History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s2.t5: Spring Channels
History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s2.t5
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Spring Channels
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Spring channels (*ūrrukkāl* in Tamil and *ūttakālva* in Telugu) were also made use of for irrigating small parcels of arable lands and for collecting drinking water. They were made on river-beds, but the practice was not widespread because the non-availability of sufficient underground water during the hot seasons. Deep furrows were made on river-beds and water thus collected was channelised to the fields. The practice of collecting water from springs was quite prevalent during the days of the Pallavas whose records say that permission was granted to donees to dig *ūrrukkāl* from the beds of the rivers Palar and Vegavati (*SII*. I.p. 151). Even now such channels are found on the beds of the Pālār and other rivers in South India.
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No tangible evidence is forthcoming from the above account regarding the materials and methods involved in the construction of canals. We shall now turn to archaeological evidences which throw much light on the ancient canals and their structural details. The interesting aspect is that each canal has its own distinctive features.
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Besnagar
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Excavations carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1914-15 on the western bank of the river Bes at Besnagar, near Bhilsa (Gwalior), have brought to light the remains of an ancient irrigation canal (c. 300 B.C.). The masonry canal was 7 feet wide and 5 feet 6 inches high. The north-south limb of the canal was 185' 4", whereas the east-west limb could not be traced, since both the walls were broken off at the same point where the canal took a turn.
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Most probably it extended as far as the Bes river which is hardly 2 furlongs away from the site. The masonry walls were plastered with lime mortar of a superior quality. D.R. Bhandarkar who supervised the excavation work opines that on chemical analysis it was found to rival that of the Romans. The use of such quality lime mortar is not only appropriate but essential also for such brick walls, which, otherwise, would have been easily destroyed by the percolation of water. The walls were deliberately sloped downward to counteract the pressure of water. Traces of a flight of steps found at the middle of the south wall of the canal suggested the various uses of the water that was flowing in the canal. That the canal served as a storage canal was indicated by the cross-wall joining the north-south walls at the end. By the application of suitable lifting devices water must have been raised from this canal to irrigate the surrounding area (Bhandarkar, 1914-15, pp. 69-71).
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Kumrahar
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A canal dating back to the Mauryan period was unearthed at Kumrahar, a village 3 miles to the east of Patna Railway Station. It was found along with the Mauryan wooden pillared hall and hence belonged to the same period. The canal was 43 ft. wide and 10 ft. deep at the centre. A.S. Altekar states that “this canal was ultimately connected with the Ganga and might have been used to waft, the huge pillars direct to the door of the hall from the chunar quarries where they were probably prepared” (Altekar and Mishra, 1959, pp. 25-30). Hence it is not possible to say whether the canal supplied water for irrigation of lands in the vicinity.
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Ujjain
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At Ujjain, a brick-lined channel 36 ft. wide at the top and 8' 6" at the base (bottom and foundation) was exhumed to a length of 150 ft. which ran south-west and north wards. The limited excavation did not reveal its connection with the river ‘Sipra’ which is quite close to the site. At the start of the canal there is a big pond like natural depression suggesting to be the feeding agency. It cannot be said with certainty whether this canal was meant for storage purpose or for irrigation (Banerjee, 1957-58, *IAR*, p. 38).
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Kāveripūmpaṭṭiṇam
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Kāveripūmpaṭṭiṇam or Pūmpuhār, the celebrated port city of the early Colas, is now an insignificant fisherman's hamlet on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu when the river Kaveri joins the sea. Detailed excavation conducted by the A.S.I. at three places at Kāveripūmpaṭṭiṇam had brought to light, among other important monuments, an elegant structure - the water-reservoir at Vāṇagiri (*Fig.3*). Situated about a mile away from the sea, it was made of an earthern (24" × 16") bund with a facade built of bricks. It was beautifully designed with two graceful curves to receive the water and let into a pond. Probably it was a small feeding channel from the river Kaveri or its numerous off shoots. The paved inlet channel was covered by a corbelled arch (Raman, 1968, p. 239).
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Fig.3. Outlet channel of a reservoir, Vāṇagiri, Kāveripūmpaṭṭiṇam (photo courtesy : ASI Southern circle)
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Nāgārjunakoṇḍa
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The ancient canal at Nāgārjunakoṇḍa, datable to the 3rd or 4th century A.D. when the Ikṣvāku dynasty ruled over the parts of Āndhradeśa with their capital at Vijayapuri in the picturesque valley is another example. “The exposed canal runs to a length of more than 800 yards flowing east-west with an average width of 50 feet and 6 feet depth. The embankments were constructed with a hard lime stone gravel with *Kaṅkar* and stones which were rammed to withstand the rush of water. They were gradually sloped to the canal bed which also contained similar flooring. In addition to this the southern side embankment was further strengthened by a random rubble wall of 4 feet wide” (Subrahamaniyam, *IAR*, 1958-59, p.8). The canal was built of large-sized bricks (12 × 12 × 3) and of extremely durable nature. Though the purpose of such a big canal as this is not clear, it can be reasonably surmised that it served as a water source for the dwellings in the vicinity, and other public use, in particular to the famous stadium, the Harati temple, great bath, etc. (Subrahmaniyam, *IAR*, 1954-55, pp.22-23).