Iron pillar of Delhi, Victory column in Qutb complex, South Delhi district, India.
The iron pillar of Delhi is a forged iron column 7.21 metres tall and 41 centimetres in diameter, standing in the Qutb complex at Mehrauli. Its shaft rises from a rounded base on a low stone plinth to a bell-shaped capital of stacked ridges. The Sanskrit eulogy of King Chandra is engraved below the capital, not at the very top.
An inscription on the column names King Chandra, whom scholars identify with Chandragupta II, a ruler of the Gupta Empire in the fourth century. Later the pillar was brought here and placed in the courtyard of the first major mosque of Northern India.
Believers and visitors often approach the column with reverence, some trying to stand with their back against it and clasp their hands around it, a gesture thought to bring good fortune. This practice has persisted across generations and shows the living connection between worship and folk tradition at this site.
The column stands freely accessible in the courtyard and can be viewed from all sides, though touching is no longer permitted. The area is usually well attended, so a quiet moment in the early morning or late afternoon is advisable.
The pillar was not cast in one piece: smiths forge-welded lumps of wrought iron weighing up to 36 kg, and the weld lines and hammer marks remain visible on the shaft. Its rust resistance comes from a crystalline iron(III) hydrogen phosphate hydrate layer on high-phosphorus iron.
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