The Rust resistant Iron Pillar of Mehrauli
India is home to several marvelous historical architectures across the world and I guess there’s no doubt about it. The incredible craftsmanship of ancient temples, historical monuments, and engineering structures in India also takes our breath away.
The Mehrauli iron pillar is one of the astonishing historical monuments of India which is situated in Delhi, India. Over the past decades, this iconic iron pillar has attracted millions of tourists and travelers from all over the world due to the mystery it folds within.
According to the archeological evidences, the Mehrauli iron pillar is a structure that is 7 meters high and covers 41 centimeters in diameter. The pillar as of today weighs around 3000 kilograms which is equal to 7000 lb. This iron pillar was constructed by Chandragupta II who ruled in India from 375 to 415 A.D. Today’s date, this iron pillar stands straight in the Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli, Delhi.
The Mehrauli iron pillar was made in memory of King Chandragupta at the time of which the Mauryan empire used to rule in the Northern parts of India. The iron pillar was also further devoted to Lord Vishnu. As per the historical records, the iron pillar was made as a tribute to King Chandragupta who fought alone with his army against the Vakatkas and several opponents who were against him.
As per the multiple inscriptions written on it, the iron pillar was made at Vishnupadagiri which in the present day, is called Udayagiri situated in Andhra Pradesh, India. During the Gupta period, Vishnupadagiri was also a main center of Buddhism in India. People believe that this iron pillar was erected at Udayagiri as this town was also known for iron mining practices.
Several historians had proposed the theory that during the Mughal rule in India, King Ilutmish who ruled the former Ghurid territories in northern India between 1210 to 1236 A.D had brought the iron pillar from Vishnupadagiri to Delhi in the 13th century. It is because his invasion of Vidisha in the 13th century provided him the opportunity to take the iron pillar as a trophy back to Delhi.
Several historians have also proposed the theory that King Anangpal Tomar who was a ruler of the Tomar Rajput dynasty and the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan lifted the iron pillar and installed it at the main shrine in 1050 A.D at Lal Kot, New Delhi. However, Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by Muhammad Ghori’s army in 1191 and his army established the ‘Quwwat-ul-Islam’ mosque at Lal Kot, New Delhi.
The best part of this iron pillar is that despite several attacks on prominent ancient historical monuments in India by the Mughal rulers, this iron pillar stands straight for over 1600 years. The ancient writing or inscriptions on this iron pillar are well reserved due to the corrosion-resistant iron on which this iron pillar is engraved. One of the inscriptions written on this iron pillar is stated below:
“Yasy odvarttayah-pratīpamurasā śattrun sametyāgatan Vańgeshvāhava varttinosbhilikhitā khadgena kīrttir bhuje
Tirtvā sapta mukhāni yena samare sindhor jjitā Vāhlikāyasyādya pyadhivāsyate jalanidhir vviryyānilair ddakshinah
Khinnasy eva visrijya gām narapater ggāmāśritasyaetrām mūr(t)yā karmma-jitāvanim gatavatah kīrt(t)yā sthitasyakshitau
Śāntasyeva mahāvane hutabhujo yasya pratāpo mahānnadhayā pyutsrijati pranāśista-ripor Yyatnasya śesahkshitim
Prāptena sva bhuj ārjitan cha suchiran ch aikādhirājayam kshitau chandrāhvena samagra chandra sadriśīm vaktra-śriyam bibhratā
Tenāyam pranidhāya bhūmipatinā bhāveva vishno (shnau) matim prānśurvisnupade girau bhagavato Vishnuordhidhvajah sthāpitah”
Translation: Verse 1: He whose arm is holding up the swords, saw his enemies uniting together and coming against him in the battle of Vanga (Bengal). With sheer bravery, he fought the Vahlikas and defeated them. With the breeze of his prowress , the Southern Indian ocean is still perfumed.
Verse 2: With the great zeal or energy, he utterly destroyed his enemies like the ramnant of glowing heat of a burned fire in a great forest. His atman quit this earth, moved to another world but his actions and memories of his greatness made him live on this earth forever.
Verse 3: The king attained supreme sovereignty in the world which is acquired by his own arm and enjoyed for a long term period. He has the name of Chandra who carried a beauty of countenance such as the beauty of full moon having his mind fixed on Lord Vishnu. This lofty standard of the divinity was all the way set up on the hill named as Vishnupada.
When it comes to the scientific analysis of the iron pillar’s resistance to corrosion, it has been found that the iron pillar has a high amount of phosphorous used in the metal to build this pillar. Additionally, there is the presence of a crystalline iron hydrogen phosphate layer which is highly resistant to corrosion. The alternate wetting and drying of metal under atmospheric pressure are also some of the factors involved in the formation of a protective passive film at the iron-resistant surface of the iron pillar.
The marvelous work of this Iron pillar by the Indian architects 1600 years ago shows us the advanced knowledge of metallurgy they had in building the historical monuments. The history of metallurgy in India can be traced back to 1400 BCE through carbon dating by archeologists. Across several archeological sites, a wide range of weapons and tools such as spikes, daggers, spoons, knives, and tongs had been discovered in India from 600 to 200 BCE.
The use of iron in building ancient pillars and tools began around 2500 to 3000 years ago in the Indian subcontinent. By the 13th century BC, iron smelting was practiced on a large scale in the Southern parts of India. However, the technology in iron metallurgy was advanced during the rule of the Mauryan empire in most of the Northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. The rich scientific knowledge of iron metallurgy fueled the Indian architects and craftsmen to build the Mehrauli iconic pillar which is one of its kind around the globe.