It is not known whether anything
formerly stood upon it. The column was in its present condition
when the English conquered Delhi.
We mounted as far as the highest point, and a most charming view of
the whole remains of Delhi, the Jumna, and the unbounded plain,
opened itself here before us. The history of the people who once
ruled Hindostan may here be studied in the ruins of imperial towns,
lying one close beside the other. It was a great and imposing
prospect.
Many places where magnificent palaces and monuments formerly stood
are now cultivated fields. Wherever the ground is broken up,
fragments of ruins show themselves.
Opposite the tower or column of Kotab-Minar stands a similar
unfinished building, the base of which is considerably larger in
circumference than that of the finished one. It is supposed that
these two towers belonged to a magnificent mosque, {190} of which
some courts, gateways, columns, and walls still remain.
These few remains of the mosque are remarkable for the perfect
sculptures which covered the walls, gateways, etc., both outside and
inside. The entrance-gateway has a considerable height. The
columns in the courts are of Buddhist origin; the bell with long
chain is sculptured on them in relief.
In the fore-court of the mosque stands a metal column similar to
that at Allahabad, except that there is no lion upon its summit, and
its height is not more than thirty-six feet. It is defaced by
several marks and slight injuries, which are ascribed to the
Mongolians, who, when they conquered Delhi, attempted in their
destructive rage to pull down these columns; but they stood too
firmly, and all their exertions were insufficient to destroy any of
the inscriptions on them.
The remaining Patan or Affghan temples and monuments which lie
dispersed among the other ruins, resemble each other as much as they
differ from the Mahomedan and Hindoo buildings. The monuments of
this kind generally consist of a small round temple, with a not very
high cupola, surrounded by open arcades supported on pillars.
Here also, in the neighbourhood of Kotab-Minar, a hospitable
dwelling is to be found. A ruined building is fitted up, and three
of the rooms are furnished.
On the way homewards, we visited the observatory of the famous
astronomer, Dey Singh. If that at Benares has been seen, this may
well be passed by. Both were built by the same architect, and in
the same style; but that at Benares is well preserved, while the one
here is already much dilapidated. Some travellers consider this
memorial as one of the most wonderful works of Indian art.
Near the observatory stands the old madrissa (school-house), a large
building, with numerous rooms for teachers and pupils, and with open
galleries and halls, in which the teachers sat surrounded by groups
of youths.
