India building up infrastructure to tourist locations

INDIA (eTN) – The Delhi Government is proposing to spend Rs 10 crores on infrastructure development during 2016-17. In the budget presented on March 28, Rs 30 crores have been earmarked for Brand Delhi development, while in a positive development for tourism, the famed Qutab Minar will have a skyway link.

Qutab Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world, soaring 73 meters high. The tower that was built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu kingdom. 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.

The tower has 5 distinct stories, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15-meter diameter at the base to just 2.5 meters at the top. The first 3 stories are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth stories are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India.

Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar in 1200 AD, but could only finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmush, added 3 more stories, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last story.

An inscription over its eastern gate provocatively informs that it was built with material obtained from demolishing “27 Hindu temples.” A 7-meter-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled.