The wrought-iron pillar of Delhi was set up about 400 by Kumara Gupta I in honour of his father Candra Gupta II. It is over seven metres in height and weighs more than six tons. Such large masses of material could not be handled in Europe until the latter part of the 19th century.
The pillar, now part of the Quwat-ul-Islam mosque, demonstrates the abilities of Indian metalworkers of the period. It is also an impressive testimony for the advanced state of metallurgy in India: It survived 1600 monsoon rains without rust. Other large iron pillars from later times are found in Dhar in the Lat Masjid (Pillar Mosque) of 1405 and at Mount Abu.