The Ashokan and iron pillars have

been re-interpreted across historical

times. Discuss

Name:- Preksha Gladish

Roll No:- 220570
Department Of English
 Ashokan Edicts In Delhi

Location Of The Pillars

Two Ashoka pillars can be found in Delhi, one known as the Delhi-Meerut pillar
which is situated on the Delhi Ridge and the second known as the Delhi-Topra pillar
at Firoz Shah Kotla.

Description Of The Pillars

The pillars are tall shafts sculpted out of sandstone. The Delhi-Meerut pillar stands
just over 32 feet high while the height of the Delhi-Topra pillar is 42 feet 7 inches.
Why were they made
They were inscribed by Ashoka and contained messages related to dhamma.
Ashoka talks of the duties of Mauryan officials known as the rajukas and dhamma
mahamattas.
Ashoka also refers in the pillar edicts to his public welfare measures like planting
trees, digging wells, and building rest-houses for the benefit of men and animals.
Ashoka also talks of his respect for all religious sects.

Where Were The Pillars Installed

The pillars were installed near important places like on the trade routes and in others
places that had some connection with the Buddha or Buddhism.

How Were The Pillars Transported

Shams Siraj Afif tells in his chronicle the Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi of how the Sultan Firu z
Shah Tughluq noticed the two columns in the course of his military campaigns and
had one transported and erected in his palace at Firuzabad near the banks of the
Yamuna, and the other in his Kushk-i-Shikar or Hunting Palace.
The description of the moving of the Delhi-Topra pillar tells us how the pillar was dug
up by the Topra villagers.The column was made to fall on the bed of silk cotton. It
was then encased in reeds and raw hides and carefully moved onto a specially
constructed carriage with forty-two wheels.The pillar was then transfered onto
several boats tied together and brought to Delhi.

Changes In The Significance And Meaning Of The Pillar

Asokan pillars were accompanied by continuity and change in the meaning of the
monuments. The pillars had been symbols of a king's power and dominion in
Ashoka's time. But, in their newer mediaeval setting the monuments now signified
the sultan's own power and dominion.
The nineteenth-century European traveller Tom Coryat narrated in a letter that in
'Delee' he saw a brazen pillar erected by the Macedonian king Alexander to mark his
victory over his arch Indian adversary Porus.
When Firuz Shah transported the pillars to Delhi he was curious to know what was
written in the inscriptions on the pillars. He summoned a Brahmin for this job. The
Brahmins gave the interpretation that the inscription contained a prophecy that no
one would be able to remove the pillar from its place till the time of a great king
named Sultan Firuz. This was done only to please the ruler.
There are still many places where Ashokan pillars or fragments of such pillars are
today being worshipped as Shiva lingas.

The Iron Pillar At Mehrauli

Location Of The Pillar

The iron pillar is situated in the courtyard of the Jami Masjid in the Qutb complex.

Description Of The Pillar

The inscription is inscribed on the west face a 23 ft. 8 inches high iron column which
tapers slightly from a diameter of sixteen inches at the base to twelve inches at the
top.The column is surmounted by a capital in the form of an inverted lotus.

Pillars Ancient Past

The Iron Pillar of Mehrauli near the Qutub Minar in Delhi carries an inscription in
Gupta Brahmi characters mentioning a ruler by the name of "Candra."
Candragupta ll had the pillar constructed ca. A.D. 413. and that his son
Kumaragupta I in order to commemorate his father's victories had the inscription
engraved posthumously no later than 415.

Pillars Mediaeval Past

The original site of the pillar as mentioned in the inscription is Visnupadagiri
somewhere near Mathura. It is certain the pillar is not in its original place as the
inscription states that it was set up on a hill or mountain. It was probably brought to
the site where it is now by the Tomara ruler Anangapala II around A.D.
1052. A very famous folk-lore states that Anangapala lI wished to erect a pillar on an
auspicious spot. He consulted a brahmin. The brahmin selected a location claiming
that the pillar would rest on the head of the King of Snakes Vasuki. After erecting the
pillar Anangapala doubted the brahmin's claim and had it dug up. He found the lower
end of the pillar soaked with blood. The king had the pillar reinstalled but due to his
lack of confidence both the pillar and his kingdom were thereafter considered dhilla
or ‘loose’ which gave Delhi its name. The other belief is that as the pillar remained
dhilla unstable the dynasty would also be unstable and would be replaced by
Chauhans and Turks.
When Qutub-ud-din took over Delhi he was told that as long as the pillar stands the
Hindu’s would rule.
Pillars In The Modern
A person who stands with her back against the pillar and manages to make the
fingers of the two hands meet will have her wish come true.
Bibliography
Richard J. Cohen, “An Early Attestation of the Toponym Ḍhillī”, Journal of the
American
Oriental Society, Vol. 109 (1989), pp. 513-519.

Singh, Upinder. (2006). Ancient Delhi, Delhi: Oxford University Press