A year in India

Not actually a year but 11 months. An account of my stay in India. Many of my friends and colleagues suggested that I keep them up to date - now I can see how many of them are really interested!!!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Random India fact with picture

I've recieved a lot of feedback (some might call it complaints but feedback is a more positive term, don't you think?) I have lots of photos of India and here is one from Qutb Minar in Delhi. This complex has the largest minaret in the world. It also has a iron pillar. I'll let wikipedia tell you about the official story

The pillar bears an inscription which states that it was erected as a flagstaff in honour of the Hindu god, Vishnu, and in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta II (375–413). Made up of 98% wrought iron of pure quality, it is 23 feet 8 inches (7.21 m) high and has a diameter of 16 inches (0.41 m). Also, it was confirmed that the temperatures required to form such kind of pillars cannot be achieved by combustion of coal. The pillar is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron.
It has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists as it has withstood corrosion for the last 1600 years, despite harsh weather. Its unusually good corrosion resistance appears to be due to a high phosphorus content, which together with favorable local weather conditions promotes the formation of a solid protective passivation layer of iron oxides and phosphates, rather than the non-protective, cracked rust layer that develops on most ironwork.

Apparently in the 1970s, some people were amazed that the Iron pillar did not rust and concluded (as one does) that it was evidence of alien landings on earth.

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