Cultural India :
The iron pillar , Qutub Minar complex , Mehrauli , New Delhi .
Chandra
The iron pillar is situated at Qutub Minar complex , Mehrauli , New Delhi .
Some people also say that it was made in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta 2 . According to the ancient records , it was present in Madhya Pradesh before it moved to Delhi . It was shifted by King Anangpal in the 10th century CE from Udaygiri to its present location . Anangpal built a Vishnu Temple here and wanted this pillar to be a part of that temple .
Archeologists confirm that this was created at least 1600 years ago , but it could be much older than that . In 2002 , scientists studied the iron pillar and realized that it has a strange way of reacting to the atmosphere . Normally , Iron reacts with moisture in the atmosphere or rain and produces Iron oxide , which is called Rust . This rust is very powerful , it will deteriorate the iron , and eventually destroy the entire structure .
But the iron pillar does something very strange . When it comes in contact with moisture or rain , it produces a strange material called Misawite which has not been seen anywhere before . This material actually forms a protective coating over the iron pillar and shields it from damage , and also increases its magnetic property .
The iron pillar is actually made of 98 % Iron , 1 % Phosphorous and the remaining 1 % is made of an ancient concoction called Vajra-sanghata . This concoction is clearly explained in ancient Indian texts . The Vajrasanghata is created by mixing 8 parts of lead , 2 parts of bell metal and 2 parts of calx of brass . So , if you look at the total composition of the iron pillar , it is made of a complex alloy , created in ancient times .
Instead of rusting which is Iron Oxide , the phosphorous and Vajra-sanghata make water vapor which is H2O , to convert into Misawite , a compound of Iron , Oxygen and Hydrogen ( y-FeOOH ). This layer actually protects the pillar from rusting . So , the pillar would accumulate this protective coating over the course of many centuries , making it even more stronger .
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