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| Dhar iron pillar,Dhar, MP en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: The pillar commemorates a military victory of the 11th century Paramara king Bhoja. He had a good knowledge of metallurgy and wrote a book Yuktikalpataru. The pillar was made by the later Paramara king Arjunavarman in 1210 CE, using the the molten arms of an enemy force, according to Henry Cousins of ASI -colonial period......................
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| Dhar iron pillar. Madhya Pradesh,.tripoto.com/ |
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| Dhar iron pillar. Madhya Pradesh, India.www.slideshare.net |
The Dhar iron pillar, a remarkable example of early Indian metallurgy, stands as a testament to the skill and innovation of ancient Indian blacksmiths. Situated in the southeastern region of Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, this fragmented column originally served as a victory monument, believed to have been erected by the 11th-century Paramara king Bhoja, although its exact origins remain uncertain. Local tradition credits Bhoja, an influential patron of science and technology, for the construction, though some historians suggest it may have been commissioned by a later Paramara ruler, King Arjunavarman, in 1210 CE. Today, the pillar lies in three large fragments, displayed near the Lat Masjid (Pillar Mosque), named for the pillar itself.
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| Dhar dist. Madhya Pradesh JatLand |
The unique design of the pillar reveals a tapering structure, transitioning from a square base to an octagonal top. This suggests that it was meticulously engineered, with each fragment varying in cross-section, adding to its aesthetic and structural complexity. Standing an estimated 13.21 meters (43 feet) high in its original form, the Dhar pillar would have dwarfed the more well-known Delhi iron pillar, showcasing the ambitious scale and metallurgical skill of the Paramaras. Weighing around 7,300 kg, it was likely one of the largest forge-welded iron structures globally, if not the largest, at the time.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Dhar iron pillar is its construction technique. Experts, including metallurgist R. Balasubramaniam, propose that it was assembled using horizontal forge welding, wherein smaller iron sections were welded together. The presence of irregularly spaced holes on the pillar’s surface adds mystery; historians such as Roessler have suggested that these may have been used for holding the pillar upright with anchors rather than for aesthetic or ritual purposes, such as lamp placement. Balasubramaniam also postulates that the Lat Masjid’s site, where the pillar fragments currently lie, was originally home to a Shiva temple, possibly with a trishula (trident) atop the column.
During Bahadur Shah's conquest of Dhar in 1531 CE, the pillar was damaged, with attempts to transport it to Gujarat causing it to break into its current fragments. As it stands today, the Dhar iron pillar reflects the technical mastery of its time, especially in its resistance to atmospheric corrosion. According to Balasubramaniam and A. V. Ramesh Kumar, this pillar, like its Delhi counterpart, possesses "excellent" atmospheric corrosion resistance—a notable achievement in ancient metallurgy.
The Dhar iron pillar is not merely an archaeological marvel but also a symbol of India's historic expertise in metallurgy and engineering. Its rust-proof nature and construction technique highlight the advanced knowledge of alloying and iron processing that existed in India centuries ago. Despite its fragmented state, the Dhar pillar continues to draw interest from scholars and tourists, serving as a proud relic of India’s metallurgical heritage and the technical genius of its ancient people.This post is based on:
https://www.navrangindia.in/2017/11/awe-inspiring-dhar-iron-pillar-madhya.ht
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