History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c26.s1.t1.6

v1.c26.s1.t1.6

The dhenki or foot-pounder is popular for dehusking paddy to yield brown rice, especially in eastern India and along the Indo- Gangetic plain. Being made of wood, old specimens cannot be expected to survive, but surprisingly it does not appear to be depicted even in sculpture anywhere. The device must be of atleast some antiquity, since it is the vehicle of Nārada (Wilkins, 1890, p. 479), who is himself one of seven great *rsis* of the *Rgveda* (Dowson, 1928, p.218), and is worshipped at domestic ceremonies like marriage, *upanayanam* and *annaprasanam* (Wilkins, 1890, p. 478).