Qutb Minar: Signature Monument of Delhi

An Illuminated Qutab Minar

A signature monument of Delhi, Qutub Minar is a minaret that forms part of the Qutb complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of Delhi. 

Made of red sandstone and marble, Qutub Minar is a 73-metre (240 feet) tall tapering tower of five storeys, with a 14.3 metre (47 feet) base diameter, reducing to 2.7 metres (9 feet) at the peak. It contains a spiral staircase of 379 steps. Its design is thought to have been based on the Minaret of Jam, in western Afghanistan.

Qutb-Ud-Din-Aibak, founder of the Delhi Sultanate and first Muslim ruler of Delhi, started construction of the Qutub Minar's first storey around 1192. In 1220, Aibak's son-in-law, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, completed a further three storeys. (chaugan). Iltutmish had ascended to the throne of Delhi Sultanate after a brief reign of Aram Shah after the death of Qutb-ud-din in 1210. 

In 1369, a lightning strike destroyed the top storey of the structure. Firoz ShahTughlaq (1309-1388) replaced the damaged storey, and added one more.

Qutb Minar is named after Qutb-Ud-Din-Aibak. However, according to some historians, the tower derives its name from the famous Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, a disciple of Moinuddin Chisti, the founder of the Chisti order in India. The tomb of Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki is half km from Qutb Minar. 

Nalanda university As Related by Chinese traveler Hiuen-Tsang

 

Established in 5th century AD, Nalanda was a famous university of ancient India. During the rule of Harsha, the fame of university reached far and wide. Under the Pala ruler Dharampal, the glory of the university reached its zenith. 

The renowned Chinese traveler Hiuen-Tsang who came to India during the rule of Harshvardhan and studied at Nalanda, has mentioned the Nalanda university in glowing terms. From his accounts it can be said that the university was a great centre of education and was famous even in far-off countries. According to Hiuen-Tsang, the number of students at the university was ten thousand and the faculty consisted of great minds drawn from different parts of India.

Separate buildings were used for the study of the students. Some buildings had the sitting capacity of ten thousand students. The library of the university was very big and consisted of three buildings, one of them nine storied.

Admission to Nalanda university was a tough affair. The rules of the university were tough and had to be obeyed. Students were not required to pay any fee. The expenses of the university were met by the donations given by the rulers and the rich.