Vishnu’s column

The history of India has left behind a fascinating legacy of impressive temples and monuments. One such monument is the Vishnu Column, which is found in the courtyard of a temple in Delhi.

Vishnu represents a major hypostasis of God in the Hindu religion, he belongs to the trinity (trimurti) together with Brahma (the Creator) and Shiva (the Destroyer), and has the role of maintaining the creation. Vishnu has ten major avatars, that is, divine incarnations, the best known of which are krishna And Frame under the appearance of which he is most often revered. It is said that if they were to appear even for a second, the entire Universe would destabilize and disappear.

This column was erected about 1600 years ago and weighs about 6 tons, with a diameter of 42 centimeters at the base and 32 at the top.

The monument is also called “The sole of Ashoka”, after the name of a sovereign who made his commandments known by displaying them on columns placed in public places. The reason he became famous, is that despite the humid climate in the area, the pole was not touched by rust.

Thus, several tests were performed, and the chemical analyzes proved that “Ashoka’s pillar” is iron in purity of about 98%, in its composition there are also elements such as carbon, phosphorus, silicon, copper, nickel, magnesium and iron oxides. The presence of the latter should have led to the deterioration of the pillar not to its perfect preservation, so a gate was opened in time to the secrets of the metallurgy of ancient India. Even with the current technology you can not obtain iron of such maximum purity.

“Vishnu’s Pillar” dates back to the fourth century, and was initially located in Vishnupadagiri, which in translation means “The hill on which you can see the trace of Vishnu’s foot”, a place located at the “Tropic of Cancer”.

Experts have estimated that it dates back to the reign of Emperor Vikramaditya, the years 375 and 414 of the Christian era. About a thousand years ago, however, it was moved to its current location, in the center of the “Quwwat Mosque”, in Delhi. For researchers it remains a big mystery how it was transported.

According to the legends of the pillar, whose shadow shows on the morning of the summer solstice (from June 21), the direction of Vishnu’s divine trace, embedded on a rock, was part of an ancient Indian astronomical observatory.

It seems that the one who moved the monument was King Vigraha Raja, who ruled the land of Rajput Tomar. On the surface of the pile is engraved an epitaph by Kumara Gupta, dating from 413.

Over time, the pillar has acquired the fame of an object endowed with magical powers, which is said to bring good luck to the newlyweds, if they surround it three times. Other legends say that all those who will stand with their backs glued to the pole and will manage to surround it with united arms will have countless chances throughout their lives.

The visitors’ attempts to respect the tradition, led the authorities to surround him in 1997 with a protective fence.

After several years of research, in 2002, metallurgists from the “Indian Institute of Technology” in Kanpur announced that they had discovered the mystery of the sacred pillar. It is a layer that protects the pole from rust, This layer is formed by catalysis, thanks to the phosphorus concentration. This was achieved by the ancient Indians who directly mixed the ore with the wooden charcoal, being a living testimony of the ability of the craftsmen of ancient India, which unfortunately was lost over time.