Mystery of Delhi Iron Pillar: Where It Was Originally Erected?

The technology and skill possessed by ancient Indians is amazing and the Iron Pillars that stands in New Delhi, India,dates from the Gupta dynasty 320-540 AD indicates that it has not yet been rusted or corroded inspite of being exposed to the harsh climate.

 This shows how advanced science was in ancient India. It weighs six tonnes and is around seven meters high. The secret of its stability could not be identified even after using the modern analysis technique which led Erich von Daeniken to mention about the pillar as well as other writers who believed that there was more to learn about ancient cultures than what the orthodox teachings related to them.

The Pillar stands at the centre of the Quwwatul Mosque, near Qutub Minar, which is not the original site of the pillar and is one of Delhi’s most curious structures highlighting ancient India’s achievements in metallurgy.The iron pillar at Delhi has fascinated many all over the world due to its amazing resistance to atmospheric corrosion.

Superior Quality Raw Iron 

The pillar is made of 98 percent from superior quality raw iron in contrast to any other iron artifacts which are usually made using a mould and forged using a hammer which is evident from the forging marks that are present on the surface.

It is presumed to have stood 1,600 years without decomposing or accumulating any kind of rust. It stands 7 m tall with one meter below the ground and the diameter is 48 centimetres at the foot, tapering to 29 cm at the top just below the base of this amazingly crafted structure.

 It was manufactured by forged welding and has an inscription stating that it was erected as a flagstaff in honour of the Hindu god, Vishnu and in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta II.

Present Location a Mystery

Iron Pillars at Dhar

As per evidence found, the pillars were originally not located at its present location but had been moved from another place which is supported by evidence of the absence of other relics of the 4th century found in the vicinity. Locals believe that the pillars were brought to Delhi by Anangpal Tomar king who had contributed in building the city of Delhi around 1020 AD.

The surface of the pillar has an inscription which states that the pillar was originally located in an area called Vishnupadagiri which means `hill with footprint of Lord Vishnu’. The region was later identified as Udayagiri which is a town situated in central India, 50 km east of Bhopal.

The possibility of the original site of Delhi iron pillar being Udayagiri is based on detailed analysis of astronomical, architectural, iconographical and archaeological aspects of the Udayagiri site.

Astronomical – Significance and Importance

The significance and importance of Udayagiri from the astronomical point of view, is that it had been established for the first time during the Gupta period, by Dass from various archaeological evidences. Moreover the location is much closer to the important places of ancient central India such as Sanci, Besnagar and Vidisa.

Visnupadagiri, the ancient name of Udayagiri has great connection with astronomical observations and it is mentioned in the fourteen chapter of the Surya Siddhanta as one of ancient India’s foremost astronomical treaties where different methods of measurement of times have been documented.

As this site seemed astronomically suitable, it would have been proper to anticipate that the pillar could have been located at this location with regards to the cardinal direction as well as some important caves.Evidence shows that the decorative capital of Delhi iron pillar could have originally been topped with the image of the chakra where the meaning and symbolism of different components of pillars which have been topped with the chakra image,have also been elaborated. With regards to the iron pillar, the chakra which symbolises the cakravartins’ wheel could have symbolised the cakravartin powers of Visu.

Pillar Having Strange Inscriptions

The first report on the pillars came from a British soldier known as Captain Archer who stated that there was a pillar with strange inscriptions on it which could not be interpreted by anybody. The Delhi iron pillar is an engineering marvel which was conceded by the president of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, London and the professor of materials and metallurgical engineering at IIT-Kanpur, Balasubramaniam unravelled the mystery on the mysterious durability of Delhi’s iron pillar.

According to him, unnamed engineers during that period used the film forming quality of phosphoric acid in creating a thin protective layer of `misawite’, which is a compound of iron, oxygen and hydrogen used to prevent rusting and corrosion. This protective film encased over the pillar within three years after erection and has been growing ever since and 1,600 years later; this film is of a thickness of one twentieth of a millimetre.

The most amazing issue is the corrosion resistant nature of the iron pillar, where the P content and the S content of the low carbon mild steel material of which it is made and the process of rust protection, spectroscopic analysis are all themes that had led it to be regarded as a miracle of technology based on the time in which the pillar had been forged and erected.

Pillar Protected By Layer of Misawite 

From recent information with regards to the Iron Pillar which has been found that the iron was protectedby a layer of misawite that has been formed around the pillar, was due to a higher amount of phosphorous in the iron of about one percent when compared to the usual 0.5 percent.

This was done by the ancient Indians with the use of charcoal at one point of iron extraction while in present times, limestone is used and the thin layer of misawite which had been protecting the cast iron pillar from getting rusted had formed within three years after erection of the pillar and growing ever since.

The high phosphorous content is also the result of this unique iron making process which had been practiced by the ancient Indians who reduced the iron ore contents into steel by mixing it with charcoal.

Ellen Sadler – The Girl who slept for Nine Years

Ellen Sadler at times also called the Sleeping Girl of Turville was a resident of Turville which was a small village in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. Turville is located in the Hambleden valley between Oxford and Buckinghamshire, inhabited by around 400 people who lived in the scattered parish where the village was dominated by the Bailey family that lived at Turville Court.

Ellen was born on May 15, 1859 in a large impoverished family of farm workers and she was the tenth child of the family. There was nothing remarkable about her or her family members.Basically she was a quiet and a subdued child, sedate and thoughtful and was known to be a dreamer moving around in a listless manner which could be very disturbing.

At times due to her wandering thought and her distant expression, made her brothers and sisters to leave her alone with her own thoughts since she seemed to be less inclined in joining them with all the childish games and sports. Most of time she did not have much friend but one would always find her at her bedroom window gazing at the world.

Ellen had Reverence for Sacred Things

Ellen also had great reverence for sacred things and was always found to be obedient and good. Her mother would always worry about her, seeing her in deep thoughts as she would gaze at the flames by the fireside with her head in her hands and watch the shadows across the walls. At the age of eleven and coming from a poor family, she worked as a nursemaid for a family with two young children at Marlow. However her employment did not last for long as her fits of somnolence occurred often and she became unfit to work as a nursemaid any longer. She began suffering from drowsiness and was referred to a local hospital. She was treated for four months and ultimately her condition which did not improve was declared incurable and she was sent back home.

Deep Sleep – Almost Dead – But Breathing

After two days, Ellen had a series of seizures and on one particular day on March 29, 1871, she went to bed as usual and her mother informed that she fell into a deep sleep from which they were unable to arouse her.

A doctor by the name Hayman from nearby Stockenchurch rushed to treat her but by the time he arrived Ellen has already fallen into a deep sleep. As she lay on her bed apparently looking dead but for her breathing which indicated that she was still alive and had life in her body, she slept on for a period of nine years.

According to her mother, Ellen was kept alive by small quantity of port wine and sugar which was given through two small teapots but after a period of fifteen months, her jaw remained fixed and eventually they had to use the teapot to pour the contents through the corner of her mouth which had a small opening due to a missing tooth. At times a small portion of milk was also given to her and this was all that was given to her while she was in this state.

Incident – Tourist Attraction and Focus of many 

This incident drew the attention of several medical professionals, newspaper and the public all across the world and many came to see and examine the sleeping girl. She also became a tourist attraction for that village where her family made a substantial amount of money from thedonations received from the visitors.

King Edward, thePrince of Wales also visited her and gave her the laying on of hands which were believed in those days as a cure for the afflicted person. The doctors who were attending to Ellen after a while began to realize that the people were finding this whole incident very suspicious and with the intention of getting to know the truth about the whole issue, would appear at unexpected moments to catch the family unaware.

They would very carefully hide pointed needles in their sleeves in order to prick Ellen on her legs and arms to make her react to the prick, while one even went as far as to suggest galvanism or electric therapy, though none of it worked to rouse her from her sleep.

Donation Received made Substantial Income

The donation received from the visitors became quite substantial for the family but eventually someone due to jealousy wrote to the high authorities demanding an investigation into the matter which ended in a useless investigation since the parents were not known to deliberately ask for any money and this matter finally died down.

 It was on a particular day in late May 1880, that a bad thunderstorm took place and Ellen’s mother after working in the fields returned home frightened and worried, had a heart attack and had died before the doctor could attend to her.

Speculation were on as to who would be taking care of Ellen after her mother’s death. Doctor Hayman was once again questioned about his diagnosis who informed that Ellen could be paralysed and unconscious. Some of the people present informed that they had seen Ellen walking through the grave yard at night and would be seen looking through her bedroom window when no one would be watching her.

Ellen’s Arousal from her Sleep

Eventually it was decided that Ellen would be looked after by Elizabeth Stacey, her sister and wife of a bricklayer. Five months later after the death of her mother a strange incident took place and Ellen began showing signs of arousal from her sleep.

On New Year’s Eve in 1880 news broke out that the sleeping girl of Turville had finally come out of her sleep and was conscious and speaking. Though she was twenty one years of age, she acted and spoke like a child and had no memory of those strange nine year of sleep. After getting used to the routine way of life, she stayed with her Aunt, Mrs Blackwell and earned by working with beads.

Few years later, it was said that she had married a farmer and moved out from the district and probably had five children. The mystery of her strange sleeping incident has left minds wondering on the reality of the illness and the truth is still not known till date.

The Monty Hall Problem – A Brain Teaser

The Monty Hall Problem which is a brain teaser got its name from the TV game show known as `Let Make a Deal’, which was hosted by Monty Hall and has fascinated mathematician with the possibilities presented by the `Three Doors’.

This has led to the mathematical urban legend surrounding the `Monty Hall Problem’. The problem was first posted in a letter to the American Statistician to Steve Selvin in 1975 and it became a popular quest from a reader letter quoted in Marilyn vos Savant’s, `Ask Marilyn’, column in Parade magazine in the year 1990.

The scenario is such that one is given the choice to choose one closed door out of the three doors placed before them with one having a prize of hidden car behind it while the other two have goats behind them.The contestant is not aware of where the car is, but Monty Hall knows where the prize lies. The contestant selects a door and Monty opens one of the remaining doors, the one he knows does not have the car behind it.

 If the contestant has already chosen the correct door, then Monty is likely to open either of the two remaining door revealing that it does not contain any prize and goes on to ask the player if he would like to switch the selection to another unopened door or stay with the original selection. The player here is at a crossroad in considering his choice on the selection of the door, wondering on the probability of winning the car if they happen to stick to their original choice and what would be the chances of switching selection.

The Monty Hall Problem Difficult to Grasp

The Monty Hall problem is difficult to grasp and unless the player thinks carefully about the deal, the role of the host goes unappreciated. The Monty Hall problem has drawn much academic interest from the surprising result with its simple formulation.

Variations has also been made by changing the implied assumptions which has created drastic different consequences where for one variation, if Monty offer the contestant a chance to switch while he had initially chosen the door with the prize of a car behind it, then the contestant should not think of switching on options. For another variation, if another door is randomly opened and happens to reveal a goat, then it does not make any difference to the contestant.

The problem is a paradox like the veridical types since the correct result is counter intuitive and seems absurd but true. This problem is closely related to the earlier Three prisoner’s problem as well as the older problem known as Bertrand’s box paradox.

Switching can turn Loss into Win/Win into Loss

According to Jason Rosenhouse, James Madison University mathematics professor, who has written an entire book on the subject – The Monty Hall Problem – The Remarkable Story of Math’s Most Contentious Brainteaser, states that the contestant can double their chance of winning on switching doors when the three conditions are fulfilled.

In the first place, Monty never opens the door which the contestant selects, secondly he always opens a door concealing a goat and thirdly when the first two rules leave Monty with a choice of doors to open, he makes his choice at random. Switching can turn a loss into a win and a win into a loss according to Rosenhouse.

Gravitational Waves – Ripples in Space-time Continuum

Gravitational waves are ripples in space time continuum which was seen by Albert Einstein in his general theory of relativity. These are ripples that carry energy across the universe and were predicted to exist as a consequence of Einstein General Theory of Relativity in 1916.

Though there is a strong evidence of its existence, gravitational waves has not been directly detected earlier since they are minuscule which is a million times smaller than an atom.

They seem like tiny waves on a lake far away and the lake’s surface looks glassy smooth and the details of the surface can be seen only when very close to it.Einstein, in the year 1916, discovered a mathematical way to explain gravity and called it his general theory of relativity.

This theory relied on a set of coordinates which described the combination of space and time known as the space time continuum.



Warping of Matter and Energy – Force of Gravity

Since matter and energy warp the space time continuum like heavy weight on a mattress, the warping thus creates the force of gravity and gravitational waves are ripples in the space time continuum.

General relativity shows us how gravity can affect time which should be taken into account by satnav to inform where you are. A telescope at the South Pole known as Bicep – Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarisation, has been looking out for evidence of gravitational waves by detecting subtle property of the cosmic microwave background radiation.

The radiation which was produced in the big bang was originally discovered by American scientist in the year 1964 with the help of radio telescope and has been called as the `echo’, of the big bang. The large scale polarisation of this microwave had been measured by Bicep. Primordial gravitational waves only can imprint such pattern if they have been amplified by inflation.

Curvature of Space-time 

According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity has been treated as a phenomenon, the outcome of the curvature of space time and this curvature is the result of the presence of mass. The more mass that is contained within a volume of space, the greater is the curvature of space-time at the boundary of the volume.

When the objects with mass move around in space-time, the curvature also changes to reflect the changed location of these objects.

In some situations, accelerating objects may generate changes in this curvature propagating outwards at the speed of light like a wave and these propagating situations are known to be gravitational waves.

Effects of Passing Gravitational Wave

As these gravitational wave passes far away, an observer will find space-time distorted due to the effects of strain and the distance between free objects may increase and decrease rhythmically as the wave may pass at a frequency which corresponds to the wave despite free objects not being subjected to an unbalanced force.

 The effect of the magnitude decreases inversely with distance from the source. Effects of passing gravitational wave can be seen by imagining a flat region of space-time with that of a group of motionless test particle lying in a plane and as the gravitational wave passes through the particles along a line which is perpendicular to the plane of the particles, the particles tend to follow the distortion in space-time.

Cumaean Sibyl

The Cumaean Sibyl – A Priestess

Cumae, an ancient city of Magna Graecia situated on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy. It was the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl which was founded by Euboean Greeks.

These Greeks used a local variant of the Greek alphabet; the Euboean alphabet which later developed into the Latin alphabet and became the world’s most widely used phonemic script. It was first adopted and modified by the Etruscans in 800 to 100 BC and later by the Romans in 300 -100 BC.

 The Cumaeon Sibyl was known to be a priestess who presided over the Apollonian oracle at Cumae, the first Greek colony situated near Naples, Italy. Sibyl word is derived from the ancient Greek word sibylla which means prophetess.

It is said that there are many sibyls in different areas throughout the ancient world and due to the importance of the Cumaean Sibyl in the legend of early Rome as in Virgil’s Aeneid VI and also due to her proximity to Rome, the Cumaean Sibyl came to be very popular among the Romans.

Powerful Dominating Presence

The Cumaean Sibyl is perhaps one of the four sibyls painted by Raphael at Santa Maria della Pace and was painted by Andrea del Castagno and also in the Sistine Ceiling of Michelangelo. Her powerful presences dominates every other sibyl even her more beautiful and younger sisters like the Delphic Sibyl.

There are several other names for the Cumaean Sibyl besides the Herophile of Pausania and Lacantius or the Aeneid’s Deiphobe, daughter of Glaucus, Amaltheia, Demophile or Taraxandra which are all portrayed in different references.

Rock/Sanctuary Carved from Huge Rock

According to Herodotus, the Erythraean Sibyls from modern day Turkey was famed among the Greeks and was the oldest Hellenic oracle while the Sibyls of Dodona most probably dating to the second millennium BC was favoured in the east.

Cumae was considered to be one of the major oracles of the ancient Greeks and Romans.The cave of the popular prophetess, the Cumaean Sibyl had been carved from a huge rock along the seaside. Along with the description of archaeological excavations discovered there are impressive quotations from Virgil’s Aeneid which are carved on marble tables.

According to the epic, these ancient texts relate about what the Aeneas and the men accompanying him felt and what the ancient people felt when they approached the cave of the prophetess.

Owned Nine Books of Prophecies

The earliest of the Sibyls was believed to be residing at Cumae and according to traditions, owned nine books of prophecies. When the Roman King Targuin was interested in purchasing her books, he was hesitant due to her high price she had quoted.

It was said the Sibyl threw three of these books into the fire and double the price which was once again not accepted and she ended throwing in three more books into the fire. Finally the king was forced to buy the remaining left over three books from her at a price four times high as the original nine.

 The Cumae is most famous as the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl and her sanctuary is presently open for tourist.

Ancient Coin-Operated Holy Water Dispensing Machine

Hero of Alexandria – Inventor of the first holy water vending machine

The evolution of the most common vending machine since it was invented is incredible and the most ancient known vending machine is the work of Hero of Alexandria who was a first century engineer and mathematician. He invented the first coin operated vending machine, an urn which then dispensed holy water when a coin was inserted and the same is described by Hero of Alexandria in his book `Pneumatic’.

Hero was the Da Vinci of his time who came up with ideas for all types of inventions like the pneumatic steam powered system which would open large temple door when a fire would be lit on the altar.

It was said that he had flair in creating various types of special effects which were dramatic. He also set his mind to practical problems like the Greeks who took too much holy water and invented a holy water dispensing machine wherein when a coin was dropped into its slot at the top, it would fall onto a tray on a lever which would pull the stopper out of a bottle of the holy water and drain out of a spout in the front.

The pan or the tray would continue to tilt under the weight of the coin till it would move to the end and the lever would snap back stopping the flow of water. This same system of mechanism was used in modern vending machines later on before electricity came into use.

Holy Water Vending machine: Dispensed Holy Water in Egyptian temples

The coin operated holy water dispenser, designed by the Greek inventor, Hero, was used in Egyptian temples to dispense water for ritual washing where worshippers would place a coin on the machine to receive holy water to bathe before they could enter the temple.

Towards the end of the day, the slot machine would be refilled with holy water and emptied of the coins that were filled in preparation for the next day worshippers. Hero who lived in Roman ruled Egypt invented many gadgets and also wrote about them. In his book he has described at length on the early vending machine which dispensed holy water on inserting a coin into it.

Hero’s coin operated vending machines was found in temples all over the land which enabled each members to obtain an equal quantity of holy water without the presence of a priest. These machines operated on an open valve system when a coin was inserted into the slot of the vending machine which was rested on a platform.

Hero’s Invention, an inspiration to others

Hero’s invention of the coin operated holy water vending machine inspired the creation of several other vending machines which lead to financial gains to many. It also kick started the vending industry enabling a large number of holy water vending machine operators in making a great income without the need of being physical present at an outlet.

Hero send the ball rolling in 215 BC on inventing the holy water vending machine in Egyptian temples which soon lead to vending machines offering several items like cigars, stamps, and much more. His invention also gave rise to a completely coin operated restaurant, in Philadelphia known as Horn & Hardartwhich was operational in 1902 and stayed on till 1962.

Baghdad Battery

Baghdad Battery also known as Parthian Battery

While excavating the ruins of a 2000 year old village near Bagdad, some workers discovered mysterious small vase, a six inch high pot of bright yellow clay which dates back two millennia, containing a cylinder of sheet copper five inches by 1.5 inches.

The edge of the copper cylinder seemed to be soldered with a sixty to forty lead tin alloy compared to our present day solder while the bottom of the cylinder was capped with crimped in copper disk, sealed with bitumen or asphalt.

Another insulating layer of asphalt also sealed the top holding in place an iron rod which was suspended into the centre of the copper cylinder and the rod indicated of having been corroded with an acidic agent.

The Baghdad Battery also referred as the Parthian Battery, is the common name for a number of artifacts which were created in Mesopotamia during the Parthian or Sassanid or Persian Empire period and was discovered in 1936 in the village of Khuyut Rabbou’s near Baghdad, Iraq.

Wilhelm Konig – Discovered the battery in 1938

Known as the Baghdad Battery, the jar was first described in 1938 by Wilhelm Konig, the German director of the National Museum in Iraq when he found the collection of objects in the museum. Konig published a paper in 1940 thinking that they may have been galvanic cells which were perhaps used for electroplating gold onto silver object and this interpretation is far from having widespread acceptance though it continues to be at least a hypothetical possibility by some of the scientist.

 It is not entirely clear that the jar could have been used as a battery though it had an asphalt stopper, an iron bar and a copper cylinder which was filled with some kind of unknown liquid and according to the Unmuseum, the battery could have been used for electroplating.

Capabilities of generating small Current

When the jar is filled with an acidic liquid like vinegar or fermented grape juice, it is capable of generating a small current where the acidic liquid permits a flow of electrons from the copper tube to the iron rod when the two metal terminals get connected. This is the same principle which was discovered by Galvani 2000 years later and which Volta successfully harnessed in the first modern battery some years later.

According to some, the voltic pile or electric battery was invented in 1800 by Count Alassandro Volta. His observation was that when two dissimilar metal probes were placed against frog tissue, a weak electric current was generated which he thought could be reproduced outside living tissue by placing of the metals in certain chemical solution.

For this as well as his other work with electricity, his name is commemorated in the measurement of electric potential known as the volt. The jar at Bagdad indicates that Volta did not invent the battery on the contrary, he reinvented it. Some of the scientist did not accept the electric battery description for the jar white others suggested that they were simply containers which were used to hold papyrus scrolls which had rotted away leaving just the jars.

Speculations were on that if they were batteries then who could have made them and what was the purpose of its existence.