Dhar iron pillar

The Dhar iron pillar is a now-fragmented iron column located in the Dhar town of Madhya Pradesh, India. The exact origins of the pillar are unknown, but according to the local tradition, it was a victory column erected by the 11th century Paramara king Bhoja.

Quotes

• Tradition attributed the Dhar Iron Pillar to Bhoja, who was well versed in iron metallurgy as is attested by his Yuktikalpataru . The pillar was double the height of the Delhi Iron Pillar and weighed at least one tonne more. It was the tallest and heaviest (7000 kg) pillar in the world.
  • Jain, M. (2019). Flight of deities and rebirth of temples: Espisodes from Indian history. 159

• Outside this fort (of Dhar) there is a Jami Masjid and a square pillar lies in front of the Masjid with some portions embedded in the ground. When Bahadur Shah conquered Malwa, he was anxious to take the pillar with him to Gujarat. In the act of digging out, it fell down and was broken into two pieces (one piece 22’ long and the other 13’). I (Jahangir) have seen it lying on the ground carelessly and so ordered the bigger piece to be carried to Agra, which I hope to be used as a lamp-post in the courtyard of my father’s (Akbar’s) tomb
  • Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri 1909: 406-408 quoted din Jain, M. (2019). Flight of deities and rebirth of temples: Espisodes from Indian history.160

• ...It is the tallest iron pillar so far anywhere in the world.
  • Vincent Smith, quoted in Jain, M. (2019). Flight of deities and rebirth of temples: Espisodes from Indian history.168