The Golden Minaret of Firoz Shah Tughlaq
"By the grace of the Creator who sees and hears everything, we shall remove this lofty pillar and make a Minar (Minara-i zarin or golden minar) of it in the Jami Mosque of Firozabad where, God willing, it shall stand as long as the world endures."
"This pillar, high as the heaven, is made of a single block of stone and tapers upward, being broad at the base and narrow at the top.
Seen from a hundred farsang (about four miles) it looks like a hillock of gold, as the Sun when it spreads its rays in the morning.
No bird - neither eagle, nor crane - can fly as high as its top; and arrows, whether Khadang or Khatai, cannot reach to its middle.
If thunder were to rage about the top of this pillar, no one could hear the sound owing to the great distance (between the top of the pillar and the ground).
O God! how did they lift this heavy mountain (the pillar); and in what did they fix it (so firmly) that it does not move from its place!
How did they carry it to the top of the building which almost touches the heavens and place it there (in its upright position)?
How could they paint it all over with gold, (so beautifully) that it appears to the people like the golden morning!
Is it the lote-tree (the tree that marks the end of the seventh heaven) of paradise which the angels may have planted in this world or is it the heavenly sidrah (a holy tree at the end of the seventh heaven), which the people imagine to be a mountain?
Its foundations have been filled with iron and stone; and its trunk and branches (the shaft and capital) are made of gold and corals."
Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (r: 1351-1388) was a great admirer of architecture. He founded several cities, constructed new monuments, and repaired many structures built by his predecessors. Among his notable achievements was the relocation of two Asoka pillars to Delhi: one from Topra (in Haryana), and the other from Meerut (in Uttar Pradesh). The Topra pillar was re-erected near the Jami Mosque at Firozabad, now known as Firoz Shah Kotla, while the Meerut pillar was placed on the ridge near the Kushk-i-Shikar (Hunting Palace) at Firozabad (Near the Hindu Rao hospital).
Shams-i Siraj Afif, author of Tarikh-i-Firoz-Shahi, states that these stone monoliths had stood in Topra and Meerut since the days of the Pandavas. Afif also recounts a captivating legend suggesting that these pillars were once the walking sticks of Bhimasena, who used them to gather cattle.
Firoz Shah noticed these heavy and lofty pillars during excursions near Delhi. Captivated by the Topra pillar, he decided to take it to Delhi. Hindu scholars told him that the pillar had grown out of the earth and reached the heavens, while others claimed a magical talisman beneath the pillar, preventing its removal. They also warned that any attempt to excavate around the pillar would unleash dangerous creatures such as vipers, snakes, scorpions, and wasps, that could harm people.
Despite these warnings, Firoz Shah remained resolute in his decision. He gathered a council of skilled engineers and learned men from his kingdom, seeking their advice on this challenging task. However, they considered it absolutely impossible. Undeterred, the Sultan himself devised ingenious plans for each step of this undertaking.
The pillar was then encased from top to bottom in soft tree bark. A carriage with 42 wheels was constructed, with strong ropes attached to each wheel. Several thousand labourers were put on work to load the pillar on to the carriage.
Each rope, weighing ten maunds, was pulled by two hundred men at a time. At last, the carriage began to move, and was brought to the banks of the river Yamuna. The column was then ingeniously transferred to several large boats and conducted to Firozabad, where it was unloaded and taken into the palace.
Next, thick ropes and windlasses were brought to facilitate the lifting process. One end of the ropes was tied to the top of the pillar, while the other ends passed over the windlasses. Thousands of labourers were engaged in turning the wheels and, with each turn, the pillar rose about half a yard. With its raising up, wooden supports wrapped with raw tree bark were fixed around it to ensure stability and prevent it from falling. In this manner, over the course of several days, the column was finally erected straight, without any bend or damage.
The square stone base was buried underground while the pillar was being balanced, forming a stable foundation. After the pillar was raised, ornamental friezes of black and white stone were fitted around its capital. A gilded copper cupola was installed at its very top.
Firoz Shah named this pillar the Golden Minaret or Minara-i zarin. The pillar's total height was thirty-two yards: twenty-four yards above the plinth and eight yards below the foundation. The Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi, an anonymous historical acount of Firoz Shah's reign, provides a detailed account of the relocation of the Minara-i zarin with illustrations.
Firoz Shah invited many Brahmans and Hindu devotees to decipher the inscription on the pillar, but they could not read it (the characters being in Brahmi).
According to Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi, local historians traditionally believed that the pillar and temple at Topra were erected over four thousand years ago. A 249 years old inscription on the pillar mentions that Visaladeva Chauhan, the Rai of Sambhal, found it. Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi also mentions that Tarmashirin, the Mongol, once attempted to split the pillar by burning a huge fire around its base, but the pillar did not crack.
Afif states that the Meerut pillar was somewhat smaller than the Minara-i zarin, and Firoz Shah relocated it with similar skill and labor.
While Afif mentions only two pillars, Ferishta claims Firoz Shah erected a total of ten monumental pillars. In addition to the Topra and Meerut pillars, two more can be found at Fatehabad and Hissar, both in Haryana.
The golden minaret is a single shaft of pale pinkish sandstone, measuring 42 feet 7 inches in length. Its golden cupola is now lost.
The Meerut pillar was destroyed in a gunpowder explosion during the reign of the Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar. Broken pieces of the pillar were transported to the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1866, but were brought back and restored to their original location in 1887, where it still stands today.
(Firoz Shah Tughlaq)
"This pillar, high as the heaven, is made of a single block of stone and tapers upward, being broad at the base and narrow at the top.
Seen from a hundred farsang (about four miles) it looks like a hillock of gold, as the Sun when it spreads its rays in the morning.
No bird - neither eagle, nor crane - can fly as high as its top; and arrows, whether Khadang or Khatai, cannot reach to its middle.
If thunder were to rage about the top of this pillar, no one could hear the sound owing to the great distance (between the top of the pillar and the ground).
O God! how did they lift this heavy mountain (the pillar); and in what did they fix it (so firmly) that it does not move from its place!
How did they carry it to the top of the building which almost touches the heavens and place it there (in its upright position)?
How could they paint it all over with gold, (so beautifully) that it appears to the people like the golden morning!
Is it the lote-tree (the tree that marks the end of the seventh heaven) of paradise which the angels may have planted in this world or is it the heavenly sidrah (a holy tree at the end of the seventh heaven), which the people imagine to be a mountain?
Its foundations have been filled with iron and stone; and its trunk and branches (the shaft and capital) are made of gold and corals."
(Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi)
Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (r: 1351-1388) was a great admirer of architecture. He founded several cities, constructed new monuments, and repaired many structures built by his predecessors. Among his notable achievements was the relocation of two Asoka pillars to Delhi: one from Topra (in Haryana), and the other from Meerut (in Uttar Pradesh). The Topra pillar was re-erected near the Jami Mosque at Firozabad, now known as Firoz Shah Kotla, while the Meerut pillar was placed on the ridge near the Kushk-i-Shikar (Hunting Palace) at Firozabad (Near the Hindu Rao hospital).
Shams-i Siraj Afif, author of Tarikh-i-Firoz-Shahi, states that these stone monoliths had stood in Topra and Meerut since the days of the Pandavas. Afif also recounts a captivating legend suggesting that these pillars were once the walking sticks of Bhimasena, who used them to gather cattle.
Firoz Shah noticed these heavy and lofty pillars during excursions near Delhi. Captivated by the Topra pillar, he decided to take it to Delhi. Hindu scholars told him that the pillar had grown out of the earth and reached the heavens, while others claimed a magical talisman beneath the pillar, preventing its removal. They also warned that any attempt to excavate around the pillar would unleash dangerous creatures such as vipers, snakes, scorpions, and wasps, that could harm people.
Despite these warnings, Firoz Shah remained resolute in his decision. He gathered a council of skilled engineers and learned men from his kingdom, seeking their advice on this challenging task. However, they considered it absolutely impossible. Undeterred, the Sultan himself devised ingenious plans for each step of this undertaking.
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| Picturesque Elevation of the Shikar Gah and the Celebrated Pillar at Delhi, June 1797 - Asiatic Researches |
Removal of the Topra Pillar
Firoz Shah instructed nearby villagers and townspeople to bring a variety of tools, implements and other provisions. Silken ropes from the Sembal tree were arranged around the column to secure it during the digging process. As the soil was removed from the base, the pillar gently fell over onto this cotton bed. The cotton was gradually removed, and after a few days, the pillar lay safely on the ground. Its large square stone base was also dug out.The pillar was then encased from top to bottom in soft tree bark. A carriage with 42 wheels was constructed, with strong ropes attached to each wheel. Several thousand labourers were put on work to load the pillar on to the carriage.
Each rope, weighing ten maunds, was pulled by two hundred men at a time. At last, the carriage began to move, and was brought to the banks of the river Yamuna. The column was then ingeniously transferred to several large boats and conducted to Firozabad, where it was unloaded and taken into the palace.
Re-erection of the Topra Pillar
At Firozabad, a new structure was erected beside the Jami Masjid to house the pillar. This edifice, constructed from stone and lime, featured a series of steps. As each step was completed, the column was raised onto it. Then, the next step was built, and the pillar lifted again. This process continued until it reached the desired height.Next, thick ropes and windlasses were brought to facilitate the lifting process. One end of the ropes was tied to the top of the pillar, while the other ends passed over the windlasses. Thousands of labourers were engaged in turning the wheels and, with each turn, the pillar rose about half a yard. With its raising up, wooden supports wrapped with raw tree bark were fixed around it to ensure stability and prevent it from falling. In this manner, over the course of several days, the column was finally erected straight, without any bend or damage.
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| Kotla Firz Shah Fort ruins with Ashokan pillar |
The square stone base was buried underground while the pillar was being balanced, forming a stable foundation. After the pillar was raised, ornamental friezes of black and white stone were fitted around its capital. A gilded copper cupola was installed at its very top.
Firoz Shah named this pillar the Golden Minaret or Minara-i zarin. The pillar's total height was thirty-two yards: twenty-four yards above the plinth and eight yards below the foundation. The Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi, an anonymous historical acount of Firoz Shah's reign, provides a detailed account of the relocation of the Minara-i zarin with illustrations.
Firoz Shah invited many Brahmans and Hindu devotees to decipher the inscription on the pillar, but they could not read it (the characters being in Brahmi).
According to Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi, local historians traditionally believed that the pillar and temple at Topra were erected over four thousand years ago. A 249 years old inscription on the pillar mentions that Visaladeva Chauhan, the Rai of Sambhal, found it. Sirat-i-Firuz Shahi also mentions that Tarmashirin, the Mongol, once attempted to split the pillar by burning a huge fire around its base, but the pillar did not crack.
Afif states that the Meerut pillar was somewhat smaller than the Minara-i zarin, and Firoz Shah relocated it with similar skill and labor.
While Afif mentions only two pillars, Ferishta claims Firoz Shah erected a total of ten monumental pillars. In addition to the Topra and Meerut pillars, two more can be found at Fatehabad and Hissar, both in Haryana.
The golden minaret is a single shaft of pale pinkish sandstone, measuring 42 feet 7 inches in length. Its golden cupola is now lost.
The Meerut pillar was destroyed in a gunpowder explosion during the reign of the Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar. Broken pieces of the pillar were transported to the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1866, but were brought back and restored to their original location in 1887, where it still stands today.
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