Ancient Mysteries - Delhi's Iron Pillar / wishing Pillar

Ancient Mysteries - Delhi's Iron Pillar / wishing Pillar

The Mystery of Delhi’s Iron Pillar, the Wishing Pillar
The Iron Pillar of Delhi is a 23-ft (7-m) tall column in the Qutb complex. Dated back to the 5th century, scientists remain baffled that the pole doesn’t rust, despite being made of metal. Another mystery is that no one knows how it was forge-welded to produce the structure.

“There is an interesting legend connecting the name ‘Dilli’ [local pronunciation of the city], or ‘Delhi’, with a Tomara king and the famous Iron Pillar. 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. At the same time, a curse was pronounced on anyone who tampered with it. The Tomara prince, who had the pillar installed in Delhi, wanted to make sure that it had been planted deep enough to enter the hood and had it dug up,” says Tanvi Bikhchandani, who used to lead walks with the group Delhi Heritage Walks.

“The base was found smeared with the serpent’s blood. The curse took its course, and the Tomara Dynasty declined. The event was recorded in a verse: ‘Kelee to dheelee bhaee, Tomara bhava mat heen’ or ‘the pillar was loosened, and the Tomar lost his head.’ Thus some people argue that ‘Dilli’ is a pun on the word ‘dheele’, meaning ‘loose’.”

The Iron Pillar of Delhi is a masterpiece, an archaeological marvel, but also a melting point of the past and the present, history and science, and imagination and urban legends