History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c24.s1.14

v1.c24.s1.14

It is not possible to determine the date of the beginning of traction ploughs in India. It is suggested that in India ox-drawn plough is not earlier than the first millennium B.C. (Rapson, p.99). But, the Vedic literature amply shows the use of bullocks for dragging the plough. They were to be coaxed gently and not to be treated harshly. A Ṛgvedic passage (VIII.3.8,12) refers to a ploughman as praising and addressing his oxen while drawing his furrows. According to Randhawa (Vol.1. p.298) plough traces were tied to the horns of the bullocks and yokes do not seem to have been used.