File:4th to 5th century Sanskrit inscription of Chandra, iron pillar at Qutb complex Mehrauli, Delhi.jpg

English: The Mehrauli iron pillar, also called the Delhi iron pillar or Lohe ki Lat, is found within the Qutb complex. Originally created in the 4th or 5th-century CE, it was moved here about 800 years later during the Delhi Sultanate period. The pillar is 23 feet, 8 inches in length (including the base, the smooth shaft and the capital), tapering from 16.4 inches to 12.05 inches. The iron pillar's corrosion resistance after some 1600 years has amazed historians, and has been attributed to its high purity. The pillar shows grazing damage from fired canon balls.

On the pillar is an inscription from the early Gupta Empire era.

• Language: Sanskrit
• Script: Early Gupta (parent of early Nagari)
• Composition: 3 shlokas (verses)
• Scholars accept that the original location of the pillar was not Delhi, but disagree on where it was before being brought to Delhi by a Sultan as a symbol of victory.
• Deciphered and the first translation published by James Prinsep in 1838. Many additional and revised translations published thereafter.
• These translations confirm that the third shloka mentions Hindu god Vishnu, and suggests this stambha (pillar) had a Garuda above it in a manner similar to some Garuda-stambha in early Vaishnava temples that have survived into the modern age. This verse also mentions a place where the pillar was installed – namely Vishnupadagiri. The identity of this city, however, is unclear.
• The inscription is dated to early Gupta period (320-495 AD) based on the script, language and style of its execution. There is some disagreement whether the Chandra mentioned in this inscription is Chandragupta I / Samudragupta (340-375) or his son Chandragupta II (375-415).
• This is a hagiographic inscription that praises Chandra's conquest and then his devotion to the "feet of Vishnu".
• The first shloka states Chandra as "master of seven advantages", then recites his victory over the Vangas (eastern Indian subcontinent) and Vahlikas (western Indian subcontinent), the sacred respect for him in the lands touched by the southern seas. The second shloka describes his valor, the vastness of Chandra's empire. The third shloka describes Chandra's adoration of Vishnu and his dedication to Bhagavan Vishnu.
• The pillar and the inscription were largely ignored till colonial era British scholars discovered it and determined its significance to Indian history.
• After the initial discovery and before the translation of the inscription, speculations of its age were all over the place. For example, Syed Ahmed Khan stated that a descendant of Yudhisthira, Raja Mahadeva installed it in 9th-century BCE (see Stephen Carr's text on the Archaeology of the Monumental Remains in Delhi, pages 21–24, on other such theories).

The collage image above is based on personally owned photos of the site and personal archival copy of the original ink impression and deciphered text published by James Prinsep in 1838. The 2D artwork was re-published in Stephen Carr's book published in 1876. More accurate ink estampages and updated Devanagari transliteration can be found in the works of Bhau Daji and of DR Bhandarkar.

The published works of James Prinsep from early 19th-century are in the public domain (see PD-Art guidelines of wikimedia commons). This collage is herewith donated to wikimedia commons with public domain license (CC0).