In the year 1977, Professor M.S. Bhatnagar flew over the top of Kutub Minar in a helicopter to get a close glimpse of the tower from the skies. A study of the pictures that were taken revealed that the top of the column was shaped like a 24-petaled lotus. He found that, like the base of the column, the entire column is shaped like a lotus flower. Each of the 24 petals represents what is known in Sanskrit as a 'hora' (होरा), which is the same as the English 'hour'. Around the tower lie the ruins of a 27 temple-complex, each temple dedicated to the 27 nakshatras or star constellations. Obviously, the tower is an observatory.
That there are major discrepancies in the popular beliefs regarding the construction of the tower, its origin, its name and so forth is well known. One of the myths is that it was built by the slave dynasty ruler of Delhi, Kutubuddin Aibak - which is absolutely unconvincing especially because the site predates the birth of Kutubuddin Aibak by many centuries !! Besides Aibak only reigned from 1206-1210, and that was not ample time for the construction of the tower. What was attempted during the reign of the Allaudin Khilji, another Turik Afghan invader who ruled from 1296-1316, was the construction of a column, which Khilji ambitiously wanted to be double the height of the ancient stambh. which stood at 72.5 metres. But unsurprisingly he failed, the column design was a disaster and could not reach beyond a height of 27 meters though he reigned for 20 years to the 4 years that Aibak had stayed in power. Every ruler of the times wanted to claim that he was the builder. Illtutmish, the successor of Aibak who ruled from 1211-1236 was no different.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan states in his book 'The Monuments of Delhi', "There is a controversy about its (Kutub's) construction. It is famous amongst the Mohammadans that this minar was built by Illtutmish and often in the books of history, e.g. the Tarik-i-Fiiruzshahi of Asif and in fact in the inscription of Sikander Lodhi, son of Bahlol Lodhi, carved on its entrance, its construction is ascribed to Iltutmish....". There are even more theories. Sir Syed Khan notes, "Some books, e.g., Taqvim ul Baladan mentions it as madhana (Madhina - the tower from where the call to prayer is given) of the mosque. The Futuhat-i-Firuzshahi of Firuz Shah Tuglak refers it to as the Minar of Sultan Mu'izz' uddin (Mohammad bin Sam)." Mohammd bin Sam is more commonly known as Mohammad Ghori. To summarize, every Muslim invader of the time claimed to be the builder of this pillar.
In his analysis of the history of Kutub, historian P.N.Oak quotes Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan (the founder of Aligarh Muslim University) who had in his own research come to the conclusion that the Kutub tower was a Hindu building. There are many who are skeptical about what Prof P.N. Oak, and vehemently oppose what Oak has written, but here are the actual passages quoted from Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan's Urdu Text 'Asar-ul-Sanadid' translated into English by Fatima Quraishi who works as Assistant Curator at the Mohatta Palace Museum in Karachi.
Sir Sayyid Khan writes, "The Kutub cannot be a minaret because the column’s door is north-facing similar to Hindu temples, while the doors of minarets are always east facing.... The structure’s first level also shows evidence of stones being placed at a later stage and there is evidence of the bell-and-chain motif of Hindu temples on the first floor. Additionally, the inscription on this pillar is similar to that of Qutbuddin Aibak and Muʿizzuddin’s conquest on the converted temple-mosque."
The text also states," ...there is nothing odd in the fact that epitaphs have been inscribed where idols once were.....when the Muslims conquered the temple, they added their own epigraphs upon the building'."
About the so-called Islamic inscriptions carved on the Kutub Minar, Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan wrote, "..... Often, the shape of letters has been made out, but close inspection reveals that they are incorrect, in some cases just imitations of alphabets, and in other cases words which have little to do with the subject of the inscription. Until today, the inscriptions of this monument have not been read. I have read all of them with the aid of a telescope".
But even more glaring is what Professor P.N.Oak points out and states hence, "The frieze patterns on the tower show signs of tampering, ending abruptly, or in a medley of in-congruent lines. The Arabic lettering is interspersed with Hindu motifs like lotus buds....". This is a fact that can be easily verified.
Here is a Hindu 'Bell and Chain' Motif inscribed on the walls of the Kutub Minar that Sir Syyed Ahmed Khan had written about:
 |
| Notice the 'Hindu 'Bell and Chain Motif on the Kutub Wall that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan wrote about in his book 'Great Monuments' |
 |
| The Bell and Chain Design on the Temples Columns of Kutub Complex |
 |
| The Bell and Chain Motif on Kutub Temple Walls |
 |
| The Bell and Chain Motif on the ruins of ancient temples of Kutub |
 |
| The same 'Bell and Chain' motifs that are seen on the ancient temples of the complex are seen on the walls of the Kutub Tower. |
Scholars who have read the Surya-Siddhanta have in their writings explained the concept behind the construction of this column-shaped-observatory. Kutub-minar is a model of Sumeru. Sumeru is a mountain that one may imagine to be located on the axis of the earth.
The semi-vertical angle of the column is equal to difference between true and mean latitude of the point at which the column stands. According to Surya-Siddhanta a pillar divided into 12-units, known as the 12-angula Shiva Linga or the Shankhu, can be used to measure the latitude and the time at any point on the surface of the earth. The smallest shadow of the Shankhu or the column will obviously occur at the time when the sun is directly over the tip of the column. The shape of the shadow will be like a funnel or like the 'kutupa' as a funnel is known in Sanskrit. The time or the muhurut at that instance is known as the kutupa or the kutuba mahurat. The word kutupa was therefore always linked with this pillar or stambh.
The 25 inch tilt of this stambh ensures that on 21st June, the day of the summer solistice, at the time of the kutupa mahurata, there is no shadow of the tower anywhere. This is a claim that can be verified by observation.
Originally this kutupa-mana, (mana मान, is Sanskrit for measure) or the Observatory of Kutupa, was named Vishnu-dwaja or Vishnu-Stambh meaning Vishnu's tower. This named is inscribed in Sanskrit in the Bramhi script on the non-rusting pillar in the temple Complex of Kutupa-Mana which Islamic rulers had tried to blast at least once but luckily for present day researchers, had failed to do. The temple complex hillock was called Vishnupad Giri. Many of these names had died a temporary death at the hands of the then rulers but are now being reinstated.
Originally this kutupa-mana, (mana मान, is Sanskrit for measure) or the Observatory of Kutupa, was named Vishnu-dwaja or Vishnu-Stambh meaning Vishnu's tower. This named is inscribed in Sanskrit in the Bramhi script on the non-rusting pillar in the temple Complex of Kutupa-Mana which Islamic rulers had tried to blast at least once but luckily for present day researchers, had failed to do. The temple complex hillock was called Vishnupad Giri. Many of these names had died a temporary death at the hands of the then rulers but are now being reinstated.
In any case the Islamic rulers of India were masters at creating deception by distorting words and giving them new meanings. And there are many such examples. One such example of this is the name Qutubbudin. As mentioned above the word 'kutupa' was always associated with this structure. It is only a myth that Vishnu stambh got its name Kutub Minar from that of the so called ruler Qutubuddin Aibak. That Aibak who was of Turkish descent, gave himself the name Qutubbudin after seizing Vishnu Stambh is obvious from the fact that the Turkish word for pillar or pole is 'kutb'. He undoubtedly gave himself the name Qutubbudin after he captured the 'pole' or 'kutb' while at the same time camouflaging under 'kutb' the Sanskrit 'kutupa'. No matter what the history books say, it is highly unlikely that Aibak was called 'pole' as a child. The name only makes sense in the form Qutubbudin meaning 'the conqueror of the pole'.
The name Mehrauli, the location of the tower, is said to be a distortion of the Sanskrit Mihiravali - named after astronomer Varahamihira who is regarded as the architect of the ancient Kutub. Unlike the word 'Mehrauli' which has no meaning in any language, Mihiravali is a compound Sanskrit word, 'mihira' (मिहिर) means 'sun' and 'avali' (आवलि) means a 'row', 'a line', or 'lineage'. Mihiravali is known to have been astronomer Varahamihira's residence. Varahamihira is one of the most prominent known Vedic astronomers and pre-dates Aryabhatta by a few centuries.
 |
| A diagram made from the picture takenby Prof. M.S. Bhatnagar flying over the Kutub Minar in 1977, reveals the 24-Petal Lotus shape of the Tower. To read more about it, click here. |
 |
| Above Plates: Courtesy: Satyashodh.com/kutub.html |
1.Great Monuments by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
2. Mihirawali - The original name of Mehrauli
3. About the Temple of Kutub
4. Meru
5. Kutub Minar - Its Origins
Footnote: The rotation axis or the spine of the earth is known as 'meru' (मेरु) in Sanskrit, just as our spinal-nerve is known as meru-cheta (मेरु-चेता). The eighth muhurut of the day, when the sun is right on our heads is known by many names including Abhijit Muhurat, Chaturtha Lagna, Kutub Muhurat, Kutupa Mahurat and Swami Tithiyansha Muhurat. And here-in lies the explanation to the name of the column-observatory known as Kutub-Minar.
