Alai Darwaza

Description:

The Alai Darwaza is a perfect specimen of architecture belonging to the period of the Delhi Sultanate. It was built in 1311, by Ala-ud-din-Khilji, of the Khilji dynasty (which ruled the Delhi Sultanate from AD 1290 to AD 1316). The Alai Darwaza was a part of Ala-ud-din-Khilji’s extension of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. It was one of the four grand gateways; the other three could not be completed because of the death of Ala-ud-din in AD 1316.

The main structure of the Alai Darwaza consists of a single hall 34½ feet on the inside and 56½ feet on the outside. The domed ceiling rises to a height of 47 feet. The three doorways on the east, west, and south are lofty pointed arches, in the shape of a horseshoe, which rise above the flanking side bays. The entrance to the north is of an indigenous character, as its arch is semi-circular in shape. The dome of the Alai Darwaza, in this respect, is a notable achievement.

A series of squinches of pointed shape, one recessed within the other, in the upper section of each angle of the hall, changes the square into an octagon, and then the octagon into the circle of the dome with an interweaving sixteen-sided shaft formed by a bracket at each end of the octagon. With use of complex geometric calculations, the load of the dome has been gracefully conveyed to the ground—from the circle to the sixteen-sided shaft, from the latter to the octagon and then onto the four walls of the square chamber.

Perforated latticework window screens (jali) are set in the recessed windows on both sides of the entrances. These marble screens set off the monotony of the vertical lines of calligraphic ornamentation. The most charming aspect of surface decoration is the lace-like interweaving of floral tendrils, repeated with a flawless symmetry on all the three entrances, elegantly designed and perfectly built.

The northern entrance is semi-circular with a shallow trefoil in its outline. The façade is elaborately ornamented in sensuous carving and patterns, characteristic of the pre-Turkish days (the first Muslim rulers of India came from Turkey). The Alai Darwaza also shows the influence of Seljuk art. The Seljuks had started fleeing Western Asia after Mongol invasions in the 12th century AD and had reached Delhi for protection. The ‘spear-headed’ embellishment on the three entrances is of particular importance in this regard.

The Alai Darwaza stands isolated at the southern end of the Qutab complex, with the Qutab Minar behind it, it appears a fitting part of the grand structures of the Delhi Sultanate.