Which of the following statements about the Ashokan pillars is/are not correct ?
1. The 14th century Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi makes reference to the Ashokan pillars.
2. The writer Shams Siraj Afif gives an account of the Ashokan pillars known as Delhi-Topra and Delhi-Meerut.
3. There are instances of the Ashokan pillars or their fragments being worshipped as Shiv Lingas.
4. The Ashokan pillars were produced in gold, iron and bronze.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Statement 4 is not correct because Ashokan pillars were monolithic structures carved out of stone, specifically Chunar sandstone. They were not produced in gold, iron, or bronze. The famous Iron Pillar located in Delhi belongs to the Gupta period (reign of Chandragupta II), not the Mauryan era.

Statements 1, 2, and 3 are correct:

• Statements 1 & 2: The 14^th-century chronicle Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, written by Shams-i Siraj 'Afif, provides a detailed account of how Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq transported the Ashokan pillars from Topra and Meerut to Delhi.
• Statement 3: Historically, there are several instances where Ashokan pillars or their broken fragments were repurposed or worshipped as Shiva Lingas by local communities in later periods, such as the fragments found at Bhita or the Nigali Sagar pillar.