The Iron Pillar of Delhi

If you had a time machine like Itihāsa, where in the past would you go? Dhruv and Bhavisha jump a few centuries and land at Mehrauli in Delhi, beside the famous Iron Pillar. (Visit the Qutub Minar complex and you can see it yourself!)

A guide explains: the pillar is over 1,600 years old and still hasn't rusted. It weighs 6 tonnes and was put up in the reign of Chandragupta II, a Gupta king. It probably stood first in front of the Udayagiri caves (Madhya Pradesh) and was moved to Delhi centuries later. It's dedicated to Viṣhṇu, and its writing praises the king's achievements.

Why no rust? Leave a bicycle out in the rain for a year and it starts to rust. This pillar has stood in the open for centuries! Scientists think the special iron reacts with oxygen in the air to make a thin layer on the surface, and that layer protects the iron underneath. The pillar protects itself! It shows how skilled ancient Indian metalworkers were.

The inscription names a king 'Chandra', identified as Chandragupta II. Don't mix him up with Chandragupta Maurya (Chāṇakya's student) from centuries earlier!

Chandragupta II, also called Vikramāditya, was one of the most famous Gupta kings. He worshipped Viṣhṇu, whose mount (vāhana) Garuḍa appears on many inscriptions.

Why the 'II'? Historians added it because an earlier Chandragupta came before him: his grandfather! (Some Indian families still name the first son after his grandfather.) The family line:

Chandragupta I helped the empire grow early on. He's remembered for his coins and clever alliances, which laid the base for a strong empire. One gold coin shows him with his queen Kumāradevī, and the goddess Lakṣhmī on the back.