RUINS OF DELHI.
“VEDI NAPOLI, E POI MORI.”
[Illustration: “_I’ll thank you for your name, Sir._”]
Happiness of being alive—March from Meerut to Delhi—Method
of Stealing a Camel—Delhi—The Church—Monument erected
to Wm. Frazer, Esq., B.C.S.—The Canal of Paradise—Mimic
Warfare—Tomb of Humaioon—Fort of Feroze Shāh—Masjid of Zeenut
al Nissa—Masjid of Roshan-ool-Dowla—Datisca Cannabina—Mimosa
Scandens—Washing by Steam—The Kutub Minār—Ancient
Colonnades—Kutub kā Lāt—Unfinished Minār.
1838, _Feb._—With the Neapolitan saying, “Vedi Napoli, e poi mori,” I beg
leave to differ entirely, and would rather offer _this_ advice,—“See the
Tājmahal, and then—see the Ruins of Delhi.” How much there is to delight
the eye in this bright, this beautiful world! Roaming about with a good
tent and a good Arab, one might be happy for ever in India: a man might
possibly enjoy this sort of life more than a woman; he has his dog, his
gun, and his beaters, with an open country to shoot over, and is not
annoyed with—“I’ll thank you for your name, Sir.” I have a pencil instead
of a gun, and believe it affords me satisfaction equal, if not greater
than the sportsman derives from his Manton.
On my return from the theatre I sought my charpāī, and slept—Oh, how
soundly!—was dressed, and on my horse by 6 A.M., having enjoyed four
hours and a half of perfect rest. “Sleep is the repose of the soul[25].”
I awoke from my slumber perfectly refreshed, and my little soul was soon
cantering away on the back of an Arab, enjoying the pure, cool, morning
breeze. Oh! the pleasure of vagabondizing over India!
_16th._—We rode part of the distance, and drove the remainder of the
march, sixteen miles; found the tents ready, and the khidmatgārs on the
look out. Took a breakfast such as hungry people eat, and then retired to
our respective tents. The fatigue was too much; the novel dropped from my
hand, and my sleepy little soul sank to repose for some hours.
When the sun was nearly down, we roamed over the fields with the
gentlemen and their guns, but found no game. Thus passed the day of the
first march on the road to Delhi at Begamabad.
_17th._—Arrived early at Furrudnagar, another long distance; a high wind,
clouds of dust, and a disagreeable day. During the night the servants
were robbed of all their brass lotas and cooking utensils. A thief crept
up to my camels, that were picketed just in front of the tent, selected
the finest, cut the rope and strings from his neck; then, having fastened
a very long thin rope to the animal, away crept the thief. Having got
to the end of the line, the thief gave the string a pull, and continued
doing so until he rendered the camel uneasy; the animal got up,—another
pull—he turned his head, another—and he quietly followed the twitching
of the cord that the thief held; who succeeded in separating him from
the other camels, and got him some twenty yards from the tent; just at
this moment the sentry observed the camel quietly departing, he gave the
alarm, the thief fled, and the animal was brought back to the camp;—a few
yards more the thief would have been on his back, and we should have lost
the camel.
[Illustration: Palace and Fort of Delhi.
فاني پارکس]
_18th._—Marched into Delhi: the first sight of the city from the sands
of the Jumna is very imposing; the fort, the palace, the mosques and
minarets, all crowded together on the bank of the river, is a beautiful
sight. “In the year of the Hijerah, 1041 (A.D. 1631-2), the Emperor
Shāhjahān founded the present city and palace of Shāhjahānabad, which
he made his capital during the remainder of his reign. The new city
of Shāhjahānabad lies on the western bank of the Jumna, in latitude
28° 36′ North. The city is about seven miles in circumference, and is
surrounded on three sides by a wall of brick and stone; a parapet runs
along the whole, but there are no cannon planted on the ramparts. The
city has seven gates: viz., _Lahore_ gate, _Delhi_ gate, _Ajimere_ gate,
_Turkoman_ gate, _Moor_ gate, _Cabul_ gate, _Cashmere_ gate; all of which
are built of freestone, and have handsome arched entrances of stone,
where the guards of the city kept watch.”
We entered the town by the Delhi gate: during the rains, when the river
flows up to and by the walls of the city, the view from a boat must be
beautiful; at present the river is shallow, with great sandbanks in the
centre. We crossed a bridge of boats, and encamped in front of the church.
The church was built by Colonel Skinner, planned by Colonel S⸺; I do
not like the design: it was put into execution by Captain D⸺. The dome
appears too heavy for the body of the church, and in the inside it is
obliged to be supported by iron bars,—a most unsightly affair. A man
should visit the ruins of Gaur, and there learn how to build a dome, ere
he attempt it. Colonel Skinner is a Christian; the ladies of his family
are Musalmanīs, and for them he has built a mosque opposite the church.
In the churchyard is the tomb of Mr. William Frazer, who was murdered
by the Nawab Shumsheodin: Colonel Skinner has erected a monument to the
memory of his friend; it is of white marble, in compartments, which are
inlaid with green stones, representing the weeping willow; the whole was
executed at Jeypore, and cost, it is said, 10,000 rupees. On the top
is a vase, and, in a compartment in front of the church is a Persian
inscription. Below are these lines, and in front of the lines are two
lions reposing: to none but an Irishman would it be clear that the _us_
in the epitaph proceeds from the lions:—
“Deep beneath this marble stone
A kindred spirit to our own
Sleeps in death’s profound repose,
Freed from human cares and woes;
Like _us_ his heart, like _ours_ his frame,
He bore on earth a gallant name.
Friendship gives to _us_ the trust
To guard the hero’s honour’d dust.”
On the other side the monument is another inscription, also written by
Colonel Skinner.
THE REMAINS
INTERRED BENEATH THIS MONUMENT
WERE ONCE ANIMATED
BY AS BRAVE AND SINCERE
A SOUL
AS WAS EVER VOUCHSAFED TO MAN
BY HIS
CREATOR!
A BROTHER IN FRIENDSHIP
HAS CAUSED IT TO BE ERECTED,
THAT, WHEN HIS OWN FRAME IS DUST,
IT MAY REMAIN
AS A
MEMORIAL
FOR THOSE WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN LAMENTING
THE SUDDEN AND MELANCHOLY LOSS
OF ONE
DEAR TO HIM AS LIFE.
WILLIAM FRAZER
DIED MARCH 22ND, 1835.
In the evening the brother of the Bāiza Bā’ī, Hindū Rāo, sent me an
elephant, and Colonel Skinner sent another; on these we mounted, and
went through all the principal streets of the city. Dehlī or Dillī, the
metropolis of Hindūstān, is generally called by Musalmāns Shāhjahān-ābād,
and, by Europeans, Delhi. The Chāndnī chauk, a very broad and handsome
street, is celebrated; it has a canal that runs through and down the
centre of it; but such is the demand for water, that not a drop now
reaches Delhi, it being drawn off for the irrigation of the country,
ere it arrive at the city. This fine stream is called _Nahr-i-Bihísht_,
or “Canal of Paradise.” “In the reign of Shāhjahān, Ali Merdan Khan, a
nobleman, dug, at his own expense, a canal, from the vicinity of the city
of Panniput, near the head of the Doo-ab, to the suburbs of Delhi;—a
tract of ninety miles in extent. This noble canal is called by the
natives the ‘Canal of Paradise,’ and runs from north to south, in general
about ten miles distant from the Jumna, until it joins that river nine
miles below the city of New Delhi: it yielded formerly fourteen lākh of
rupees per annum. At present it is out of repair, and in many places
almost destroyed.”
As we went round the Jáma Masjid, a fine mosque, I thought of the words
of the Prophet,—“Masjids are the gardens of Paradise, and the praises of
God the fruit thereof.” On the high flight of steps leading to the mosque
were hundreds of people in gay dresses, bargaining for cloth, sweetmeats,
&c.
The inhabitants of Delhi appear to delight in dresses of the gayest
colours, and picturesque effect is added to every scene by their
graceful attire. Native gentlemen of rank, attended by large _sawārīs_
(retinues) on horseback, on elephants, or on camels, are met at every
turn, rendering the scene very amusing and animated. Nevertheless, in
spite of all this apparent splendour, a proverb is used to express the
vanity and indigence prevalent in that city:—“Dillī ke dilwālī munh
chiknā pet khālī;” “The inhabitants of Dihlī appear to be opulent, when,
in fact, they are starving.” A little beyond the Jáma Masjid is the wall
of the palace,—a most magnificent wall; I was delighted with it and its
gateways. Shortly afterwards we turned our elephants towards the tents,
and returned, considerably fatigued, to dinner.
_19th._—This morning we had decided on visiting the tomb of Humaioon,
but, on mounting our horses, hearing firing at a distance, we rode off
to see what amusement was going forward, leaving the visit to the tomb
for another day. It was lucky we did so, I would not on any account have
missed the scene. We galloped away, to save time, and found Lord Auckland
and his party at a review; after looking at the review a short time,
Captain S⸺, himself an engineer, took me to see a very interesting work:
the sappers and miners had erected a mud-fort; trenches were regularly
formed in front of the fort, to cover the attacking party, and mines were
formed underground to a considerable distance. We walked through the
long galleries, which were all lighted up, and Captain S⸺ explained the
whole to me. On our return, Lord Auckland came up, examined the fort, and
walked through the miners’ galleries. The attack commenced, the great
guns blazed away at the bastion, which was blown up in good style by the
miners; the soldiers mounted the breach and took the fort, whilst, on the
right, it was scaled by another party. This mimic war was very animated;
I like playing at soldiers, and it gave me an excellent idea of an
attack, without the horror of the reality: another mine was sprung, and
the warfare ended. The sun was high and very hot,—we rode home as fast as
our horses could carry us,—only stopping on the top of a rocky hill near
the late Mr. Frazer’s house, to admire the view of Delhi, which lay below
a mass of minarets and domes, interspersed with fine trees. Near this
spot Mr. Frazer was shot. The house was bought by Hindū Rāo for 20,000
rupees. Out of this rocky hill a sort of red gravel is dug, which forms
the most beautiful roads.
After breakfast we struck our tents, and came to stay with a friend, who
has a fine house in beautiful grounds, with a garden filled to profusion
with the gayest flowers, situated just beyond the Cashmere gate of the
city. Colonel Edward Smith, of the engineers, deserves great credit for
the style and good taste he has displayed in the architecture of this
gate of Delhi, and for several other buildings which were pointed out to
me as of his design in other parts of the city. We found the tents very
hot within the walls, with flies innumerable, like the plague of Egypt;
at least, they must be quite as bad during the hot season. In the evening
we went to a ball, given by Mr. Metcalfe to the Governor-General and his
party.
_20th._—The ball gave me a headache, and I was suffering a good deal of
pain, when a native lady came to see me, on the part of the Nawāb Shah
Zamānee Begam, the Emperor’s unmarried sister, from whom she brought a
complimentary message, and a request that I would call upon her at the
palace. The lady, finding me in pain, most kindly shampooed and mulled my
forehead so delightfully, that my headache was charmed away;—shampooing
is the great luxury of the East.
MAUSOLEUM OF HUMAIOON.
In the evening we drove through the ruins of old Delhi to the tomb of the
Emperor Humaioon. The drive is most interesting; you cannot turn your eye
in any direction but you are surrounded by ruins of the most picturesque
beauty. The tomb of Humaioon is a fine massive building, well worth
visiting: it is kept in good repair. There are several monuments within
the chambers of the mausoleum that are of carved white marble. The tomb
of the Emperor is very plain, and without any inscription. On the terrace
is a very elegant white marble monument, richly carved, of peculiar
construction, over the remains of a Begam. The different and extensive
views from the terrace over the ruins of old Delhi are very beautiful.
Captain William Franklin gives the following description of this
mausoleum:—
“The tomb of Humaioon, the son of Baber, the second of the imperial house
of Timur, was erected by his son Akbar, on the western bank of the Jumna,
in the old city of Delhi.
“The terrace, which is of red stone, is two thousand feet in
circumference. The mausoleum, which is also of red stone, rises from this
terrace. It is of circular form, surmounted by a stupendous dome of white
marble. Conspicuous from its dimensions, this dome is seen from a great
distance. Four minarets of red and white marble support the extremities
of the building. These are crowned with octagonal pavilions of red stone,
having marble cupolas. I judge the height to be about one hundred and
twenty feet. A winding staircase of red stone leads to a terrace, which
encircles the exterior of the dome: hence you have a noble prospect, both
of old and new Delhi.
“The principal room below is paved with large slabs of white marble.
It contains the tomb of Humaioon, of the common size, but elegantly
decorated with chisel work. It bears no inscription. Adjoining to this
room are other apartments, in which are interred several princesses of
the house of Timur.
“Upon the terrace before-mentioned are the graves of five princes of the
royal family; viz., Darah Shekoah, who was put to death by the order
of his brother Aurunzebe; 2nd, Mooizadeen, or Jahandar; 3rdly, Shah
Furrukseir, put to death by the Seyuds; 4thly, Beedar Bukht; and 5thly,
Azim Shah, son of Aurunzebe. Near them is the grave of the late emperor,
the second Aulumgeer.
“About two hundred yards from this mausoleum, is that of the famous Khan
Khanan, prime minister of Jehangeer, and son of the renowned Byram Khan,
remarkable for contributing in so great a degree, during the successive
reigns of Humaioon, Akbar, and Jehangeer, to establish the house of Timur
on the throne of Hindostan. The tomb resembles, both in size and shape,
that of the Nawāb Suftar Jung.”
On our return, we visited the old Fort of Delhi. The guide pointed out to
us a building, which he called a khwāb khāna, or sleeping apartment; from
this building Humaioon fell by accident, and was killed.
The mosque in the Fort attracted our admiration; it is a beautiful
building. Passing out at the other gate brought us opposite to the Lall
Durwaza, the carriage was in waiting, and I returned home.
KOTĪLA OF FEROZE SHĀH.
_Feb. 21st._—We mounted our horses and rode to a ruin, beyond the Delhi
Gate, called the Kotīla of Feroze Shāh. This is an old Fort completely
in ruins. In the centre some arches still remain, on the top of which is
a platform, on which is erected a _lāt_, a pillar of a single stone of
great height, which is said to be of granite; a number of inscriptions
are on the pillar. It measures at the base upwards of twelve feet in
circumference. The top is broken, apparently shivered by lightning.
The following extracts, from Captain William Franklin’s Memoirs of Mr.
George Thomas, and his Visit to Delhi in 1793, are interesting:—
“A mile to the southward of the city are the remains of the fort,
palace, and mosque of the Patan emperor, the first Feroze. These ruins
embrace a considerable extent. The walls of the fort are of immense
thickness, and the prodigious quantity of granite, with other stones,
spread in heaps over the whole of the interior of the inclosure, denote
it to have been a grand and splendid edifice. This fort was built Anno
Hijirah 755, and was destroyed by the Mogul conqueror Timoor, in his
invasion of Hindostan. Toward the centre of the place, is a building, of
an ancient style, flanked with round pillars, and crowned with turrets
of three stories. At the top of this building, on an ample terrace of
stone, about forty feet in height, is a column of brown granite. On this
column is an inscription, in the ancient character before-mentioned, as
discernible on the pillar in the Fort of Allahabad, and composed of the
same materials. This pillar is called by the natives Feroze Cotelah, the
staff of Feroze; and from the construction of the building on which it
is placed, I should conjecture it has been a monument of Hindoo grandeur
prior to the irruptions of the Musulmans. Adjoining to the Cotelah is
a very large building, differing in the style of its architecture from
those mosques built subsequent to the establishment of the Moguls. This
mosque is square, has four extensive aisles, or cloisters, the roofs
of which are stone, and supported by two hundred and fifty columns of
stone, about sixteen feet high. The length of the cloisters gives a grand
appearance to the building. An octangular dome of stone and brickwork,
about twenty-five feet high, rises from the centre of the mosque. In the
western cloister, is a _kibla_, or niche in the wall, in the direction of
Mecca. Of this mosque, the Emperor Timoor took a model, and carrying it
with him on his return to Samarcand, his capital, accompanied at the same
time by artificers and workmen of every description, he, shortly after
his arrival, built a magnificent temple.
“In the northern aisle of this mosque, at the upper end, is a small
window, from which was thrown the body of the late Emperor Allumgeer, who
had been assassinated at the instigation of his Vizier, Gaziodeen Khan.
The assassins were two Mahomedan devotees, whom he had invited under the
pretence of their working miracles. The body of this unfortunate prince,
unburied, for two days lay on the sands of the Jumna. At last it was
taken up by the permission of Gaziodeen, and interred in the sepulchre
of Humaioon. To me it appears that the style of building in this mosque
refers to a period in the architecture of the Hindoos prior to the Mogul
conquests. The mosque at Paniput, erected by the Emperor Baber, may be
looked upon as the model of all the succeeding Mogul buildings.”
The Akbārābādee Masjid, which we next visited, is a large mosque, not
very remarkable; perhaps this is the Masjid of the Akbārābādee Begam,
whose tomb is near the Tāj at Agra.
Thence we went to the Zeenut-al-Masjid, on the side of the Jumna, erected
by a daughter of Aurangzeb, by name Zeenut-al-Nissa; it is a very
beautiful mosque, the minarets remarkably elegant, and two of the pillars
in front of the entrance, beautifully carved, are of elegant form. “It
is of red stone, with inlayings of marble, and has a spacious terrace
in front, with a capacious reservoir, faced with marble. The princess
who built it, having declined entering into the married state, laid out
a large sum of money in the above mosque; and on its completion, she
built a sepulchre of white marble, surrounded by a wall of the same, in
the west corner of the terrace. Here she was buried, in the year of the
Hijerah 1122, corresponding to the year of Christ, 1710.”
We called on Colonel Skinner, and saw his sister, an old lady very like
her brother, with a dark complexion and white hair. The Chandnī Chauk is
a fine street, and its bazār the best in the city; we rode through it
about 4 P.M.; it was filled with crowds of gaily-dressed natives.
MASJID OF ROSHAN-OOL-DOWLA.
We observed with great interest the gilded domes of the mosque of
Roshan-ool-Dowla, at one end of the Chandnī Chauk; it is of the common
size, built of red stone, and surmounted by three domes. The King of
Persia took Delhi, A.D. 1739. Nadir Shah, on hearing of a tumult that
broke out in the great market-place, in which two thousand Persians
were slain, marched out at night with his men as far as this Masjid;
here he thought it prudent to halt until daylight. When daylight began
to appear, a person from a neighbouring terrace fired upon the king,
and killed an officer by his side. Nadir Shah was so much enraged, that
although the tumult had by this time totally subsided, he sent out his
soldiers, and ordered a general massacre of the inhabitants. This order
was executed with so much rigour, that before 2 P.M., above one hundred
thousand, without distinction of age, sex, or condition, lay dead in
their blood, although not above one-third part of the city was visited
by the sword. Nadir Shah sat during this dreadful scene in the Masjid
of Roshan-ool-Dowla; none but slaves dared approach him. At length the
unfortunate Emperor of Delhi, attended by a number of his chief omrah,
ventured before him with downcast eyes. The omrah who preceded the king,
bowed their foreheads to the ground. Nadir Shah sternly asked them what
they wanted? They cried out with one voice, “Spare the city.” Muhammad
said not a word, but the tears flowed fast from his eyes. The tyrant, for
once touched with pity, sheathed his sword, and said, “For the sake of
the prince Muhammad I forgive.” The massacre was instantly stopped.
Since that dreadful carnage, this quarter of Delhi has been but very
thinly inhabited.
An auction of the presents that had been made to the Government having
been advertised to take place at a _Europe shop_ in Delhi, I went to
the place, and desired them to purchase several articles for me, among
others a single sheet of paper that measured forty feet in length by
nineteen feet and a half in breadth. It is made, they tell me, from the
fibres of the leaf, or the bark of a tree, and is brought from Almorah
and other parts of the hills. Some of the sheets are very large and
rather coarse, others are smaller and very fine; insects do not attack
shawls that are wrapped in this sort of paper. An Amadou made from the
same fibre is also brought from Almorah. I may here mention that many
years afterwards I saw, at the Asiatic Society in London, a similar piece
of paper ticketed, “A single sheet of paper measuring sixty feet by
twenty-five, made in Kumaon, from the inner fibres of the _Set Burrooah_,
or Daphne-Cannabind-tree; presented to the Asiatic Society by G. W.
Traill, Esq., 1839.” Datisca cannabina, Hemp-like Datisca, Loudon.
I also saw there an enormous pod of the mimosa scandens, a wild creeper;
the seed is called _gela_, and is used by natives chiefly for washing the
hair. The dhobīs cut a hole in the centre of this seed, and by rubbing it
up and down on the muslin sleeves of native dresses, produce a sort of
_goufré_, that is admired and worn by opulent men. Speaking of washermen,
it appears to me a most extraordinary thing that the English have never
adopted the Asiatic method of _steaming_ the clothes in lieu of boiling
them. The process of washing by steam is very simple, gives but little
trouble, and produces the most delicate whiteness. The washermen place
the clothes in the evening over the most simple steam apparatus in the
world, leave them all night to steam, by the next morning they are clean
and fit to be removed; when all that is necessary is to rinse them in the
river, dry, and iron them. What a saving of expense, time, and trouble it
would be if this method were to be adopted in the public washing-houses
in England!
_21st._—Drove to Sir David Auchterlony’s house; there was but little to
see there. Attended a ball given by the station to the Governor-General;
remained an hour, and returned early to be ready for our expedition the
next morning.
_22nd._—Mounted our horses at daybreak, and started for the Kutab. Passed
the observatory without visiting it; stopped to view the tomb of Munsoor
Ali Khan Sufter Jung, Wuzeer of the Emperor Ahmud Shah, who died in
1753—1167; it is a handsome edifice.
THE KUTAB MINĀR.
I had seen many drawings of this famous minār, and imagined I had
a perfect idea of what I was to behold. The reality far exceeded my
expectations, on account of its grandeur, its enormous height, and the
beauty of the building. Around the Kutab are the ruins of the most
magnificent arches I should think in the world. Only one of these
arches is entire, its proportions are very fine; a few years,—another
year, perhaps,—and this beautiful arch will give way; the upper part is
tottering to its fall even now. The Kutab Minār is perhaps so called from
_Kutb_ the polar star, as being particularly distinguished and attractive
of general attention; or after the conqueror of Delhi, Kutab-ud-din-Ibek,
the polar star of religion; or after the famous saint, Kutb-ud-din, whose
tomb lies about half a mile S.W. of the column.
Inscriptions on the Kutab Minār, transcribed and translated by
Walter Ewer, Esq.
“Kutub-ud-din-Ibek, on whom be the mercy of God, constructed
this mosque.”
“In the name of the most merciful God.—The Lord has invited to
Paradise, and brings into the way of righteousness, him who
wills it.—In the year 592 this building was commenced by the
high command of Moez-ud-dunyā-ul-din Mahomad Beni Jam-Nasir
Amir Mominin.”
“The Sultan Shems-ul-Hak-wa-ud-din Altamsh erected this
building.”
“In the year 907 this minār, having been injured by lightning,
by the aid of, and favour of God, Firoz-mund Yamani restored
whatever was needed by the building. May the Lord preserve this
lofty edifice from future mischance!”
“The erection of this building was commanded in the glorious
time of the great Sultan, and mighty King of kings and Master
of mankind, the Lord of the monarchs of Turkistan, Arabia, and
Persia; the Sun of the world and religion, of the faith and the
faithful; the Lord of safety and protection; the Heir of the
kingdom of Suliman Abul Muzeffer Altamsh Nasir Amin-ul-Mominin.”
“The prophet, on whom be the mercy and peace of God, has
declared, ‘Whosoever erects a temple to the true God on earth,
shall receive six such dwellings in Paradise.’—The Minār, the
dwelling of the king of kings, Shems-ul-dunyā-wa-ud-din, now
in peace and pardon,—(be his tomb protected, and his place
assigned in Heaven!)—was injured by lightning in the reign of
the exalted monarch, Secunder, the son of Behlol—(may his power
and empire last for ever, and his reign be glorious!): and
therefore his slave, Futteh Khan, the son of Musnud Ali, the
liberal of liberals, and the meritorious servant of the king,
repaired it according to command, the 13th of Rubi-ul-Akber, in
the year 909.”
_March 30th, 1825._
Franklin’s account of this pillar is as follows:—“The Coottub Minar is
situated near, and derives its name from, the tomb of Khaja Cuttubadeen.
His disciple, Shemsadeen, of the family of Ghazi, erected this column,
anno Hijira, 770. The column has a most stupendous appearance: conceive
a shaft of sixty feet diameter, composed partly of red stone, partly of
white marble, rising to the height of two hundred and fifty feet.
“Ascending this pillar, relief is afforded by four projecting galleries
of red stone; tapering towards the summit, it was crowned with an
octagonal pavilion, which perhaps would have contained at least a dozen
persons. Each of the galleries are most richly, though differently,
ornamented: the column is relieved and rendered strikingly bold by convex
and angular projections.
“Within this grand tower is a circular staircase of three hundred and
eighty steps of red stone; there are, at intervals, landing-places, which
communicate with the windows; from the octagon on the summit the view is
strikingly grand. Inscriptions in several parts twelve inches in breadth,
embrace the column; these contain verses from the khoran, in the Arabic
character. The galleries are supported by sculptured ornaments, of which
the richness is greatly heightened by a profusion of frieze-work.”
On the night of the 31st of August, 1803, the minār was shattered from
the foundation by an earthquake; the injury occasioned by it has been
lately repaired by Colonel Edward Smith, of the engineers, who conducted
the work with great judgment, having to remove and refix some of the
large stones at the base of the tower. His judgment and taste failed
when repairing the top of the edifice; even from a distance the sort
of pavilion which he erected on the top appears heavy, and unfitted to
the proportions of the rest of the minār, which is fine by degrees, and
beautifully less. Not content with this, he placed an umbrella of Chinese
form on the top of the pavilion; it was not destined to remain,—the
lightning struck it off, as if indignant at the profanation. The minār is
covered with Arabic inscriptions and the most elaborate workmanship.
The colonnades around the Kutab are very remarkable; some of them are of
the same style of architecture as the old Hindū ruin at Kanauj, of which
I have given a sketch; one large long stone placed upright upon another
of the same description, without any mortar. Some of the colonnades are
almost perfectly plain, others richly sculptured; they appear to be very
ancient.
KUTAB KÍ LĀT.
West of the Kutab, about fifty yards, and in the middle of the colonnaded
court in front of the exquisite arch I mentioned before, stands an iron
column about twenty feet high, called “_Kutab kí Lāt_,” or “Kutab’s
Staff.” It is covered with inscriptions, some of which are said to be in
an unknown character, and are nearly effaced by time. The more recent are
in Persian and Hindī characters. It is said that this iron column was
raised by the grandfather of Raja Pittourah, on the representation of
the Brahmans, who assured him that the sceptre would never depart from
his posterity as long as this pillar stood. Raja Pittourah, however, was
killed in the eighth battle fought near Delhi by Kutab-u-dīn-Abek, who,
to show his contempt for the prophecy of the Brahmans, and to evince its
failure, allowed the column to remain. The pillar is dented near the top
by a cannon-shot fired at it by Gholam Kadir.
Near the Kutab is the foundation of another minār, which was commenced on
a larger scale, but was never finished.
Extracts from Colonel John Luard’s “Views in India”—“The Cutteb Minar
Dhelie.”⸺“This wonderful pillar derives its name from Cutteb-ud-din
(the pole-star of religion) who having come from Turkistan as a slave,
was purchased by the Emperor Mahomed Ghori—rose in his favour,—became a
general,—and ultimately succeeded to the throne,—and was the first of the
Patan, or Afghan sovereigns. In the year 589 Hegira, 1193 A.D., he took
the fort of Merut, and the city of Dhelie, from the family of Candy Rai,
and established the seat of his government there, and obliged all the
districts around to acknowledge the Mussalman faith. To commemorate this
and other successes over the infidels, this pillar was commenced about
the year 1195 A.D. The circumference at the base is 143 feet;—height of
the first balcony, 90 feet—the second, 140—the third, 180—the fourth,
203.—Total height in 1826 was 243 feet. The original sketch was made in
1823.”
“Shumse-ud-din-Altumsh married a daughter of Cuttub-ud-din-Ibek. Like
his father-in-law, he was formerly a slave, and was purchased for
50,000 pieces of silver. He became a great general, and succeeded to
the imperial throne of Dhelie in 607 Hegira, 1210 A.D. He was an able,
enterprising, and good prince—reigned twenty-six years,—died in 1235
A.D., and is buried in this elaborately ornamented building, placed about
200 yards from the Cutteb Minar, which he assisted in constructing. His
tomb is built of white marble and red granite.”
Having roamed around the tower and colonnades the whole morning, we
retired to our tents to dine during the heat of the day.