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| Dhruva Stambha |
Hello,
In case you also happen to have deep interests in forgotten/neglected ancient Hindu sites that tells a tale of the passed times, this will interest you. Had long heard that "Qutb Minar" was actually part of ancient religious complex holding several Hindu and Jain temples in the times of Chauhan dynasty ruling over Delhi around 11th century. That was a starting point. What made me more curious was this note on Wikipedia which says "engraving on the Qutub Minar reads, "Shri Vishwakarma prasade rachita" (Conceived with the grace of Lord Vishwakarma.)
Ok, so that was enough to get started with some research work and gather some more info. Following material is collected from various sources and re-produced with permissions. Special thanks to the friends who contributed.
Lal Kot, Qila Rai Pithora and Siri
In North Bharart, areas surrounding Lal Kot and Siri were ruled by the Hindu kings around 700AD. Lal Kot, meaning Red Fortress was the first city to be constructed in the Delhi area by the Anang Pal, the first. It is also believed it is during this time that Hindu and Jain temples came in to existence in that place. This was between 731-750 AD. Evidence suggests that the Tomars(Anang Pal was of Tomar clan) ruled the Suraj Kund and surrounding areas until around 1150 AD. There were several Rajput clans existing in those times and Prithviraj Chauhan of the Chauhan Rajputs seized power of the area in along the end of 11th Century. Prithviraj extended the city and renamed the area Qila Rai Pithora. During the 10th and 11th centuries Afghans had led raiding parties into Bharat for plunder, but this changed in the late 12th Century with the arrival of Muhammad Ghauri who wished to extend his kingdom here. In 1185 he took Lahore and begun his campaigns against the Rajputs.
The Rajputs defeated Ghauri in 1191 in the Battle of Terain, but their code of honour led to Ghauri’s release. After several failed attempts(folklores mentions 17), Ghauri finally was able to defeat the Rajputs, however Ghauri did not have the same battle code and kept Prithviraj his prisoner. The story of how Ghauri was able to defeat the Rajputs in 18th attack, found in manuscripts Prithviraj Raso, is equally interesting. Prithviraj Raso, the epic poem written by royal poet of Prithviraj Chauhan, Chand Bardai, is the most authentic source of history of the times. It says, Ghauri had asked his army commanders to add cow-herds afront his foot-army which put the Rajputs in dharmic dillemma as they would not dare shoot bows and arrows fearing hurting/killing cows considered sacred by Hindu soldiers. This enabled Ghauri to take control of Lal Kot and Qila Rai Pithora. His empire extended from Delhi through Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turekestan. Ghauri left one of his Generals and also his slave, the Turk Qutb-ud-din Aibak as Viceroy of Delhi. Qutb-ud-din Aibak started work on Jami Masjid within the city of Lal Kot. This was on top of previous Hindu structures and certainly part of old temples demolished by Ghauri's army were utilised in the building.
Information so far suggests us, okay, so may be there were temples there and Lal Kot was controlled by Hindus then. So What? What about the Tower? We are not aware of towers outside temples. Following article that explains the purpose of the Dhruva Stambha(Yes, not Qutb Minar) is certainly an eye-opener. Those who know Hinduism enough would certainly concur that offering Lotus to Lord Vishnu has been part of the religious cerimonies for eons. Also is the known fact that study of "Nakshtra's", part of Hindu astrological science, by Hindu sages/Gurus has also been a long standing practise. With that in mind, please go through the following scanned pages.
Finally, note that I am deeply disappointed by the GOI (which is intenationally or unintentionally) spreading poorly/insufficiently researched material on this historical monument through their official youtube channel here. Sincere hope is, just as existence of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was proven in the court of law, one day Dhruva Stmabha will also become 'legally' recognized ancient site of another Hindu temple destructed during Islmaic rule in Bharat. Remember our national emblem? Satyamev Jayate. Jay Hind. Jay Shri Ram.
“History is a set of lies people have agreed upon” -- Napoleon Bonaparte
