Qutab Minar was actually Vishnu Stambh: VHP Spokesman Vinod Bansal as he says 'it was built just to tease Hindu community'

In what could spark a controversy, Vishwa Hindu Parishad spokesman Vinod Bansal on Sunday claimed that Qutab Minar was actually 'Vishnu Stambh'.

While speaking to news agency ANI, the VHP spokesman said Qutub Minar was built with materials obtained after demolishing 27 Hindu-Jain temples.

Further he also went on to say that the superimposed structure was built just to tease the Hindu community.

"Qutab Minar was actually 'Vishnu Stambh'. Qutub Minar was built with materials obtained after demolishing 27 Hindu-Jain temples. The superimposed structure was built just to tease the Hindu community," Vinod Bansal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Mr Bansal's statement comes a day after the VHP demanded that the government rebuild the ancient temples at the Qutub Minar complex and allow resumption of Hindu rituals and prayers there.

The VHP leaders including Vinod Bansal had visited the compound of the monument which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.

"We demand that all the 27 temples, which were demolished at the site in the past, be rebuilt and Hindus be allowed to offer prayers there," he said.

National Monument Authority (NMA) chairman and BJP leader Tarun Vijay had on Thursday said that Ganesha idols were placed "disrespectfully" in the Qutub Minar complex. Vijay also said that he had raised the issue with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over a year ago but was yet to receive a response to his letter.

As per the Delhi Tourism website, the 73-metre high Qutab Minar was built with materials obtained after demolishing 27 Hindu temples at the site after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom.

The wesbite states: "An inscription over its (Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque) eastern gate provocatively informs that it was built with material obtained from demolishing '27 Hindu temples'.

" Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar in 1200 AD but could only finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmush, added three more storeys, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last storey, according to the data on website.

(with agency inputs)