Allowing history to crumble

The Hastal Minar closely resembles the Qutub Minar as far as architectural style is concerned, and some historians say it was built earlier than the Qutab, contends Pushpanjali Sahu

THE Hastal Minar closely resembles the Qutub Minar as far as architectural style is concerned. And some historians say it was built earlier than the Qutab. But the Hastal Minar today stands helplessly amidst thousands of concrete tenements in a remote corner of Delhi, neglected by common public and ignored by archaeologists.

No history book has mentioned about it. It is called the Hastal Minar because it is situated in Hastal village on the outskirts of west Delhi. Many serpentine lanes and bylanes lead one to the 56-ft-tall red sandstone structure which looks like a broken red chimney. Based on a small mount, it rises from a platform.

The minar is now in a dilapidated condition and only two storeys of it remain intact. However from the base of the tower — about 55 ft in circumference — it can be estimated that there were two more storeys which have not withstood the ravages of time.

The design of the tower has a round and triangular fluting which is also the architectural style of the Qutub. Each storey has a narrow balcony with a small door for an outside view. The tower has one hole, presumably for the air and light to come in. It, however, does not have any inscription on its walls. There is no mention anywhere of its creator. Some researchers believe that the Hastal Minar used to be a watch-tower of emperor Shahjahan who came here for hunting as this area was a jungle at that time. The villagers of Hastal tell a different story.

According to them, the tower was built by Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu emperor of Delhi in the 12th century, long before the Qutab Minar was built. This version might have wide, ranging ramifications. It also strengthens the belief of some historians that the Qutab Minar, which has been built in the middle of a Hindu fort called Lal Kot or Quila Pithora, is of Hindu origin. According to this theory of Qutub’s origin, the first storey of the Qutub Minar was built by a relative of emperor Prithviraj, Raj Pithora. The structure was later remodelled and extended by successive rulers of the Delhi Sultanate.

The villagers in Hastal say that in the days of emperor Prithviraj Chauhan this place was used as a stable for royal elephants. In fact the word Hastal itself means an elephant stable. Though history is silent about the Hastal Minar’s existence, local residents churn out several stories about it, some of them quite funny and bizarre. Some say no one gets hurt after falling from the minar. Others say that the minar was broken to half after a plane struck against it. Still some others say that around 30 years back the tower was surrounded by a 15-foot wall.

The last one might be true as the area around the Hastal Minar is very congested. The wall most probably disappeared over the years as houses were build near the tower. People have even built houses adjoining the tower, thus damaging its formation. Now one can enter into the structure through a very narrow and stinky passage. The inside of the minar stinks of human faeces as people ease themselves there.

The Hastal Minar will definitely turn into rubble after some years due to the ignorance of the villagers about the historical significance of the structure, lack of interest on the part of archaeologists and official apathy. With it many explored chapters of Delhi’s history will be buried for ever.