History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s1.18

v1.c32.s1.18

The Pallavas of Kāñci in the Toṇḍaimaṇḍalam region who ruled from the fourth century A.D. were great tank builders. From the available evidence we gather that irrigation was carried on with the help of tanks, inundation canals and channels and wells. The concentration of medium and small-scale tanks in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu (Chingleput and North Arcot districts, popularly known as ‘Tank Districts’) shows that the rivers Pālār and Vegavati were not only non-perennial, as they are today, but carried insufficient water to meet the irrigation needs of the cultivators. Some of the tanks constructed by the Pallavas continue even to this day to serve the purpose for which they were intended to. Canals were dug from the river Pālār to feed the small tanks which in turn were the main source of water supply to the fields by means of branch channels. The most notable works of the period are the Mahendra taṭāka (North Arcot) and the Citramegha taṭāka (Chingleput district) by Mahendravarman I, the Parameśvara taṭāka (Chingleput) by Parameśvaravarman, the Tirayaneri (8th cen. A.D., Chingleput), Kaveripakkam tank (North Arcot) by Nandivarman III, the Vairamegha taṭāka at Uttirameru (chingleput) by Dantivarman, and the tanks at Ukkal, Guḍimallam and Solapuram (North Arcot) by Kampavarman. One important feature noticed in the Pallava records is that most of the projects were initiated and funded by the State. Private individuals were encouraged to construct works of irrigation. However, the maintenance part of it was entrusted to the village assembly; the assembly in turn received donations and endowments in cash and kind from the donees and invested the revenue part of them for the purpose of maintenance.