Kos Minar

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Kos Minar in Delhi Zoo
Kos-Minar near Tirawadi, Karnal

A Kos-Minar was a Mughal round tower that was built in northern India on the edge of a road as a kind of milestone . A few specimens have also survived near Lahore , in today's Pakistan.

history

The krosh distance was already known in Vedic times. In Arthashastra (around 200 AD) a Yojan (= approx. 9 miles = approx. 15 km) consists of 4 krosh . In the Mughal period, kos was understood to be 1.125 or 2 English miles (= approx. 2 to 3.5 km). The first known mile towers in northern India possibly date from the time of Sher Khan Suri (r. 1539–1545), who built or expanded the road connection from Bengal to today's Pakistan, later called Grand Trunk Road . The Mughals took over this practice - Abu 'l-Fazl reports in 1575 that the Mughal Mughal Akbar I ordered that such towers be built along the road from Agra to Ajmer for the "convenience of travelers". It is also said that a horse, a rider and a drummer were stationed at each tower. Later these towers were forgotten and fell into disrepair; today about 150 Kos minars are still known.

architecture

A Kos-Minar is a 6 to 8 m high round tower, often octagonal in the lower part, but always slightly conical towards the top, without an entrance and without a balcony or platform. The individual components are separated from one another by profiled cornices . The material used was mostly rubble , and more rarely bricks , which were then covered with plaster . Stones were often left out in the upper part; Scaffolding beams could be inserted into the remaining holes for repairs. The top of the tower is regularly designed as a small dome .

literature

  • DV Sharma and Manoj Kumar: Kos Minar in History and Architecture. Aryan Books, New Delhi 2013, ISBN 978-8173054457

Web links

Commons : Kos Minar  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files