History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s2.t6.4

v1.c32.s2.t6.4

We get a few references from the inscriptional sources about the material involved in the construction of embankments. While recording the restoration of the famous Sudarśana lake by Rudradaman I, the Junagadh inscription says that its embankments are stony, in breadth, length and height constructed without gaps as they are of stone (clay)" (*EI*. VIII. No. 6, p. 46). We do not know when the great embankment, over 100 feet thick at the base, finally crumbled. During the days of the Cola Karikāla the Kaveri was impetuous and of considerable magnitude. The Ceylon Chronicle *Mahāvaṃśa* says that he invaded the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), carried away about 12,000 captives and set them up to work on the construction of the banks which extended along the course of the river to a distance of about 100 miles from its mouth (Kanakasabai Pillai, 1904, pp. 8-9). This is well reflected in an eleventh century epigraph. “He (Karikāla), who curbed the pride of the subordinate, prevented the Kaveri, which by its extensive floods caused the earth to be deprived of its produce, by means of a bund formed of earth thrown in baskets carried in hand by (enemy) Kings" (TRV. III, pp. 154-155). This age-old and time-tested method of strengthening the river banks is still being adopted in rural area in South India. The excavation conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India since 1915 have clearly established that canal embankments were constructed with hard lime gravel mixed with stones which were rammed to withstand the rush of water. Bricks of unusually large size 24" ×12"×3" and of extremely durable nature were used in the construction of walls. Evidences show that in the later centuries the river banks or tank embankments were either raised out of earth or reinforced with stone revetment. In some cases granite stone blocks were used for the basement of embankments (Karthikeya Sharma, 1958-59, pp. 307 ff; Raman, 1968, p. 239).