dynasty

Chor Minar or 'Tower of Thieves' is a 13th-century minaret with 225 holes, [1] situated just off Aurobindo Marg in the Hauz Khas area, in New Delhi. [2] [3] The Chor Minar is nearly 700 to 800 years old. [4] it's also situated in narnaul Haryana near dhosi hills 120 km away from Delhi

Contents

History

It was built under the rule of Alauddin Khalji, [5] of the Khalji dynasty (1290–1320) in the thirteenth century. [6] Historians suggests that the Khalji king slaughtered a settlement of Mongol people, nearby, to stop them from joining with their brethren in another Mongol settlement in Delhi, the present day locality of 'Mongolpuri'.

During the raid of Ali Beg, Tartaq and Targhi (1305), 8,000 Mongol prisoners were executed and their heads displayed is the towers around Siri [7]

Purpose

According to local legends, it was a 'tower of beheading', where the severed heads of thieves were displayed on spear through its 225 holes, to act as a deterrent to thieves. [2] [8] In case the heads exceeded the number of holes, the less important heads were piled in a pyramid outside the tower.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delhi Sultanate</span> 1206–1526 empire in the Indian subcontinent

The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent, for 320 years (1206–1526). Following the invasion of South Asia by the Ghurid dynasty, five dynasties ruled over the Delhi Sultanate sequentially: the Mamluk dynasty (1206–1290), the Khalji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–1451), and the Lodi dynasty (1451–1526). It covered large swaths of territory in modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well as some parts of southern Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qutb Minar complex</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Qutb Minar complex are monuments and buildings from the Delhi Sultanate at Mehrauli in Delhi, India. Construction of the Qutub Minar "victory tower" in the complex, named after the religious figure Sufi Saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, was begun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who later became the first Sultan of Delhi of the Mamluk dynasty. It was continued by his successor Iltutmish, and finally completed much later by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a Sultan of Delhi from the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1412) in 1368 AD. The Qubbat-ul-Islam Mosque, later corrupted into Quwwat-ul Islam, stands next to the Qutb Minar.

The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, India. It is one of the most visited tourist spots in the city, mostly built between 1199 and 1220.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamluk dynasty (Delhi)</span> Dynasty that ruled northern India (c. 1206–1290)

The Mamluk dynasty was a dynasty which ruled Delhi Sultanate from 1206 to 1290. It was the first of five largely unrelated dynasties to rule the Delhi Sultanate until 1526. Before the establishment of the Mamluk dynasty, Qutb al-Din Aibak's tenure as a Ghurid dynasty administrator lasted from 1192 to 1206, a period during which he led forays into the Gangetic plain and established control over some of the new areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehrauli</span> District Subdivision in Delhi, India

Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in South Delhi, Delhi, India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is close to Gurugram and next to Vasant Kunj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalji dynasty</span> 1290–1320 Turco-Afghan dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate

The Khalji or Khilji dynasty was the second dynasty which ruled the Delhi sultanate, covering large parts of the Indian subcontinent for nearly three decades between 1290 and 1320. It was founded by Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hauz Khas Complex</span> Site in Delhi, India

Hauz Khas Complex in Hauz Khas, South Delhi houses a water tank, an Islamic seminary, a mosque, a tomb and pavilions built around an urbanized village with medieval history traced to the 13th century of Delhi Sultanate reign. It was part of Siri, the second medieval city of India of the Delhi Sultanate of Alauddin Khalji Dynasty (1296–1316). The etymology of the name Hauz Khas in Persian is derived from the words ‘Hauz’: "water tank" and ‘Khas’:"royal"- the "Royal tank". The large water tank or reservoir was first built by Allauddin Khilji to supply water to the inhabitants of Siri. The tank was de–silted during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351–88). Several buildings and tombs were built overlooking the water tank or lake. Firuz Shah's tomb pivots the L–shaped building complex which overlooks the tank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Delhi district</span> District of Delhi in India

South Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India with its headquarters in Saket. Administratively, the district is divided into three subdivisions, Saket, Hauz Khas, and Mehrauli. It is bounded by the Yamuna River to the east, the districts of New Delhi to the north, Faridabad District of Haryana state to the southeast, Gurgaon District of Haryana to the southwest, and South West Delhi to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIT Delhi</span> Public engineering institution in India

IIT Delhi, officially the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, is a public institute of technology located in Delhi, India. It is one of the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology created to be Centres of Excellence for India's training, research and development in science, engineering and technology.

Malviya Nagar is a residential locality in South Delhi with property prices over 17,000 per sqft. Situated between Saket and Hauz Khas and close to IIT Delhi, its namesake is the freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya.

Hauz Khas is a neighborhood in South Delhi, its heart being the historic Hauz Khas Complex. Well known in medieval times, the Hauz Khas village has amazing buildings built around the reservoir. There are remnants of Islamic architecture roughly colored by splotches of urban culture. It is centrally located and offers both rural Hauz Khas Village and urban Hauz Khas Enclave, Market environments. Hauz Khas is surrounded by Green Park, SDA to the west, Gulmohar Park towards the north, Sarvapriya Vihar towards the south and Asiad Village and Siri Fort to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siri Fort</span> Fort in New Delhi

Siri Fort, in the city of New Delhi, was built during the rule of Alauddin Khalji, second ruler of Khalji Dynasty, of Delhi Sultanate to defend the city from the onslaught of the Mongols. It was the second of the seven cities of medieval Delhi built around 1303, which at present is seen only in ruins with a few remnants due to its poor quality construction as compared to previous fort constructions in India (pictured

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jahanpanah</span> Medieval city of Delhi, established 1326–1327

Jahanpanah was the fourth medieval city of Delhi established in 1326–1327 by Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325–51), of the Delhi Sultanate. To address the constant threat of the Mongols, Tughlaq built the fortified city of Jahanpanah subsuming the Adilabad fort that had been built in the 14th century and also all the establishments lying between Qila Rai Pithora and Siri Fort. Neither the city nor the fort has survived. Many reasons have been offered for such a situation. One of which is stated as the idiosyncratic rule of Mohammed bin Tughlaq when inexplicably he shifted the capital to Daulatabad in the Deccan and came back to Delhi soon after.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Park, Delhi</span> Neighborhood of Delhi in South Delhi, India

Green Park is an upscale affluent neighborhood in South Delhi, India. The locality is divided into two parts i.e. Main and Extension. The neighbourhood registered a 4.4% growth in residential sales and was featured alongside Greater Kailash, Defence Colony, Vasant Vihar and Anand Niketan in the 2019 edition of Knight Frank 's quarterly report on prime luxury residential properties in various megacities around the globe. Property rates have always been high in this colony due to the numerous facilities available. Builder floors and independent villas cost anywhere between INR 6–70 crores in this colony. Rental rates are also very high due to which this residential area is among the most expensive pin codes of New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gates of Delhi</span>

The Gates of Delhi were city gates at various medieval townships around Delhi, built under dynastic rulers in the period that could be dated from the 8th century to the 20th century. They are the gates in:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alauddin Khalji</span> Turco-Afghan emperor of Khalji dynasty 1296–1316

Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji, born Ali Gurshasp, was a ruler from the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative changes, related to revenues, price controls, and society. He also successfully fended off several Mongol invasions of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siri Fort Auditorium</span> Auditorium complex in Siri Fort, New Delhi -

Siri Fort Auditorium is premier multi-auditorium complex of Government of India. Situated in the Siri Fort in New Delhi, it is also the headquarters of the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which also run the complex. Also close by is the Siri Fort Sports Complex. It was a combined seating capacity of 2500, spread over its four auditorium, making it the largest such complex in Delhi. Besides the National Film Festival organized by DFF wherein public screening of National Film Award winning films is held, it also hosts musical concerts, cultural performances, and plays.

In 1303, a Mongol army from the Chagatai Khanate launched an invasion of the Delhi Sultanate, when two major units of the Delhi army were away from the city. The Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khalji, who was away at Chittor when the Mongols started their march, returned to Delhi in a hurry. However, he was unable to make adequate war preparations, and decided to take shelter in a well-guarded camp at the under-construction Siri Fort. The Mongols, led by Taraghai, besieged Delhi for over two months, and ransacked its suburbs. Ultimately, they decided to retreat, having been unable to breach Alauddin's camp.

In 1311, the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji ordered a mass massacre of the "New Muslims", after some Mongol amirs of Delhi conspired to kill him. According to chronicler Ziauddin Barani, 20,000 or 30,000 Mongols were killed as a result of this order.

The Architecture of Delhi dates back more than a thousand years. As the capital of several great empires of India, including Rajput kingdom, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, and British Raj, the city of Delhi has been a centre for art and architecture.

References

  1. Kharehra List of Monuments - Delhi, Archaeological Survey of India.
  2. 1 2 Chor Minar
  3. Delhi Monuments - Hauz Khas Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "700 साल पहले दहशत थी इस मीनार की". Navbharat Times (in Hindi). Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  5. Chor Minar
  6. Chor Minar Info and images Archived 10 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
  7. CHAPTER V Archived 11 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine 40. "Farishtah, I, 114-15; Barani, 320; Khazain, Habib, 28; Wassaf, IV, 526-27. The walls of the towers popularly known as Chor Minar in modern Hauz Khas Enclave are pierced with 225 holes. In medieval India apertures on the walls of towers were used by Muslims not only as windows but also to display heads of captured and executed prisoners. The custom was to cut off their heads and stick them into those holes, to be seen by everybody. During wars, only the heads of chiefs were displayed; those of common soldiers were simply piled into pyramids."
  8. "The Minars and Minarettes of India". Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2008.