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Young World
City of fortune
G.V. JOSHI
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The Chandminar at Daulatabad was erected as a victory tower.
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The Chandminar: Near the Daulatabad Fort.
Chandminar at Daulatabad Fort can be called as Qutabminar of the south. Daulatabad, once known as Devagiri, is a magnificent 12th century fortress standing atop a hill, 13 km from Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Daultabad Fort is one of the few impregnabale forts in Maharashtra with fine architecture. It was given the name Daulatabad, “The City of Fortune” by Mohammed bin Tughlaq, the sultan of Delhi.
The most notable structure at Daulatabad is the Chandminar, with its tapering 65 metre high tower of victory. It was erected by Ala-ud-din Bahmani to celebrate his conquest of the fort in 1435. Qutabminar in Delhi, a few metres higher is the only other historic tower in India.
For victory
The Persian blue and turquoise tiles that once plastered it in complex geometric patterns have disappeared. It is divided into four stories by circular balconies supported on brackets and was faced with glazed tiles and carved motifs. The Minar probably served as a prayer hall or a victory monument in its time.
The Minar had its own miniature fortress and buildings around it, which have now been lost.
The blue porcelain tiles on the façade of the building, at the base of the tower have all disappeared. These tiles remind the visitor of the massive Madrasas of Samarkand in what is now Uzbekistan.
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