Wonder of the world pillar made of iron. Stainless iron post - the mystery is not solved. Useful information about the Iron Pillar in Delhi, India

The iron column is so firmly planted in the ground,

that the cannonball fired at her by the conqueror

Nadir Shah in 1739 could not be knocked down,

nor even damage it, just leaving a small cavity.

Just half an hour from the center of the Indian capital, on one of the squares, there is an iron column more than one and a half thousand years old.

Since ancient times, crowds of pilgrims flocked to her - it was believed that whoever leaned his back against the column and wrapped his arms around her would be happy.

The column was erected in 415 in honor of King Chandragupta II, who died in 413. Initially, it was located in the east of the country, was crowned with the image of the sacred bird Garuda and stood in front of the temple. In 1050, King Anang Pola brought her to Delhi.

The column weighs about 6.5 tons, its height is 7.3 m, the diameter at the base is 41.6 cm, and at the top it is 29.5 cm. It is made of almost pure iron(99.720% iron) and contains only minor impurities, which explains its corrosion resistance.

Guides often tell legends about its exclusivity. According to one of them, stainless steel was used to create this monument. However, an analysis made by the Indian scientist Chedari shows that the Delhi column does not contain alloying elements leading to increased corrosion resistance.

Chemical composition of the column material:

Carbon - 0.08

Silicon - 0.046

Sulfur - 0.006

Phosphorus - 0.114

Nitrogen - 0.032

Iron - 99,722

Top part iron column in Delhi,

Scientists from the Kanpur Institute of Technology discovered that the column contains an unexpected amount of phosphorus, which, by reacting with iron, water and oxygen, created a kind of protective anti-corrosion surface layer. Scientists believe that the ancient blacksmiths did not have unique knowledge of the chemistry of alloys, but selected the composition of iron empirically.

Ancient India was generally famous for the art of its metallurgists. In many ancient temples, there are iron beams up to 6 m long. Historians report that those used in the construction Egyptian pyramids iron tools for stone processing were made in South India, which had a brisk trade with Rome, Egypt and Greece. India was so famous in the East for its steel products that the Persians, when talking about something superfluous and unnecessary, had a saying: "To bring steel to India."

How was this column made?

Some even say that modern metallurgists have not yet learned how to do anything like this. This is wrong. Nowadays, they have learned to make both stainless steel and iron of such purity as the ancient metallurgists never dreamed of. And yet the art of the ancient masters is admirable.

There is still no consensus on the method of manufacturing the famous column. Some authors claim that it was cast, which is the least likely. Others believe that when smelting "by eye", as happened in antiquity, very large deviations in the quality of the metal are possible. Here, they say, one of these exceptions could be a column. Still others suggest that the column was made by welding individual 36 kg blocks and then forging them.

According to one author, in order to obtain pure iron, ancient metallurgists ground a sponge of wrought iron into powder and sieved it. And then the resulting pure iron powder was heated to a red heat, and under the blows of a hammer, its particles stuck together into one whole - now this is called the powder metallurgy method. From such pieces of iron, perhaps, they blinded a huge column in Delhi.

An inscription dedicated to Vishnu and King Chandragupta II remained on the column.

The Sanskrit inscription indicates that the column was made during the reign of Chandragupta II (376-415), emperor of the Gupta dynasty, who ruled for the most part northern India from Bihar.

The iron column in Delhi gained popularity among Europeans after the work of the English orientalist and Indologist Alexander Cunningham. They brought approx. 150 years ago, the information is currently being criticized by researchers. So, Cunningham claimed that the height of the column was at least 60 feet (18 m), and the weight was 17 tons. In addition, from its description it follows that the column is solid, not welded. These conjectures were picked up by historians, and even later scientific research could no longer shake their faith in the miraculous properties of the “eternal” column.

A similar column large sizes, made in the III century, rises in the Indian city of Dhar.

Inquisitive scientists conducted a series of studies of iron columns in Dhar and Delhi. So, for example, British scientists took small pieces of metal from columns as samples for physical and chemical analysis in London. Upon arrival in London, it turned out that - the samples were covered with rust. Soon, the Swedish material scientist I. Vranglen and his colleagues discovered a zone of strong corrosion on the column. It turned out that in the area of ​​​​embedding the column in the foundation, it rusted to a depth of 16 millimeters along the entire diameter.

Another mysterious monument of antiquity is the Buddha statue from Sultanganj, cast from pure copper and weighing more than a ton. According to scientists, this statue is at least 1500 years old and there is still no scientific explanation of how ancient Indian blacksmiths were able to make such a work of art.

Now the statue of the copper Buddha is in the Birmingham Museum and art gallery, and a plaque describing it reads: "The Buddha statue, which is about 1,500 years old, has survived virtually intact, making it a unique landmark in the world."

The metal column in the courtyard of the Qutub Minar mosque is one of the most mysterious historical sights in India. It is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world and calling card Delhi. The ancient Indians obviously possessed some secrets in the art of metallurgy. And evidence of this is the Delhi column, which has resisted rust for more than fifteen centuries...

Created by an unknown architect

The origin of the iron column is not precisely established. Some historians claim that it was cast in 895 BC. by order of Raja Dhava, the ruler of Delhi. Muslim chroniclers claim that it was brought from northern Muslim countries. There are versions that attribute the creation of the pillar to Emperor Chandragupta II or Raja Anangpal.

Some of the inscriptions made on the column with the help of incisors helped to unravel the "mystery of birth". The earliest of them is located at a height of two meters from the ground. Six lines in Sanskrit form a conditional rectangle, the length of which is 85 centimeters, the width is 27, and the height of the characters in the inscription is from 0.8 to 1.3 centimeters. Previously, the letters were filled with silver and, illuminated in the dark by the moon, glowed ...

The inscription is an epitaph to King Chandragupta II, who died in 413. The column, as the text says, was erected in memory of this king on a mountain called Vishnu's Foot and is dedicated to this god. The peculiarities of the alphabet and lettering indicate that the column was originally located in Allahabad, in eastern India.

Historians had only to find a mountain called Vishnu's Foot. And she was discovered. It turns out that the column once stood in front of the Vishnu temple and was decorated on top with the image of the sacred bird Garuda. Other similar columns have been found in the area, but they were made of stone, not iron. But why doesn't this iron post rust?

Can't be!

Disbelief in the possibility of ancient civilizations leads to the birth of cosmic theories of the origin of earthly miracles. The iron column in the vicinity of Delhi did not escape a similar fate. It does not rust, it has been standing like new for one and a half thousand years. Can't be!

This means that the pillar is made from the remains of an alien ship, and as you know, everything that is in any way connected with it does not automatically require further evidence.

Another version says that the column was forged, although on Earth, but nevertheless from a celestial alien - an iron meteorite, which, as you know, practically does not corrode under normal conditions.

There were those who seriously argue about a miniature nuclear reactor hidden inside the artifact, which supposedly protects the column from rust. They also say that the column has medicinal properties: it is worth hugging her, and you will be happy and healed from all diseases. True, skeptics joke that if this column had been brought to Russia, one more alien property would have been discovered. If in a frost of minus 40 ° a naked Indian hugs her, and even licks a stainless surface, then she will draw him to her and will not let go for a very long time. Moreover, this artifact would hardly have taken root in our latitudes. What does not rust does not require restoration. And if so, then the expense item “on the preservation of a masterpiece” will not be able to be cut.

There are a dozen of the most fantastic versions of the emergence of the Delhi pillar, but if you go down to sinful earth, then anyone unusual phenomenon one can find a perfectly earthly explanation.

Forgotten technologies

To do this, you will have to turn to history and see what India was like one and a half thousand years ago in the era of the Guptas. The Indians of those times knew many metals. They knew how to gild and silver jewelry, to make alloys of precious metals. In addition to gold and silver, they knew iron, copper, lead, tin and the hitherto undeciphered metal called vaikrinta. In the oldest written monuments of India - the Vedas - bronze is mentioned, and iron, judging by recent archaeological excavations, was known as early as the 10th century BC.

The smelting of iron is mentioned in the Brahmins - sacred books dating back to about the 9th-6th centuries BC. Thus, by the time of the construction of the column, metallurgy in India had a glorious history, and iron had become so common that it was used to make plows. It's just that the vast majority of products of ancient Indian metallurgy have not survived to this day: they were destroyed by corrosion - the mortal enemy of metals.

A well-known Indian scientist, the author of many works on prehistoric metallurgy in India, Subbarayarra suggested that the column was made in southern India about a thousand years BC. Even then, Indian masters comprehended the secrets of smelting pure iron, which was valued above gold and precious stones. The scientist bases his conclusion on metal household items found by archaeologists in these places with an iron content of up to 95 percent. In favor of his assumption is the fact that another metal column was found in the country, larger than the famous Delhi one. It is also cast from almost pure iron. In addition, the beams of the metal ceilings of the ancient Hindu temples of Konark and Puri in the state of Orissa are made of 99 percent iron.

It is no coincidence that in those distant times, India was famous all over the world for its iron and steel products, and the Persians even had a saying: “To carry steel to India”, which is similar in meaning to the Russian proverb: “Go to Tula with your samovar”.

At the end of the last century, metallurgists also became interested in the column. Since then, many analyzes of her have been carried out; their results are not classified, but, alas, few people know. Historians do not read articles on metallurgy, and metallurgists prefer not to interfere in the disputes of historians.

It was possible to establish that the column was made not of iron, but of low-carbon steel, "very pure in sulfur and impermissibly contaminated in phosphorus", with the same carbon content as in very popular modern steel - 15 (high-strength high-alloy steel with increased corrosion resistance ). In addition, the column was not solid. Lumps of iron weighing 20-30 kg were welded together by forging: hammer blows and welding lines were preserved on the column.

And finally, the fact that the artifact is not subject to corrosion is a myth. Not without reason, in the 1960s of the XX century, the pillar was cleaned. It is unlikely that only bird droppings were washed from him.

A Swedish metallurgist thought of doing a simple study. He dug up the ground at the foot of the column and looked at that part of it that is not visible to historians and ufologists. The underground part was covered with a centimeter layer of rust with corrosive ulcers up to ten centimeters deep.

The same Swede sawed off several pieces from the column and took one of them to the ocean coast, the other to Sweden. Samples rusted at an enviable rate. It turned out that the dry and warm climate of Northern India helped the creators of the legend. Studies on the corrosion of metals, conducted recently in various parts of the Earth, showed that Delhi is in second place in the world after Khartoum in terms of the passivity of the atmosphere. Even unstable zinc in Delhi hardly oxidizes.

A number of hypotheses suggest that the ancient metallurgists, wittingly or unwittingly, created a special protective film. In particular, it is assumed that during the manufacture of the column, it was treated with superheated steam, and thus the steel was blued. There is a version that when smelting "by eye", as happened in antiquity, very large deviations in the quality of the metal are possible.

One of these exceptions could be a column. Moreover, it is not unique. The iron beams of ten meters in length with a diameter of twenty centimeters, which were used in the construction of the temple in Konarok, also did not succumb to corrosion.

Kutubov column:

Installed in the 9th century BC;

Height - 7.21 m;

Weight - 6.5 tons;

Lower diameter - 0.485 m:

Upper diameter -0.223 m.

Shot at a masterpiece

The iron column is so firmly planted in the ground that the cannonball launched into it by the conqueror Nadir Shah in 1739 could neither knock down nor even damage it, only leaving a small depression on the even and smooth surface of the column.

Considering that cannonballs on average weighed from a kilogram to 18 kg, a large cannon would hardly have been rolled in for this experiment - they were most likely fired from some kind of infantry. The weight of the projectile was approximately 9 kg, and the weight of the column was 6 tons. Therefore, the maximum that the core could make was a small dent. There is nothing surprising in this fact.

In Delhi - historical monument, which captivates with the mystery of its creation. It is made of iron that has not rusted since its construction - over 1600 years ago. Despite the fact that the column is in the open air, it still remains strong, which is an excellent confirmation of the scientific and technical knowledge in ancient india. The iron pillar is one of ancient secrets world that archaeologists and materials scientists are still trying to unravel.

You can see a photo of the iron column in Delhi in our article.

Location

The described object is located opposite the Quwwat-ul Islam mosque in the Qutb complex, where the famous Qutb Minar minaret is located, in the Mehrauli archaeological complex in Delhi.

The iron pillar rises majestically to a height of 24 feet (7.2 m). An ancient landmark was made from 6 tons of almost pure wrought iron.

Chemical composition

The researchers of this mysterious building chemical analysis of its composition was carried out. In 1961, the iron used in the construction of the column was found to be of exceptional purity with a very low carbon content. In addition, scientists have found that the metal from which it was made does not contain sulfur or magnesium, but does include phosphorus. Iron itself accounts for about 99.4%. Among the impurities, phosphorus is the most (0.114%). The share of carbon is 0.08%, which makes it possible to classify the material as low-carbon steel. Other impurities are presented in the following quantities:

• silicon - 0.046%;
• nitrogen - 0.032%;
• sulfur - 0.006%.

scientific theories

Scientists conducting research in an attempt to uncover the secret of the iron pillar in Delhi came to a number of conclusions. All theories put forward to explain the amazing resistance of a structure to corrosion fall into two main categories:

1. Material factors (these versions are put forward mainly by Indian researchers).
2. Factors environment(they are preferred by foreign scientists).

It is believed that due to the high content of phosphorus, a protective layer is formed on the surface of the column, which, on the one hand, protects it from corrosion, on the other hand, causes metal fragility (this is clearly visible in the place where the cannonball hit the column).

According to other scientists, they weather in Delhi prevent rust. According to them, the key catalyst for rust is moisture. Delhi has a dry climate with little moisture. Its content, during most of the year, does not exceed 70%. This may be the reason for the lack of corrosion.

Indian scientists from the Institute of Technology in Kanpur in 2002 conducted a thorough study. They cited a protective layer formed by crystalline phosphate as the reason for the absence of metal corrosion. The process of its formation occurs in the presence of wetting and drying cycles. In fact, the corrosion resistance of this unique structure is due to its chemical composition and weather conditions.

In addition, according to Indian scientists, at that time blacksmiths did not have any special knowledge about the chemistry of alloys, and the composition of iron was selected empirically.

Therefore, this theory suggests that there is a relationship between the processing, structure, and properties of the iron pillar. Based on scientific analysis, these three factors have been shown to work together to form a protective passive rust layer on an iron pole in Delhi. As a result, it does not undergo further corrosion. Thanks to this property, one can really consider the iron column in India to be another wonder of the world.

However, this ability to resist corrosion is not unique to this structure. Studies have shown that other large ancient Indian objects have a similar property. These include iron poles at Dhara, Mandu, Mount Abu, Kodohadri Hill and ancient iron cannons. Therefore, it can be said that the ancient blacksmiths were highly skilled specialists in forging iron products. In a report published in the journal Current Science, R. Balasubramaniam of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur stated that the pillar is "a living testament to the skill of the metallurgists of ancient India."

Preservation of historical value

Previously, numerous tourists, clinging to the column, tried to hug her, joining their hands. It was believed that if this succeeds, it will bring good luck to a person.

However, due to this rather popular custom, the lower part of the column began to change its color from constant friction. According to the researchers, the endless touches and movements of visitors erase the protective layer that protects it from corrosion. In order to avoid further damage to the lower part of the iron pole, a small fence was placed around it in 1997.

inscriptions

Although several inscriptions have been found on the pillar, the oldest is a six-line Sanskrit verse. Since the name Chandra is mentioned in the third verse, scholars have been able to date the column's construction to the reign of Chandragupta II Vikramaditi (375-415 BC), the Gupta king.

But today she is in Delhi. How this column got there, and where its original location was, is still a matter of scholarly debate.

Riddles of the column

The purpose of the iron pillar is one of the many mysteries of history. Some researchers say that this is a flagpole made for the king mentioned in the inscription. Others claim they were sundial at its intended original location in Madhya Pradesh.

Why the column ended up in the capital of India is another mystery of the structure. There is no evidence of who exactly moved it over a thousand years ago, how it was moved, or even why it was moved. All that can be said for certain about this aspect of the pillar's history is that the mysterious iron pillar has been part of the landscape of the Indian capital for a very long time.

Versions and conjectures

The history of the iron pillar in Delhi is still being researched. There are many versions of its origin. However, despite the presence of various conjectures, scientists already have some information about this structure.

In 1838, an Indian antiquarian deciphered everything written on an iron pillar in Delhi. The inscriptions were then translated into English language and published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Before that, nothing was known about the iron column.

According to scientists, it was created in the early period of the Gupta reign (320-495 AD). This conclusion was made based on the style of the inscription on the pillar and the peculiarities of the language. As already mentioned, in the third verse of the inscription on the iron pillar, scholars have found a mention of the name Chandra, which designates the rulers of the Gupta dynasty. However, there are different opinions as to whether the word Chandra refers to King Samudragupta (340-375) or Chandragupta II (375-415), who was the son of King Samudragupta. It is also believed that the inscription could refer to the Hindu God Vishnu.

There is also a lot of speculation by historians about where the pillar was forged. According to one of the main theories, the iron pillar was created on top of the Udaigiri hill in Madhya Pradesh, from where it was taken to Delhi by King Iltutmish (1210-36) after his victory.

According to other researchers, the iron pillar was moved and installed in the main temple of Lal Kot ( ancient capital Delhi) by King Anangpal II in 1050 AD. However, in 1191, when King Prithviraj Chauhan, the grandson of Anangpal, was defeated by the army of Muhammad Ghori, Qutb-ud-din Aibak built the Kuvwat-ul-Islam mosque in Lal Kot. It was then that the column was moved from its original location to its current location in front of the mosque.

Iron column architecture in India

The structure is placed on a base decorated with artistic carvings. Part of the column, approximately 1.1 meters, is underground. The base rests on a lattice of iron rods soldered with lead. A layer of paving stone is laid on top of it.

The height of the iron column reaches seven meters. The bottom diameter of the post is 420 mm (17 in) and its top diameter is 306 mm (12 in). The column weighs over 5865 kg. Its top is also decorated with carvings. There are inscriptions carved on the iron stand. Some of them contain vague indications of its origin.

The researchers found that the column was made by molding and forging and welding from pieces of paste-like iron weighing about 20-30 kg. Hammer marks are still visible on the surface of the pillar. It was also found out that about 120 people worked for several weeks creating this column.

Annihilation attempt

At a height of about four meters from the ground, there is a noticeable depression on the surface of the column. The damage is said to have been caused by firing a cannonball at close range.

According to historians, Nadir Shah ordered the destruction of the iron column during his invasion in 1739. According to the researchers, he wanted to do this in order to find gold or jewelry. Which, as the invader believed, could be hidden inside the top of the pillar.

According to another version, they wanted to destroy the column as a Hindu temple pillar, which had no place on the territory of the Muslim complex. However, the iron column in Delhi could not be destroyed.

In India, not far from Delhi, in the town of Shimaikhalori, there is a huge iron column. Its height is 6.7 meters, diameter is 1.37 meters. At the top, the pillar is decorated with ancient ornaments and looks like a column. ancient temple. Perhaps this pillar was erected several millennia ago. The most amazing thing is that it is not subject to corrosion and destruction at all. In 1739, a cannonball was fired at it, which did not cause the slightest harm to the pillar.

How did the ancient masters manage to create chemically pure iron, how did they manage to cast a metal column 7 meters high and girth thick? Science cannot explain it. Some scholars consider the Iron Pillar to be evidence of the existence of a long-vanished ancient civilization, others believe that it was left in memory of a visit to Earth by aliens.

The famous Kutubov column on the altar of the Kuvwat-ul-Islam mosque in the fortified city of Lal-Kot, not far from Delhi, perhaps even today remains one of the many iconic engineering creations of ancient civilizations that keep the secret of the Great Knowledge of antiquity, attracting more and more new researchers. There are many hypotheses about the origin of the column, many argue that the stainless column is never made of meteoric iron, and some are sure that this is the work of the aliens themselves!

Standing under open sky the legendary iron column with a diameter of 0.485 meters reaches a height of more than 7 meters and weighs about 6 tons. The inscription on the pillar says that it was brought and placed on this site during the reign of Samandragunta, who lived from 330 to 380 AD. The encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron says: “... the iron column of Raja Dhava (beginning of the 4th century AD) was erected in memory of the victory over the peoples Central Asia, as the Sanskrit inscription located here says. For a period of more than 1600 years, rare iron products have survived to this day. There are no traces of rust on the visible surface of the column. Until recently, it was believed that if the column, washed by rain and dew, does not rust, then it is made of pure iron. No other explanations were found.

The glory of this column was also added by legends about its magical healing properties, relieving people from a number of diseases. It is believed that it is enough for a patient who has arrived here on crutches to stand, hugging a column, for 20-30 minutes to recover.

Scientists have conducted a number of studies of the iron column in Delhi. For example, British specialists took small pieces of metal as samples for physical and chemical analysis in London. Upon arrival in London, it turned out that the samples were covered with rust. Soon, the Swedish materials scientist I. Wranglen and his colleagues discovered a zone of severe corrosion on the lower part of the column. It turned out that in the area of ​​​​the foundation it rusted to a depth of 16 millimeters along the entire diameter. Faith in pure stainless iron was undermined, but other questions remained. Why, for example, does the column not rust higher from the foundation, and also how to explain its healing power?

Many years of efforts by Russian researchers revealed a number of previously unknown features of this building. For example, it turned out that the foundation of the column is made in the form of a two-sided pyramid (rhombus), it forms a vertical energy flow invisible to the ordinary eye, resembling a candle flame about 8 meters high and more than 2 meters in diameter.

Similar energy fields are observed above the tops of the pyramids and other places of worship, for example Orthodox churches, made in the form of pyramids, raised above the ground. Above their central bulbous dome, the iron crosses are also immune to corrosion if properly placed in the energy field.

The conducted studies show that inside the column at a height of about 3 meters from the ground there is additional source energy field radiation, made in the form of a small compressed rectangular package of thin sheets of an unknown radioactive metal. The radiation source is inserted into the column through a drilled and then plugged hole. Perhaps there is a message for posterity. New studies of the column may reveal additional interesting findings.

It can be assumed that the energy field shell of the iron column is a reliable protection against corrosion. The reason for the appearance of rust on the column in the area of ​​​​embedding it in the foundation can be a water film from rain and dew formed on the horizontal surface of the foundation, which goes beyond the energy case.

As for the miracle of healing the sick, the main role here is played by the vertical flow of the energy field, which has a beneficial effect on the human energy, normalizes the work of the whole organism. A person receives a powerful additional energy supply, being completely in the arms of the energy field of the column. Recall that modern medicine affects magnetic, electric and other energy fields only on certain parts of the human body, without restoring the deformed energy shell of a person as a whole.

The version of the creation of the iron column is also curious. More than 12 thousand years ago, a large iron meteorite fell to the west of Bombay, the remains of which are still there on the shelf of the sea. During the heyday of the Atlantean and Indian civilizations, local craftsmen created three identical iron columns by crystallizing meteorite fragments. By the same method in underground caves other ritual items were also made. There, archaeologists in our time find many finished and unfinished products made of crystallized iron.

The special shape and design of the foundation containing energy flow stimulators (crystals, amber, rare earth and radioactive elements), as well as the design of the iron column itself, allowed the ancient masters to create an energy field flow around the column, which can be conditionally called the “Space Communication Channel” (energy antenna).

Similar ritual columns (pillars) made of stone, wood or metal in the area of ​​places of worship are found on all continents of the planet. They vary in size and complexity of manufacture. Some reached 20 meters in height ( pillars of Hercules), others are only a few meters. For example, in Northern Bukovina, at the Rzhavinsky sanctuary (VIII-X centuries AD), a tetrahedral stone pillar more than 2 meters high, tapering upwards, without inscriptions and images. He stood in the center of the sanctuary, symbolizing the "World Axis", around which the Sun mysteriously and symbolically rotated in the process of ritual actions. In fact, such pillars (columns) fulfilled their functional, and not symbolic purpose. The priests had the knowledge of using and transforming weak earthly energy flows. In a word, the stone pillar played the same role here as the iron pillar in Delhi.

Close to huge Indian city Delhi is located architectural complex Qutub Minar. It's usually crowded with tourists and local residents. Many come here to admire the tallest brick minaret in the world.

But most are attracted by a thousand-year-old mystery, over which scientists are still struggling. In the depths of Qutub Minar, among the ancient buildings, stands alone, darkened by time. metal column. A normal iron structure would have crumbled with rust long ago, but this ancient pillar has been resisting the influence of time for 1,600 years!

People call the iron pillar Kutub column, and today it is considered the most famous landmark of Delhi. The all-metal rod reaches a height of seven meters, of which almost one and a half are hidden underground. Weighs ancient monument six and a half tons!

A decent amount is carved on the column inscriptions, some of which are as old as she is. Some of these engravings have not really been studied so far, despite the fact that mysterious pillar available for viewing by everyone.

The oldest deciphered inscription speaks of the deeds of the warlike Indian king Chandragupta II, who lived between the 4th and 5th centuries.

In those days, whole forged iron monument of this size spoke of the power and wealth of the state that created it.

An expensive pillar was created for the nearby sanctuary of Vishnu and for a long time served as a perch for the statue of the sacred bird Garuda. But after 600 years, when the Sultan reigned in Delhi, the temple was destroyed, and the column was transported to the city.

Englishman Alexander Cunningham, who studied Indian antiquities in the 19th century, the column seemed three times higher and heavier than it really is.

In addition, the man wrote that the pillar was cast from a single piece of iron. Many reputable sources are still guided by Cunningham's description!

In fact, researchers have long debunked most of the myths surrounding the column. meteoric iron or stainless steel was not found in the column.

The version claiming that the column consists of "chemically pure" iron was also recognized as untenable. Researchers say: most likely the mysterious pillar is so well preserved due to a unique set of circumstances!

Scientists say: the thing is that on the surface of the column there is oxide film preventing the formation of corrosion. The low humidity in Delhi also plays a role.

In addition, the huge mass of the column allows it to retain heat well. It is thanks to this that dew does not form on the surface of the metal monument.

All this, it must be said, does not apply to underground part columns. There, the metal pillar is already heavily corroded by rust, the layer of which in some places reaches a centimeter thickness.

And in 1997, due to the influx of tourists, the Delhi authorities were forced to build a fence around the column. According to popular belief, a person who stands with his back to the pole and wraps his arms around it will receive a charge of good luck and happiness. But people doing this way unwittingly harm the same protective film!

The researchers found that the column is protected by an oxide film, but where did she come from- question. It is said that the ancient blacksmiths created it by accident, having made serious deviations in the quality of the metal.

Others think that the steam treatment of the newly created column played a role. Some people even think that the pole is part of places of worship, just too often rubbed with incense and oils. The exact answer is still unknown.

Today, queues of tourists, scientists and superstitious locals are still lining up at the Kutubova Column. And in Lately ufologists frequented here, immediately declaring the iron pole a gift from