Ancient site · Monument
Iron pillar of Delhi
A pillar of wrought iron about 7 metres tall and over six tonnes, now standing in the Qutb complex in Delhi. Its Sanskrit inscription praises a king Chandra, identified as Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire, and calls it a standard of the god Vishnu.
It probably first stood elsewhere, perhaps at Udayagiri, and was moved to Delhi in the 11th century. It has barely rusted in 1,600 years because of a thin protective layer formed on its high-phosphorus iron.
- Dates
- c. 400 CE (reign of Chandragupta II, c. 375–415 CE)
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 28.52° N, 77.19° E
How we know
Its Sanskrit inscription honours a king Chandra, generally identified as the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II.
Nearby sites
- Sinauli c. 2000–1500 BCE
- Hastinapur Painted Grey Ware town c. 1100–800 BCE (Lal; 2021–22 dig: from c. 1500 BCE); occupied into medieval times
- Rakhigarhi village from c. 4600 BCE; city c. 2600–1900 BCE
- Bhirrana claimed c. 7500 BCE; most scholars: 4th millennium BCE to c. 1900 BCE
- Kalibangan c. 3500–1750 BCE
- Harappa c. 3300–1300 BCE; city at its height c. 2600–1900 BCE