Iron in Ancient India c6.s6: The Iron Pillar at Dhar
Iron in Ancient India c6.s6
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The Iron Pillar at Dhar
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Besides the celebrated pillar at Delhi there exist two other iron pillars in India, viz. at Dhar, the ancient capital of Mālava, and on Mount Abu in Rajputana, respectively, to which I would like to attract the attention of the scientific world. Fergusson¹ in his "History of Indian and Eastern Architecture"; Vincent Smith² in his article "The Iron Pillar at Dhar," and Barnes³ in his "Dhar and Mandu" have already dwelt on the subject of the great iron pillar at Dhar, whilst a full account of this pillar has been given by Mr. H. Cousens in the annual report of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1902-3 (pp. 205—212), and a translation of Akbar's Persian Inscription has been given in "Epigraphica Moslemica."⁴ It is rather strange that the attention of the scientific world has not sufficiently been drawn to this pillar as in the case of the one at Delhi, though as regards dimensions the Dhar pillar comes to be the bigger of the two, the former being 43' 8" long and the latter 23' 8". Vincent Smith has rightly remarked, "Whilst we marvel at the skill shown by the ancient artificers in forging a great mass of the Delhi pillar, we must give a still greater measure of admiration to the forgotten craftsmen who dealt so successfully in producing the still more ponderous iron mass of the Dhar pillar monument with its total length of 42 feet."
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¹ Fergusson, History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, revised by Messrs Bergess and Spiers (new Edition), Vol. II, p. 247.
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² Vincent Smith, Journal Royal Asiatic Society, 1898.
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³ E. Barnes, Journal Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XXXI.
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⁴ Epigraphica Moslemica, 1909-10, p. 13.
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The reason, I believe, why the Dhar pillar has hitherto failed to receive its due share of praise is that it is lying broken in three pieces, of which the first and largest is 24 feet 3 inches and is square in section. It could be seen half buried near the northern gate of the "Lat Masjid" of Sultan Dilwar Khan (1405 A.D.). The second one, 11 feet 7 inches long, now lies in the courtyard of the Ananda High School; its shape is not uniform throughout, 8 feet 6 inches being square and 3 feet 1 inch octagonal. The third piece is remaining imbedded within the masonry foundations of the public garden named Lalbag and is 7 feet 6 inches long and rectangular almost throughout its length. The average width is 10 1/4 inches.
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One end of the largest piece, which was originally the base, is bulbuous like the base of the Delhi pillar, about 20 inches having been imbedded in stone which in turn is fastened within iron bars. A fourth piece seems to be missing, as judged from the proportions of the square and octagonal sections, so that the original total height of the pillar was something like 50 feet. The pillar holds on one of its surface Akbar's Persian inscriptions, while Devnagri letters of the 14th century are chiselled here and there. Several small holes, measuring from 1½ inches to 3 inches, surround the pillar, but they are not equidistant from each other. The weight of the pillar is estimated to be 7 tons, one ton greater than the weight of the Delhi pillar.
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There exists a diversity of opinion regarding the object of the erection of this pillar. Fergusson holds that the pillar is not a pillar of victory like the Delhi pillar, but served some useful purpose like the iron beams at Konarak, as otherwise it would have been round throughout or have contained an ornamental capital.¹ Cousens on the other hand takes it to be a "jayasthambha" (pillar of victory) and I think Cousens is right in his opinion for the following reasons:—
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¹ Fergusson, History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, Vol. II.
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(1) Of the three iron-pillars which have hitherto been discovered two have undoubtedly been pillars of victory, the probability therefore is that the Dhar pillar is similarly a jayasthambha.
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(2) The lower part of this pillar is a little flat and bulbuous like the Delhi pillar and is enclosed in stone and iron bars to have it buried, so the probability of its being used as a beam like those of Konarak is very small indeed. Moreover there are many beams at Konarak, Puri and Bhubaneswar, while it is difficult to imagine how one pillar could be used for mechanical purposes.
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(3) Fergusson's main objection is the absence of architectural work. Engravings on iron, it must be borne in mind, is not so easy as on stone, but there should exist, as a matter of course, some distinctive figure to mark a pillar as one of victory, as for example there is a "trishul" (trident) on the iron pillar on Mount Abu. It is very probable that a capital with a figure adorned the summit of this pillar as Mr. Lenny, Director of Public Instruction, [Figure: Iron Pillar at Dhar. (Annual Report, Archaeological Survey of India, 1902-3, page 206.)]
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Sindh, obtained a capital stone near it which probably was the receptacle of a figure of "Garur," which used to be engraved on the coins of the Hindu Kings of Mālava.
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(4) Some have gone so far as to suggest from the small holes on the sides of the pillar that it was used as a "dipdān" (lamp-post). This suggestion is negated by the fact that dipdans hitherto discovered are all made either of stone or bricks, but not of iron. Moreover the holes would have been equidistant if the pillar was really a lamp-post. Considering the unequal intervals between the holes, Cousens supposes that these pits were used for the purpose of inserting some instrument like crowbars while the pillar was being forged and welded.
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The reasons stated above naturally lead one to the conclusion that the pillar was really a pillar of victory.
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As regards the date of its erection, Vincent Smith supposes that like the Delhi pillar, the one at Dhar was also erected during the time of the Gupta Emperors.¹ This statement has not however been corroborated by any other authority.
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¹ Vincent Smith, Journal Royal Asiatic Society, 1898.
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The Moghul Emperor Jehangir in his autobiography writes: "Outside this fort (of Dhar) there is a Jāmi Masjid and a square pillar lies in front of the Masjid with some portions imbedded in the ground. When Bahadur Shah conquered Mālava he was anxious to take the pillar with him to Guzerat. In the act of digging out, it fell down and was broken into two pieces (one piece 22 feet long and the other 13 feet). I (Jehangir) have seen it lying on the ground carelessly and so ordered the bigger piece to be carried to Agra, which I hope to be used as a lamp-post in the courtyard of my father's (Akbar's) tomb."² Obviously Jehangir's orders were not carried out, though we learn that the pillar was broken in the act of uplifting it during Bahadur Shah's invasion of Mālava. Akbar's inscriptions only show that the Emperor approached Dhar at the time of conquering the Deccan. One fact however is certain, viz. that Dilwar Ghori gave the name "lat Masjid" to the mosque erected by him after the "lat" or pillar in front of it. Sultan Dilwar Ghori ascended the throne of Mālava in 1401 A.D., so that the ‘lat’ must have been in existence at least two or three centuries before, so that the approximate date of its erection may be taken as the twelfth century A.D. Fergusson from an examination of its mode of construction holds that it is a work of the tenth or eleventh century.¹ Local tradition points to Raja Vikramaditya or Raja Bhoja of Malava as the King during whose reign the pillar was erected,² whilst Cousens says that Raja Arjunvarma Deb built this pillar with the molten implements of war left in the battlefield by his enemies during his attack on Guzerat as a mark of victory in 1210 A.D. We would not however be far wrong in concluding that the Dhar pillar was erected in the twelfth century.
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² Tuzzuk-i-Jehangiri, pp. 201-2.
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¹ Fergusson, ibid.
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² This Raja Bhoja was a king of Malava (1010-1053 A.D.) called Bhoja Paramār He is a different personage from the other king of the same name (Vincent Smith's Early History of India, second edition, p. 365). If the pillar was really erected by Raja Bhoja the date of its erection would be eleventh century.
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I am not aware of any analysis of the iron of this pillar. Local tradition states that it is made of seven metals (saptadhātu), but such tradition was also current at Delhi also. If Cousen's theory be true, viz., that the pillar was made by melting down the weapons left by the enemy, then the pillar should be made mainly of steel. As a proof of this theory white shining patches are shown on the pillar as indicating silver obtained from the silver hilts of swords. Such a theory on the face of it is improbable, as such an enormous column of steel was incapable of being forged. This pillar like the one at Delhi is undoubtedly made of wrought iron and in a similar manner.
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In concluding my observations on the Dhar pillar, I would request the Archaeological Department of India to have the iron analysed and also to build up the entire pillar into one whole by putting the broken pieces over one another. It must not be forgotten that the Dhar pillar in its completed condition would be the biggest iron pillar in the whole world.
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THE IRON PILLAR ON MOUNT ABU.
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On Mount Abu, situated in the lower part of Rajputana, stands the temple Achaleswar, built in A.D. 1412 (sambat 1468). An iron [Figure: Iron Pillar on Mount Abu. (Drawn on an enlarged scale from a sketch of the pillar given in Plate XXXI, Annual Report, Archaeological Survey of India, 1902-3, page 206.)]
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pillar—the third of its kind—12 feet 9 inches high is situated in the courtyard of the temple with a Saiva trisul or trident on its top. It is stated that just before the death of the Pathan Emperor Alauddin, when rebellion broke out in all parts of India, the Hindus defeated the Mussalmans and built this pillar as a mark of victory with the molten implements of war left by the flying Mussalmans.¹ The iron of the pillar has not yet been under examination, but I have little hesitation in concluding that the pillar is made of wrought iron in a similar manner as the Delhi and Dhar pillars. The iron of this pillar as well as that of the Delhi pillar were probably obtained from Rajputana itself, as numerous hillocks of iron slag exist near Khetri and other places in Rajputana, showing that iron was smelted there in large quantities from ancient times.
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¹ C. H. Cousens, Annual Report, Archaeological Survey of India, 1902-03.