Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 02

Author(s): Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 72

288
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Jijñāsā
architects to estimate the cost of its completion. Their estimate amounted to thirty five lacs. Therefore, he gave it up. considering the amount as exorbitant. One of his special officers informed me that he had not given it up on account of this, but he considered its completion ominous as Sultan Qutb ud-din (Mubarak Shah Khalji) had been killed
before completing it". Ibn Battuta does not ignore the life line of a city, i.e., source of water supply. He also points out its significance as a place of tourist attraction. He writes,
Outside Delhi is a big reservoir called after Sultan Shams-ud-din Lalmisho. The inhabitants of Delhi take their supply of drinking water from it, and it lies near the Idgah (musalla) of Delhi. It is fed by rain water and is about two miles long and a mile broad. On its western side facing the Idgah are built platforms of stone, one higher than another. Under each platform are stairs which help one to get down to the water. Beside each platform is a dome of stone containing seats for amusement and pleasure seekers. In the middle of the tank there is a big dome of two storeys built of sculptured stone. When water rises high in the tank the dome can be reached only by boats, but when the water decreases people walk up to it. Inside the dome is a mosque where one finds fakirs inost of the time. These fakirs have renounced the world relying upon God. When the water on the sides of the tank gets dried up sugarcane, cucumber, sweet calabash. melons and water-melons are grown in it. The melons are small but
extremely sweet": Then lb. Battuta describes the cultural life of the musicians. They had their colony adjacent to haus-i khas. It was larger than Sultan Itutmish's tank. and the areas where lived musicians and the place was known as Tarababad. they had their own large market, a congregational mosque and other are more mosques. He writes that female singers recited the congregational prayers (taravih) in those mosques during the month of Ramazan and the Imams conducted their prayers, and the number of women attending the prayers was very large; and the same was true of the male singers. I saw some musicians participating in the festivities of Amir Saif ud-din Gadda bin Muhanna's marriage. Everyone of them had a prayer-mat (musalla) under his knee. As soon as they heard the call to prayer they stood up, made their ablutions and prayed“,
Sepulchres of Delhi saiots have also found place in Battuta's narrative. Today these tombs are considered invaluable for religious tourism. He mentions a large number of Sufis of the past, such as Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya and their miracles as well as contemporary Sufis like Ala ud-din Nili, a disciple of Shaikh Nizam ud-din Auliya and many others. One gets to know intimately the life and ideas of the Sufis.
Even Ibn Battuta talks about good upkeep of the roads and facilities extended to the travellers. He writes,
"The road between Delhi and Daulatabad is bordered with willow trees and others in such a manner that a man going along it inagines he is walking through a garden; and at every mile there are three postal stations (dawa), that is, barid. At every station (dawa) is to be found all that a traveller needs. It looks, therefore, as if he is walking through a market of forty days' journey. The road is the same all along down to the region of Tiling and Ma'bar - a six months journey on foot (from Delhi)".