History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s1.21

v1.c32.s1.21

The Cola vāridhi (North Arcot), the Virāṇameri (South Arcot), the Nangavaram tank (Tirucirāppalli), the Kaliyaneri (Madurai) by Parāntaka I, the ‘Big Tank’ at Bāhur (Pondicherry), the Arikeśarimangalam tank (Tirunelveli) by Rājarāja I, the Cola-gangam (Tirucirāppalli) by Rajendra I, the Sembarambākkam eri (Cingleput) by Rājarāja III are some of the leading examples of a large number of irrigation works mentioned in the inscriptions. The Tiruvalangadu plates (SII, III, pp. 3, verse 24, p. 425) of Rajendra I (1012-1044 A.D.) refer to the large irrigation tank ‘Colagangam’ as the ‘Liquid Pillar of Victory’ (‘gaṅga-jalamayam jayasthambam’) and states that, “This lord constructed in his own domain as a pillar of victory (a tank) known by repute as Colagangam which was composed of the waters of the Ganges”. About the extant Sembarambākkam ēri excavated by Rājarāja III, C.S. Crole says that it is “one of the biggest irrigation tanks in the Chingleput district whose vast expanse of water, when it is full, is an object of attraction to the people in the vicinity, not to mention its immense utility for the agriculturist” (Crole, 1879, p. 70). The Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra in Mysore (first quarters of the 11th century) were not lagging behind in creating irrigational facilities by the construction of rain-fed tanks and canals. These works were undertaken by them for religious purpose. But there is no positive proof of any scientific and systematic planning of tank construction and the inscriptions do not offer any technical details. However, it may be inferred that it involved in the cleaning of jungle, levelling of land and fixing of sluices (Kuppuswamy, 1975, p. 48). Channels were cut from the rivers to channelise water to arable lands. On the contrary the Kākatīyas of Warangal in the Telugu-speaking area of the east had made significant contribution in this direction. “They inherited a system which had been in use in the land from time immemorial” (Yazdani, 1964, p. 677). The Hanmakonda Niroṣṭya-kāvya inscription (EI, XXXVI, verse 21, p. 217) states that “in the country (Andhra deśa) are hundreds of tanks and thousands of rivulets, and they indeed appear to be the ocean and the consorts respectively”. Lithic records, literary compositions and the remains of extant irrigation works of the period bear ample testimony to the care with which the irrigation facilities were provided by them. Among the Kākatīyas, Gaṇapatideva (A.D. 1199-1262) was the most prominent ruler who was responsible for the construction of several irrigation works in different parts of the Kingdom. Among them the Pākhal lake, about 30 miles north of Warangal and the Rāmappa lake, about 44 miles north-east of Warangal are outstanding and surviving examples. The Pākhal lake lies in the basins of the Krishna and the Munnari rivers. King of the Geological Survey of India writing on the lake observes, “It is a splendid sheet of water lying back in two arms on either side of a good big hill east-south-east of the band, while from these are long bays reaching up behind low ridges of outcropping Vindhyas” (Bilgram & Willmott, Vol. II, p. 706 i.). At present the combined drainage of the lake is 80 sq. miles of which 40 sq. miles are intercepted. The Ramappa lake is formed by a ring of hills on three sides with a colossal bund only on the northern side. This lake is now fed by four channels. The lead given by Gaṇapatideva was followed by his successors in the 13th century also. In addition to tank irrigation, well irrigation was practised and it was confined to individual parcels of land. During the Kākatīya period the information regarding the method of construction was scanty and so our knowledge in this respect is very poor. However, different methods must undoubtedly have been employed varying with the terrain and locality. This is attested by the existing tanks of the period.