The Chand Minar or the Tower of the Moon is a medieval tower in Daulatabad, India. The tower is located in the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

near the

Daulatabad fort Daulatabad Fort, originally Deogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of the Yadavas (9th century – 14th century CE), for a brief time the capital of th ...

complex. It was erected in 1445 by a Bahmani slave and commemorated to sultan Alau'd-din Ahmad Shah of the Bahmani Sultanate to commemorate his

victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

against the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belongi ...

in 1443. Chand Minar bears resemblance to the

Qutb Minar The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and victory tower comprising the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage ...

of Delhi and was inspired from it. The Chand Minar is considered to be among the finest specimens of

Indo-Islamic architecture Indo-Islamic architecture is the architecture of the Indian subcontinent produced by and for Islamic patrons and purposes. Despite an initial Arab presence in Sindh, the development of Indo-Islamic architecture began in earnest with the establi ...

in Southern India. It is 63 metres high and is divided into 4 storeys and 24 chambers. A small mosque or praying hall sits at the base of the tower, which is covered with Persian blue tiles. The tower also displays some indigenous Indian architectural features such as the brackets supporting its balconies. The tower's height makes it visible from every corner of the Daulatabad Fort.

Gallery

File:Giant Chand minar.jpg File:Daulatabad 032.JPG Daulatabad fort N-MH-A50-8.JPG

References

{{Bahmani Sultanate Minarets in India Aurangabad district, Maharashtra Bahmani architecture