History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s2.t4.1

v1.c32.s2.t4.1

The canals system of irrigation probably had its beginnings in the use of artificial water courses by the Vedic people. The word *kulyā* (*RV*. III, 45.3; X.43.7) refers to artificial courses flowing into a river. The expressions *khanitrima* meaning ‘produced by digging’ as an epithet of *āpaḥ* clearly refers to artificial water channels used for irrigation. Such artificial canals were dug by using a tool called *Khanitra* (*RV*. VII. 49.2; *AV*. I. 6.4). Rituals were practised before leading the river water into the canals (*AV*. III. 13; I. 6.4; XIX. 2.2; Ramgopal, 1953, p. 133). Kautilya classifies the countries making use of the water channels in agriculture as *kulyāvāpaṇam* (*AS*. II. 24.116, Shamasastry (tr), p. 130). Patañjali in his *Mahābhāṣya* speaks of canals for irrigating paddy fields *śalyartham kulyāḥ* (Patañjali I.1.24; I. 82, see also Agrawala, 1953, p. 204).