Travelled to The Mysterious Iron Pillar of Delhi (Part-02)

In yesterday's post you read about the Qutub Minar built in India. Which has the title of UNESCO World Heritage. This tower is the single tallest tower made of red stone in the world. This tower was built by the Mughals as a symbol of victory over the Hindu kings, which is today included among the wonders of the world. This minaret is 72 meters (240 feet) high and is a wonderful example of Indo-Mughal architecture. Let's move further:

Graphic created in Adobe Photoshop

Qutub Minar

After seeing the Qutub Minar, I move towards the Alai Darwaza which is just below the Qutub Minar. The grandeur of this building made of marble and red stone is a sight to behold. My heart felt happy after seeing such a beautiful combination of carvings and architecture. I again start thinking that I wish I could have seen those artisans...met them who built such beautiful buildings. I stay alone in this building for 20 minutes. I come out through the door on its right side...there is a tomb here. I am unable to see and understand what a tomb it is. But after clicking a photo from here, I reach back near the tower.

The Iron Pillar located near Qutub Minar is made of iron. If history is to be believed, this iron pillar was built by Hindu king Chandragupta Vikramaditya between 375 – 413 AD. Regarding this 7 meter high pillar, some historians also say that it was constructed in 912. This pillar is associated with Hinduism and Jainism because here in the complex, statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and the twenty-fourth Tirthankara Vardhaman Mahavir can be seen.

Iron pillar complex built in Indian style

Let's go towards the Iron Pillar. The pillar made of 98% iron has not rusted till date. These pillars are under the open sky and there is no impact of weather whether it rains or hails. It is a matter of thought as to why this pillar, which is about 1600 years old, does not rust. This pillar remains a wonder for the world till date. This pillar is also called Garuda pillar. Historians believe that King Chandraraj had installed this pillar in the Vishnu temple of Mathura from where King Anangpal was the one who brought it to Qutub Minar.

Verse written in Brahmi script

It is claimed that there is a statue of Garuda on the top of this pillar. The weight of this iron pillar is 6096 kg. Is. Chemists believe that this iron pillar has been made by joining pieces of iron. Whereas at present no sign of any connection is visible on it. The surprising thing is that there is no evidence of any technique for joining iron at that time.

When I was young this pillar was not covered with railings but now it is covered with railings. At that time I was able to touch it. If we look at this pillar carefully, we can see the script written on it. This inscription written in Pali language on this pillar is as follows:
यस्य ओद्वर्त्त्यः-प्रतिपमुरसा शत्त्रु समेत्यागतन वंगेश्वाहव वर्त्तिनोसभिलिखिता खडगेन कीर्तिर भुजे
Teertva Sapt Mukhani Yen Samare Sindho Jjita Vahlikayasyadya Pydhivasyate Jalanidhi Vviryyanilai Dakshinaah
Khinnasya eva visarjya gaan narapate ggamashritsyaitram moor(t) ya karma-jitavanim gatvatah kirt(t) ya sthitsyakshitau
शंतस्येव महावने हुतभूजो यस्य प्रतापो महानन्धाया प्युतस्रजति प्रनाशिस्त-रिपोय यत्नस्य सेसहक्षितिम्
Praptene Swa Bhujarjitaam Cha Suchiraan Cha Eikadhirajyaam Kshitau Chandrahaven Samagra Chandra Sadrishim Vaktra-Shriy Bibhrata
Tenayam pranidhaya bhumipatina bhavev vishno (श्नौ) matin pranashurvishnupade girau bhagavto vishnoordhidhvajah establishedah.
Disclaimer: This article has been taken from Wikipedia website.

Qutub Minar and Log Stambh are seen together in one frame

The translation of this article is as follows:
(Verse 1) He, on whose arm was marked with fame by the sword, when, in battle in the Vanga countries (Bengal), he crushed (and drove back) from (his) bosom those enemies who, united together, against came (him); - He, by whom, by crossing in battle the seven mouths of the river Indus, the Vahlikas were conquered; - He, with whose winds of valor the southern ocean is still fragrant; ,
(Verse 2) He, whose remains of great enthusiasm of energy, which completely destroyed (his) enemies, like (the remains of) great blazing heat of a fire burning in a great forest, do not even now leave the earth. ; Although he, the king, as if weary, has left this earth and gone to another world, going (physically) from there to the (heavenly) land living by (his) deeds, (but) remaining From (His) memory on (this) earth; ,
(Verse 3) By him, the king, the only supreme sovereignty in the world, acquired with his own hand and (enjoyed) it for a very long time; (And) he who, bearing the name Chandra, possessed the beauty of beauty like the full moon, having his mind fixed on Vishnu in faith, this lofty standard of divine Vishnu was established on the hill (called Vishnupad).
Disclaimer: The translation of this article has been obtained from Wikipedia website.

Earlier when I had come here, I had got the opportunity to see the statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses but this time I could not see any of the statues. Perhaps all the statues were taken for inspection. But despite this, I managed to see the statue of Ganesha carved on stone, which suggests that there must have once been a Hindu temple here. The architecture of the courtyard of the pillar points towards Hindu and Jain workmanship.

It is still a controversy as to why there is a statue of the Hindu god 'Ganesha' in the premises of a building built by the Mughals.

Moving ahead from here, I see a half-built minaret whose name is ‘Alai Minar’. This minaret was built by Allauddin Khilji in the twelfth century. But after building the basement and the first floor, Alladin Khilji died and this minaret remained half-built. By now I had been roaming for 4-5 hours, so now that I have seen everything, I thought let's go out now. Coming out I wonder where to go now? The next destination I am making is Rashtrapati Bhavan, about which I will write in the next post.

The alai minar

Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to tranlate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from Mobile and edited in Lightroom/photoshop.

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