1. Nishapur is now in the Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran.

2. The accurate meaning of the word “Aibak” is disputed. According to some scholars, “Aibak” might also mean the name of a tribe or a town.

3. Taju-l Ma’asir: Hasan Nizami. Quoted in The History of India As Told by Its Own Historians: Vol 3, Elliot and Dawson. p 220

4. Kol was also known as Koil before the 18th Century. Its origins are obscure. A Puranic account narrates that Balarama slew the demon named Kol in this region and with the help of the Ahir people, established peace and order. Another account attributes the establishment of this city to the Dor Rajputs in the fourth century CE. The latter account can reasonably be verified by the ruins of the Dor fort still standing in Aligarh. For fuller details, see: Descriptive and Historical Account of the Aligarh District: Edwin T. Atkinson: Oxford University Press, 1875

5. Taju-l Ma’asir: Hasan Nizami. Quoted in The History of India As Told by Its Own Historians: Vol 2, Elliot and Dawson. p 222

6. Jayachandra is the same Jaichand mentioned in the epic poem, Prithviraj Raso, which blames him for betraying Prithviraja Chahamana. The account is historically inaccurate. However, the name “Jaichand” continues to be synonymous with “traitor.”

7. Taj-ul-Maasir: Hasan Nizami: Quoted in The History of India As Told by Its Own Historians: Vol 2, Elliot and Dawson. p 224

8. “The conqueror entered the city and its vicinity was freed from idols and idol-worship; and in the sanctuaries of the images of the gods, mosques were razed by the worshippers of the one God” -- Taj-ul-Maasir: Hasan Nizami quoted in: Qutab Minar & Adjoining Monuments: Archeological Survey of India, 2002 p 31.

9. The construction of the first storey of the Qutub Minar began some time in 1199.

10. Adhai din ka Jhonpra literally means, “Shed of two-and-half days.” Also known as “Dhai Din ki Masjid.” It was the second mosque to be built in India by the Mamluk Slave kings, the first being the aforementioned Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi. For a detailed history of this mosque, see: Ajmer’s Adhai din ka Jhonpra: K.D.L. Khan: Spectrum, The Tribune, September 2, 2007.

The Mahakala temple was since rebuilt and is still renowned for its extraordinary Bhasmarti. However, it is not even a pale shadow of what it had once been.