Located inside the Qutub complex, right in the middle of the courtyard of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque stands this 73 meters tall iron pillar, dated 4th century AD. It bears an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi script of those times, which says that the pillar was set up as a Vishnudhvaja (flagstaff of Lord Vishnu) on the hill known as Vishnupada in memory of a mighty king named Chandra.
It is believed that anyone who can encircle the entire column with their arms, with their back towards the pillar, will have their wish fulfilled.
The pillar is made of 98% wrought iron and has withstood nature's fury, and continues to stand in the same place, out in the open, untarnished for more than 1600 years, without even a single patch of rust - which is a clear testimony of the skill of ironsmiths of ancient India.
This pillar extends for a meter below the ground and weighs more than 6 tonnes!!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.