Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar
Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar

Author: R. Balasubramaniam

Publisher: Foundation Books

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9788175962781

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Story of the Delhi Iron Pillar traces the history of the pillar located in the Qutub Complex and describes its structure in detail. It unravels the mystery behind the resistance of the pillar to corrosion for more than sixteen centuries. It also discusses the amazing process by which the pillar was manufactured using the technical know-how available at the time. the book is primarily aimed at general readers and tourists, with a view to igniting their interest in this metallurgical wonder of ancient India. Written in simple language and a lucid style, it carries numerous photographs and elaborate figures to enhance the discussion.

Delhi Iron Pillar
Delhi Iron Pillar

Author: R. Balasubramaniam

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Based on lectures delivered by the author at Shimla during 2001.

The Iron Pillar at Delhi
The Iron Pillar at Delhi

Author: T. R. Anantharaman

Publisher:

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13:

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The Iron Pillar At Delhi Stands Out As One Of The Most Impressive Technological Achievements Of Ancient India. This Volume Highlights Certain Unique Aspects Of The Iron Pillar And Seeks To Unravel The Mystery Of Its Rustlessness.

Ancient Delhi
Ancient Delhi

Author: Upinder Singh

Publisher: OUP India

Published: 2006-10-19

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 9780195684056

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This book reconstructs the history of Delhi from the stone age to the time of the Rajputs. The narrative is accompanied with several maps, photographs, and illustrations. This second edition updatesthe research on the subject and underlines the need for new perspectives.

Delhi
Delhi

Author: Upinder Singh

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9788187358299

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Not many people know that the busy and bustling capital city of Delhi and its surroundings have a long past, going back thousands of years. Prehistoric stone tools have surfaced here and many ancient remains have been found, sometimes accidentally by farmers tilling their fields, and at other times by archaeologists carrying out systematic excavations. A mound one passes everyday or a narrow strip of stream tells a story of ancient times. Centuries of history coexist with metro stations and plush cars. The readings in this book give us glimpses of the lives of people who lived in the Delhi area over the centuries, and how these details have been pieced together by historians. It brings into focus the importance of the historian’s method and the sources of information found in ancient texts, archaeology and even legends and folklore, sometimes hanging on the thread of a slender historical fact. The editor of the volume, points to the urgency of further exploration and documentation to fill in the still all-too-meagre details of Delhi’s ancient history. However, she ends on a note of caution, bordering on alarm, when she points out that invaluable evidence of the city’s past is being extensively destroyed due to quarrying and the construction of new roads and buildings. Such activities are an integral part of the modernization of a living city but the balance between modernization and the preservation of ancient remains is indeed very fragile and needs to be maintained from an informed and realistic perspective. This collection of essays has been put together by a teacher for students of history, but will also be of enormous value to a large number of other interested readers. Upinder Singhis Professor of history at the University of Delhi.

The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual
The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual

Author: Michael Willis

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-11-06

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 9781107460164

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In this groundbreaking study, Michael Willis examines how the gods of early Hinduism came to be established in temples, how their cults were organized, and how the ruling elite supported their worship. Examining the emergence of these key historical developments in the fourth and fifth centuries, Willis combines Sanskrit textual evidence with archaeological data from inscriptions, sculptures, temples, and sacred sites. The centre-piece of this study is Udayagiri in central India, the only surviving imperial site of the Gupta dynasty. Through a judicious use of landscape archaeology and archaeo-astronomy, Willis reconstructs how Udayagiri was connected to the Festival of the Rainy Season and the Royal Consecration. Under Gupta patronage, these rituals were integrated into the cult of Vishnu, a deity regarded as the source of creation and of cosmic time. As special devotees of Vishnu, the Gupta kings used Udayagiri to advertise their unique devotional relationship with him. Through his meticulous study of the site, its sculptures and its inscriptions, Willis shows how the Guptas presented themselves as universal sovereigns and how they advanced new systems of religious patronage that shaped the world of medieval India.

History of Iron Technology in India
History of Iron Technology in India

Author: Vibha Tripathi

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13:

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This book presents a comprehensive history of Iron Technology in India. It covers the long span of Indian history stretching over roughly three and a half millennia from the first half of the second millennium BCE to pre-modern times. One can trace the development of iron technology from the humble beginnings in a chalcolithic milieu followed by the technological evolution reaching the peaks of iron technology of the colossal structures of the Delhi Iron Pillar weighing several tons by early centuries of the Christian Era. The metallurgical expertise and the ingenuity of artisans find expression in the production of wootz steel swords with their intriguing rippling patterns. These swords and daggers were highly prized in the ancient world. They were marketed by the enterprising sailors of the Middle East at lucrative profits. The sword of Tipu Sultan is indeed a legend. The iron and steel industry in India was flourishing till the eighteenth-nineteenth century CE. The quality of the product was superior enough to be prized by the European world, viz. by the Dutch, the Spanish and the British up to pre-modern times. Iron produced at Tendukhera was imported by Britain to be used in bridges across Menai Strait and also in the London Bridge. However; one perceives a decline in traditional iron industry during the British period. Iron working could manage to survive till a few decades back among the ethnic societies who had been engaged in it for generations. The book incorporates results of a first-hand study of these traditional iron-workers, who may be termed as bearers of the legacy which had a glorious past but a very uncertain future.