History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s2.t2.3

v1.c32.s2.t2.3

The site selected for the construction of large reservoirs by the tank builders was in between two mountains; for the mountain slopes on either side served as the natural embankment. This sort of arrangement undoubtedly increased the storage capacity of the reservoir. This technique is, of course, possible where there is such a natural arrangement. The famous Sudarsana lake in Kathiawar was located round the mountain Girnar. It was “so well joined in construction as to rival the spur of a mountain” (EI, VIII, No. 6, p. 46). The Ciramegha taṭāka constructed in the first quarter of the 7th century A.D. by the Pallava Mahendravarman is by far the largest tank in the Cingleput district, Tamil Nadu. It is situated in between two hills which form the natural embankment for it. “The bund rests upon the bases of two hills and lets rise here and there in the centre of the reservoir making it the prettiest tank in the district” (Madras District Manuals: North Arcot, II, p. 305). As already mentioned, the Bhojapur lake near Bhopal was created by constructing two solid masonry dams across the watershed of a circle of hills. The Rāmappa lake constructed during the reign of the Kākatīya Ganapatideva at a distance of 44 miles north-east of Warangal (Andhra Pradesh) is an excellent testimony to the skill of the Kākatīyas in irrigation works of a high order. This magnificent lake is formed by a ring of hills on three sides with a colossal bund (embankment) on the northern side (Gopal Reddy, p. 62). The same technique was applied by them in constructing a tank at Buddhapuri (Andhra Pradesh) (CTI, p. 52).