Iron in Ancient India c6.s7.3

c6.s7.3

Simpson, the well-known artist, says "Rude repairs are done in the gates with scraps of wood and iron."¹ As suspicion has been thrown by authoritative writers on the authenticity of the claims of the gates deposited in the Agra fort to be identical with the gates of Somnath, and even if assuming that the gates are authentic, the pieces of iron used in making rude repairs in the gates cannot be regarded as specimens of ancient Indian iron. The same mistake of regarding the iron in the Somnath (Somnali) gates as a specimen of Indian iron has been made by Dr. Kumarswamy in his work on Ceylonese Art and by Sir Robert Hadfield who has quoted his remarks.²