History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s1.2

v1.c32.s1.2

That the inhabitants of the Indus Valley riparian culture that had sprung and vanished at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa practised agriculture as the main industry is amply evidenced by the existence of food grains like wheat, barley, seasame, peas, etc. The cultivation of such food stuffs was made possible with the help of fertile alluvial soil, rather a heavy monsoon and the perennial waters of the Indus. They cultivated the winter crops such as wheat and barley with a system of irrigation. Raikes admits on the basis of hydrological studies that “winter irrigation requires the construction of barrages and large canals” (Raikes, 1984, pp. 455-60).