In the late thirteenth century, Qutub ud-Din Aibak, the founder of Muslim rule in India, began building what became known as the Qutub complex. The complex is located in Delhi and contains a minaret, a mosque, and a structure known as the Iron Pillar. The Qutub complex is an example of Delhi’s long history of Muslim influence.

Today, Hindu nationalists imagine this history as one of Muslim oppressors. A court case filed in 2020 exemplifies this stance. The court case was filed against India and claimed that Qutub ud-Din Aibak destroyed Hindu and Jain temples within the complex and used the ruins to build the mosque. The plaintiffs asked that the temples be restored, and Hindus be allowed to pray there, despite the complex being a UNESCO World Heritage site where no worship of any kind is allowed. Drawing on the court case itself, the Archeological Society of India’s response to the case, and UNESCO’s description of the complex, I discuss how while the state of India calls this monument “dead,” the contestation over the monument and the many different narratives around it demonstrates the dynamic and multiple meanings contained in historical architecture.