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    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

    Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

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      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

      Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

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      Delhi’s Chor Minar :Tower of Thieves

      inHazrat-E-Dilli, Medieval Indian History
      0

      In the midst of posh bungalows In Delhi’s Hauz Khas area there is a very strange monument which resembles a lighthouse. The strangeness comes from the fact that there is no sea nearby where a lighthouse is needed.However this seems to have a darker side to it2014-09-28 14.37.10One has to into the R block of the Hauz Khas residential area, there are two iron gates on the way. Most of the guards in the area will guide you to it, as there are no signage there.20140927_140432Once we go a little nearer the board reads that its a Chor Minar built by Alauddin Khilji (1290-1231 AD)and used to exhibit the severed heads of thieves during his reign.20140927_140258 As per the legend it has 225 holes. The purpose of this minaret was to strike terror in the hearts of people. I can well imagine how terrifying it would be to see 225 severed heads staring one from that height. Enough to make every sinner become a saint!

      Alauddin Khilji came to the throne of Delhi Sultanate at a time when the Mongol threat was at a high point and Alauddin had to maintain a huge army. He could not therefore afford mismanagement, inflation, cheating and deceit which would prevent him from facing that threat from a position of strength. His what seem barbaric now but were probably the norm in his times were aimed at running a streamlined administration.

      The Minar is built of rubble masonry (rough, uncut stones, irregularly set in mortar) and stands in the centre of a platform 30′ square and 7′ height. Each of the 4 sides of the platform has 3 arched recesses. The central one on the east is a doorway which leads to a spiral staircase. Nowadays there is a grilled gate which is kept locked. If you close up you can get the stink of pigeon and bats which inhabit it now.20140927_140309There is a nice little garden with a bench so you can curl up with a good horror story and imagine the shrieks coming from those heads hanging from there.

      On a different note, there is no mention of the building in any historical work and one can only guess at its purpose.Untitled

      Catherine Asher in her book on Mughal Architecture mentions Hiran Minar, a hunting tower, in Fatehpur Sikri which she says could have been starting point for subsequent a kos minar ( milestones)

       

       

       

       

      There is another similar tower in Malda which according to her could have been used for hanging of severed heads by Mughal Governor or as a watchtower or as both as well as for hanging the heads of rebels. Untitled

      Of course all these towers could have been used for something as innocuous as lamps!

      These two photographs are from Catherine Asher’s book “The Cambridge History of Indian Architecture of Mughal India.”

       

       

       

      I saw a similar tower in Lindau Germany which was also called Thieves Tower and used as a prison. Very pretty on the outside and full of miseries inside.IMG_20140928_190602

       

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      Rana Safvi

      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.