As a result of its remarkable state, the pillar has fascinated historians and archaeologists, as well as those of us with scientific and technical interests, for many years. The lower part is rough and pitted where it was once below ground, but the rest of the cylindrical column is smooth and tapers to a decorative bell at the top.
An inscription commemorates the victory of King Chandra over his enemies in the fourth century A. There is also damage that is believed to be caused by a cannon shot. The massive pillar was not built in one piece, but rather by hammering together several pieces of hot wrought iron in a process known as forge welding. But why was this process never continued? Despite the pillar itself being preserved, the technology used in its creation was not.
The anachronistic knowledge used in casting iron during this period could hardly be mimicked today. But one characteristic of the pillar that gives some insight into its mystery is an inscription written in Sanskrit referencing a royal known as Chandra, who most believe to be a reference to Chandragupta II. The Gupta Dynasty in India was marked by significant advancements and achievements in science, technology, literature and astronomy.
They developed the game of chess as well as some of the most famous pieces of literature and drama in Indian history. Indian scholars during this era understood that the Earth is round and rotates around the sun.
They were in tune with cosmic cycles, having awareness of eclipses and other astronomical events. Chandragupta II, also known as Vikramaditya, was one of the most notable rulers of the dynasty who embraced Buddhism and Jainism.
This lead to an incorporation of iconography from multiple religions in Indian artwork of that era. He was given the name, and was known for his courage and benevolence. The inscription in the pillar that led to the discovery of its original location turned out to be a place of significant astronomical interest at the time. The pillar itself may have been an astrological tool , like a sundial used to measure the equinoxes. There are other pillars throughout India that stand alone and are of a similar, massive proportion to the one in Delhi, although they differ in provenance and do show weathering.
In fact, some are starting to deteriorate significantly to the point of irreparable damage. The Ashoka pillars were constructed by Ashoka, a ruler of India whose military conquests proved to become a spiritual and moral dilemma for him.
He converted to Buddhism and erected these pillars all over India, but only 19 remain. They were built around BC and were as tall as 50 feet weighing up to 50 tons, significantly larger than the non-corroded iron pillar of Delhi.
Each pillar was etched with edicts pertaining to Buddhism and were topped with carvings of lotus flowers and different animals. These pillars were also transported hundreds of miles, despite their massive weight and size. Ashoka used the pillars to reach out to different cultures around the world and declare his apology for his violent military conquests that killed hundreds of thousands. Inscriptions in the pillars are written not only in Sanskrit, but also in Aramaic and Greek.
Ashoka placed his pillars along trade routes to maximize the number of people who could see them. Pillars were clearly an important architectural form of ancient India. The diameter of the pillar is wider at the base than at the top, and the entire weight of the object is estimated at more than six tons.
The pillar is made of iron but, strangely, it never rusts. Upper half of pillar, demonstrating horizontal fissuring which is thought to be caused by cannonball strike Photo Credit. The pillar is covered in inscriptions; the oldest is in Sanskrit and historians have dated the markings to AD. The description on the pillars appears to be a eulogy of the king Chandragupta II— it states that he has left the earth. There is still a lot of debate about whether the King was alive or dead at the time of the writing.
It is not known why the pillar stands where it does, and it is even thought that this is not its original location. No one knows its exact origin. Some theories state that the reason for this resistance stems from the fact that the Iron Pillar has a high content of phosphorus and absolutely no presence of sulphur or magnesium.
The pillar — made of 98 percent wrought iron — was included among the Out-of-Place Artefacts OOPArts — a term applied to prehistoric objects from around the world that show technological advancement beyond the time when they were built.
However, the identity of King Chandra remains a mystery, although he is generally identified as the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II. According to its website, it was established in the front courtyard, facing a Vishnu temple on top of a small hillock called Vishnupada, at Udayagiri in Madhya Pradesh, and was later moved by Sultan Iltutmish in from its original location to the Qutub complex in South Delhi.
Local legend has it that the Iron Pillar was designed to be the standard of Vishnu and meant to be implanted into the hood of the celestial serpent on which the earth rests.
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