Intach Lecture series - Dr Swapna Liddle’s talk on “Symbols and Motifs at Qutub Minar Complex” - 28th January 2018

It was a cold foggy morning as we assembled at the Qutub Minar Complex for the INTACH talk. Visitors had already started pouring in although it was 9 am on a Sunday morning! Huddled in a group, we listened as Dr Swapna Liddle gave a brief history of the Qutub Minar Complex, its rulers and architects.

The Qutub Minar complex had originally been built as a mosque, a place of worship for large congregations. The Turks had arrived in the city and they were keen to mark their reign.  The typical Turk architectural features were often the dome and the true arches. However, as Dr Liddle hypothesized, the language may have been a barrier and the Indians would have had their own demands, the end result was an interesting blend of Islamic-Indian styles or in our words, jugaad!

At the entrance and inside the complex contained the old pillars taken from the Jain temples. Twenty seven Jain temples had been demolished and these pillars had been reinstalled in the complex. Each pillar had a kirti muk, a demon face with a ferocious expression and baring its teeth. Its role was to ward off the evil eye and was seen as an important figure for places of worship. The second recurring motif was the kalash that was placed below the kirti muk.  The kalash, an auspicious and ceremonial pot of mango leaves and coconut, was a symbol of abundance and remover of obstacles. The third motif was the bell shape pattern. It is believed to be a Vishnu image. The diamond shape pattern was the fourth motif to be observed on the pillars. It was a popular decorative element regularly used in Indian architecture and possibly used to balance and harmonize the composition on the pillars. Below the bell shape engravings were little shrines of gods and goddesses. Most of them had been defaced, as ancient Islam did not believe in iconography and viewed God as an abstract Being.

As we progressed to the centre of the complex where the Iron Pillar rests, we were told how certain pillars had been freshly carved as the old ones were no longer available. Random rubble masonry was used for the newer pillars. The new materials contained the limestone mortar and organic elements like urad dal, cow dung to bind the rough stones together. As with the older pillars, the motifs engraved into the stone were -:

1)   The kalash

2)   Verses of the Quran

3)   The lotus flower

4)   Symbols of river Goddesses- Yamuna and Ganga

The Quranic inscriptions were interspersed with the lotus flowers while the Makar/crocodile motif associated with Ganga contained pronounced circular patterns of the crocodile’s tail. Yamuna’s vahana or vehicle was the tortoise and imprinted with less circular waves than that of Ganga. The different motifs were stitched together to create a  beautiful composite culture.

At Illtutmish’s tomb, one could see how certain technological and artistic changes had made to the structure. Pink sandstone and marble made their presence. The materials had improved and newer forms of calligraphy had arrived. The Naskh script had been introduced as well as the Kufric. The kalash motif still remained though more stylized than its previous predecessors. The motifs of the river Goddesses , Ganga and Yamuna had fallen by the side or not clearly imprinted on stone. The shrine motifs had become ornamental and the true arch had not yet emerged. The typical Turkish dome also had not yet arrived. These additions were soon seen in our next stop- Khalji’s tomb.

Khalji’s tomb saw the appearance of the dome and the true arch at last. Though austere and bereft of any ornamentation, the massive imposing architecture by itself told a different story.  From there, we moved to the grand Alai Darwaza. It had been built as a gateway to the complex. One could see how the Sultanate had grown and prospered during those centuries. In the centre of the dome was the marble centerpiece while the later layers were in red sandstone. The arches on the sides of the structure contained the lotus pattern fringes and the six pointed star (which is also there in Humanyun’s tomb). The star consisted of two equilateral triangles and symbolized the union of god Shiva and goddess Shakti.

We also discussed and compared the domes of the Alai Darwaza and Imam Zamin’s tomb. The kalash was present on both the domes. On Imam Zamin’s tomb, it had been taken a step further. A tiny stupika had been placed on top of the kalash. Again, it was unusual as such stupas were often seen in the Buddhist architecture. Not much information is known about the man except for the sole inscription on the tomb. The outer walls of the tomb contained a three- dimensional lotus flower often seen in Buddhist as well as in Hindu iconography.

Kept for the last and the best was the Qutub Minar itself. It had the best of all the motifs and patterns put together on this towering structure. It contained the

1)   The diamond shape motifs

2)   Floral motifs

3)   Calligraphy motifs

4)   Bells

                                    5)   Star shaped motifs

The Makar Motif 

River Goddess Ganga's circular waves

Illtutmish's tomb

The kirti muk, kalash and bell

Small shrines on the pillar

Near the Iron Pillar. Note the stylised kalash

The older kalash  at the entrance

The two hour walk came to an end and some remained behind to ask Dr Liddle more questions about the Qutub Minar Complex. In the meantime, Dr Liddle added that she would be conducting two walks- 4^th February and 11^th February during the National Heritage Month. One would be at the St James Church while the other one would be done at Daryaganj. To know more updates, check the INTACH Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Intach-Heritage-Walks-199442496810218/ or check their website www.intachdelhichapter.org

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