INDIAN HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The polish is the most striking feature of the Ashokan pillars. The average height of these pillars is between 12 and 15 m i.e., 40 and 50 ft and the weight of each pillar was up to 50 tons. These pillars have dragged some hundreds of miles to the place where they were erected.

Detailed explanation-2: -Ashokan pillars were highly realistic and used a characteristic Muaryan polished finish, giving a shiny appearance to the stone surface. Ashoka’s most famous pillar i.e. Lion Capital of Ashoka was carved out of a single block of polished sandstone.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Lion Capital of Ashoka is the capital, or head, of a column erected by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in Sarnath, India, c. 250 BCE. Its crowning features are four life-sized lions set back to back on a drum-shaped abacus.

Detailed explanation-4: -In both Buddhism and Hinduism, the pillar symbolized the axis mundi (the axis on which the world spins). The pillars and edicts represent the first physical evidence of the Buddhist faith. The inscriptions assert Ashoka’s Buddhism and support his desire to spread the dharma throughout his kingdom.

Detailed explanation-5: -The iron pillar at Mehrauli, Delhi, is a remarkable example of the skill of Indian crafts persons. It is made of iron, 7.2.mt high, and weighs over 3 tonnes. There is an inscription on the pillar mentioning a ruler named Chandra, who probably belonged to the Gupta dynasty. The pillar has not rusted in all these years.