Iron pillar of Delhi | |
---|---|
Location | Qutb Minar complex, Delhi, India |
Coordinates | 28°31′28.76″N 77°11′6.25″E / 28.5246556°N 77.1850694°E |
Built | 5th century CE |
Architect | Chandragupta II |
Architectural style(s) | Hindu architecture |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | iv |
Designated | 1993 (17th session) |
Part of | Qutb Minar and its monuments |
Region | India |
The iron pillar of Delhi is a structure 7.21 metres (23 feet 8 inches) high with a 41-centimetre (16 in) diameter that was constructed by Chandragupta II (reigned c. 375–415 CE), and now stands in the Qutb complex at Mehrauli in Delhi, India.[1][2]
It is mostly known for its unique rust-resistant composition, unprecedented in its time, a testament to the proficiency of ancient Indian metallurgy. The pillar weighs more than six tonnes and is thought to have been erected elsewhere, perhaps outside the Udayagiri Caves,[3] and moved to its present location by Anangpal Tomar in the 11th century.[4]