Builders of civilisation.
Scientists explore those which are there already. But an engineer creates. These are the words of the famous scientist and inventor Einstein.
Engineering is as old as humanity itself. Engineering is not just restricted to building of a mansion or a bridge or an aqueduct. In every aspect of life, one can see the hand of engineering. 4500 years old Mohenjo-Daro is the first city in the world. After an existence of thousands of years, Mohenjo-Daro’s historic remains were found in present Pakistan.
It's straight roads, as if they were measured with a tape will amaze even the present day modern city planners. The houses alongside the roads hold mirror to the ancient engineering excellence. The planners used underground drainage system for the city of Mohenjo-Daro. This aspect is considered as the unique feature that existed as early as 4500 years ago. The system of individual toilets which was introduced only in the twentieth century prevailed as early as 4500 years ago.
It's to make human life easy all the inventions right from the invention of wheel to safety pin to the present day cell phone are considered as engineering marvels. This article is an attempt to pay tributes to the caliber and forethought of the engineers.
September 15,the engineers day.
Mokshagundam Visveswarayya was born in to a Telugu family in the then state Mysore state. Visveswarayya worked as a Diwan for the Mysore state. He worked later in the same capacity for the state of Nizam also. He has played a major role in the construction of historical projects like, Musi project to arrest the floods in Hyderabad, Krishnaraja sagar dam, a solution to prevent deterioration and corrosion of Visakhapatnam port , construction of Tirupati Tirumala ghat road , Mysore soap factory and Mysore iron and steel industry.
Visveswarayya, who lived a full life of 100 years, was honored with the most coveted award of 'Bharat Ratna' in the year 1955.His jayanti day is observed as "Engineers Day” every year in India. In this connection, I would like to write about some of the engineering marvels of the world. They lasted for centuries and are going to last for centuries. They are not mere examples for engineering caliber. They are the shining examples for dedication, commitment and a deep desire to share their excellence to the coming generations
Giza Pyramids.
These pyramids are the cemeteries of Egyptian royal families. But they are not just cemeteries, but, they speak in clearer words of their quintessence in different fields. They mirror the Egyptian culture and heritage. They are the testimonies of highest order of human resource management.
Among all pyramids Giza Pyramid takes the pride of place. This 146.5 meters high structure was completed in 250 B.C. 234 lakhs of rock plates gone in to this structure. On an average each plates weighs 25 - 80 tons. And these heavy plates were brought from a place 800 Km away from the construction spot. It was said 55 lakh tons of lime stone, 800 tons of granite and 5 lakh tons of mortar was used for this mind boggling structure. These mind boggling figures baffled even the modern day experts. Above all it remains still a mystery to the modern day experts how such heavy material was taken to such heights.
The Great Wall of China.
To protect themselves from the Mongol invasions, China has built a massive wall around the country. Though it was completed n different phases by different kings of China, the first key building activity was done between 220 and 206 B.C. The length of the wall is 8850 km. This great structure is interspersed with watch towers all along the wall. This wall is at a height of 980 meters above sea level. The most amazing factor about this structure is, mortar was not used. Instead, rice powder was used in mortar's place.
Teotihuacan, Mexico.
This ancient city was built in 100 B.C. It had a population of 2 lakhs at its peak. The fact that, while building this city, many advanced features of geographical and astronomical features of Mesoamerican calendar, were used in a such a manner that the sun sets on 12 August on this city. Talk of the mysterious depths of human mind.
In the construction of Pyramid of the sun, a pyramid in this city, meeka plates were used. And these plates were brought to Mexico from Brazil, 3000 km away. Insulation system which came into existence many years later, was used in the construction of this pyramid.
Aqueduct of Segovia, Spain.
To control the current of the water, while supplying the irrigation water to low lying and valley areas, this aqueduct was built. This aqueduct, a shining example of ancient irrigation technology was completed in 50 A.D. There are 167 arches including 44 double arches. The height of each arch is 9 meters.
In a bid to bring water from the river Frio, to Segovia 18 km away, this aqueduct was built.. 24000 granite blocks were used for this aqueduct. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that mortar was not used in its construction.
Saksaywaman, Peru.
This is a wall around a military camp built in Cusco, the capital of Inca empire, one thousand years ago. The wall looks like a huge heap of heavy boulders, each boulder weighing approximately 120 tons. These were brought from a quarry 3 km away from the camp. How such heavy boulders were brought and lifted to a height, remained as a mystery even today. The arrangement and alignment is so perfect, that an object as thin as a paper cannot pass through between the boulders. Whatever it may be, it mirrors the mind boggling caliber of the construction engineers of ancient times.
ChandBaori, Rajasthan.
A, 10th century marvel in Rajasthan. This is a well dug to cater to the needs of drinking water for the people of Rajasthan, a desert. The well was built with 13 stories. In order to facilitate the people to fetch water, 3500 steps were built. But, since ascending and descending causes lot of pain to the water seekers, instead of building the steps steeply, the steps were built sideways. And this aspect of building sideways instead of steep down is an example of highest engineering caliber.
Tajmahal, India , UP.
Tajmahal doesn't need an introduction, which is already one of the seven wonders of the world. The Taj is a symbol of love of Mughal emperor ShahJahan. It was built in memory of his begum MumtajMahal. It's an example of perfection and nothing but perfection. Its construction lasted for 20 years. 28 varieties of stones were used which were quarried in Rajasthan. The specialty of these stones is that, they look rosy pink in the morning, white during day and in golden colour during nights.
Trans Siberian Railway, Russia.
This longest railway track in the world starts from the capital of Russia, Moscow to Vladivostok, covers a distance of 9289 km. On its way it touches 87 cities. During its journey, it goes through 6 time zones, Crosses 16 Rivers. This railway track was completed in the year 1903. This track has connections to the countries like China, Mongolia and North Korea. The entire track was built to face any extreme conditions of the atmosphere. Even -20 degrees of Siberia.
Akashi Kaikyo bridge, Japan.
This is a bridge that links Kobe city and the island of Awagi. During natural calamities like storms and Tsunamis, there were many deaths among the Japanese residents of Awagi Island. The reason was, before 1908, the transport means to reach the mainland for the residents were only boats. The length of this bridge is 1991 meters. It's the longest suspension bridge in the world, which is also known as Pearl bridge. This engineering marvel has taken its shape due to the combined efforts of 20 lakh people for 10 long years.
International Space station.
This is a modern marvel. One lakh people worked in the most hazardous conditions, where a slightly torn space suit also claims one's life. To carry on space research, 15 nations combined together expending an astronomical sum of 100 billion dollars at a height of 354 km above earth. The space station's construction which was started in the year 1998, still going on.
Ajanta and Ellora caves.
Ajanta and Ellora caves are an amazing example of highest standards of sculptural excellence in the human society of ancient days. There are 34 caves at Ellora. They are believed to have been carved between 6th and 11th centuries AD. The number of caves in Ajanta are 29 in number. They are believed to have been carved between 2nd century BC and 6th century AD. This cave complex is filled with frescoes and murals depicting the tales from Buddhist, Hindu and Jain religions. These caves are located in northern Maharashtra, 400 km away from Mumbai.
Bahubali statue, Karnataka
This monolith statue is also known as Gomateswara. Gomateswara is known as Arihant by jains. Arihant means vanquisher of enemies. Gomateswara is a 60 feet monolith statue which is situated atop a hill known as Shravanabelagola in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India. It was built in the 10th century AD.
Meenakshi Sundareswara temple, Tamilnadu.
Also known as Meenakshi Amman temple, is a historic Hindu temple located in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Meenakshi is the other name of Parvati, wife of Shiva. Shiva’s other name is Sundareswara. This gigantic temple has 14 gates with huge towers known as Gopurams. On an average each Gopuram’s height is 50 feet. The tallest Gopuram is of 170 feet height.
The present structure is built between 1623 and 1655 CE. On an average 15000 visitors visit the temple. Its annual income is 60 million rupees. During the festival Meenakshi Tirukalyanam celebrations during April – May attract 1 million visitors.
It's not all.
The above list of engineering marvels are just a few picked from a big list. There are dozens of examples, where human engineering and innovative acumen bloomed in myriad colours.
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