The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v1.c13.46

v1.c13.46

But the foremost achievements of this reign were the regulation of the waters of the Vitastā and vast undertakings of drainage and irrigation in the Valley. Kalhaṇa tells us that this work was first begun by king Lalitāditya, but it soon fell through under the feeble kings who succeeded Jayāpīḍa, with the result that the land was overtaken by disastrous floods and the price of a *khāri* of rice rose to 150 *Dinnāras*.² The person who thought and carried out the necessary steps was a man of extraordinary engineering skill. A foundling picked up by a *Caṇḍāla* woman and brought up by a Śūdra nurse, Suyya, became a 'teacher of small boys' and having attracted attention by his 'brilliant intellect,'³ was entrusted by Avantivarman with the necessary funds to carry out his projects. Thanks to the minute topographical description of Kalhaṇa and the researches of Stein we can still after the lapse of more than 1,000 years trace the steps taken by Suyya. Among his measures the most important was the changing of the confluence of the Sindhu and Vitastā, which formerly flowed to the left and right of the Trigrāmī (mod. Tregaon), to their present position near Shādipūr. He diverted the combined waters into a new bed leading "into that part of the Wular which by its depth and well defined boundaries is naturally designed as a great reservoir to receive the surplus water of dangerous floods." He then constructed stone embankments along this course for 7 *yojanas*, (about 42 miles). By this means he reclaimed the marshes south of the Mahāpadma, and founded there flourishing villages protected by circular dykes, which came to be known as *Kuṇḍala* from their appearance of round bowls (*Kuṇḍa*).¹ "He (then) arranged (accordingly) on a permanent basis for the size and distribution of the watercourse for each village, and (by using for irrigation) the *Anūlā* and other streams embellished all regions with an abundance of irrigated fields which were distinguished for excellent produce." Previous to these operations he had removed the rocks which had rolled down from the mountains at Yakṣadara (mod. Dyārᵃgul, some 3 miles below the eastern end of the Bārāmūla gorge) into the Vitastā and constructed stone walls to protect it against any future fall of rocks. The result of these operations are described as follows by Kalhaṇa: