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Mahesh

26/05/22 09:16 AM IST

Qutub Minar not a place of worship

In News 
  • Qutub Minar is not a place of worship, nor can it be revived as one under the laws of the land, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) told a Delhi court.
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
  • It is under the Ministry of Culture.
  • It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham- the first Director-General of ASI.
  • Alexander Cunningham is also known as the “Father of Indian Archaeology”.
  • It is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation.
  • It carries out surveys of antiquarian remains, exploration and excavation of archaeological sites, conservation and maintenance of protected monuments.

Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991:
  • It seeks to maintain the “religious character” of places of worship as it was in 1947 except in the case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, which was already in court.
  • Section 3 of the Act bans the conversion of a place of worship or even a section of it into a place of worship of a different religious denomination or of a different segment of the same religious denomination.
  • Section 4(2) says that all suits, appeals or other proceedings regarding converting the character of a place of worship (that were pending on 15th August, 1947) will come to end when the Act commences and no fresh proceedings can be filed.
  • The legal proceedings however can be initiated if the change of status took place after 15th August, 1947 (after enactment of the Act).
  • It also imposes a positive obligation on the State to maintain the religious character of every place of worship as it existed at the time of Independence.
Qutub Minar 
  • It is a five-storeyed red sandstone tower (72.5 m high) built by Muslim conquerors in the thirteenth century to commemorate their final triumph over the Rajput rulers of Delhi (Qutub means victory), while also serving as a tower from where muezzins (criers) call for prayer at the Quwwatu’l-Islam mosque.
  • A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque.
  • Its surrounding contains Alai-Darwaza Gate, the masterpiece of Indo-Muslim art (built in 1311).
  • The building process of Qutub Minar took about 75 years. Its construction was started by Qutub-ud-din Aibak (1206-1210) in 1193 and finished by Iltutmish (1211-1236).
  • In 1368, it was repaired by the rulers of the day, Muhammad-bin-Tughluq (1325-51) and Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351-88).
  • Qutub Minar and its monuments were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
Source- PIB 

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