"Before the Taj Mahal was built, this was the landmark, the face of India to the world," explained a tour guide I hired for a few hundred rupees.
Carbon dating has revealed that the foundation of the Qutub Minar was probably constructed between 100 and 200 years before the birth of Christ. That's not to say that tower construction began at that time, because it was built on the foundations of Jain and Hindu temples. The tower was constructed over the centuries (starting in the 12th), with each level (of which there are 5) added by successive kings as a monument to themselves.
It's truly marvelous. When viewed from the air, the tower looks like an inverted lotus, which is a common cosmetic detail in Indian architecture. The tower is also a functional sun dial.
Delhi has been struck by massive earthquakes since the construction of the tower, but it is one of the only remaining structures because of its assembly method. Analogous to LEGOs, all of the bricks in the tower interlock with one another; there is no mortar, cement, or other substance binding the bricks -- just gravity.
Happy to have seen this engineering feat, Titou and I set out on the long and windy road back to Sunder Nagar.
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