History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c32.s2.t9.13

v1.c32.s2.t9.13

Inscriptions refer to two types of *ettam* like the *kurrettam* and *perettam* and literally they stand for ‘small *picotah*’ and ‘large *picotah*’ respectively. Probably, they must have been specifically applied depending upon the extent of wet-lands under irrigation. A Pallava epigraph (ANRIE, No. 372, 1911) from Tiruvorriyur in Madras Kampavarman tells us of the lands watered by four *picotah* : “cultivable lands on the banks of the tank Tengeri, to be irrigated by four *picotah* ”. Another record (*SII*, XII. p. 93 line 15; ANRIE. NO. 180, 1912) from the same place of the Pallava king Aparājita mentions “the land irrigated by two large *picotah*” which by their description must have irrigated large areas of land. The same record refers to two water-levers (*jala yantra*) which appear to have been added as an additional means of irrigation in the village (Fig.5). A record (*SII*, III. No. 10. pp. 15-17) of the Rajendra Cola I says that the villagers of Ukkal sold 3,000 *kuli* of land and five water- levers to a servant of the king who assigned it to the village tank. It is learnt from the Rāyakoṭa plate (EI, VII, pp. 48-52) of Skandaśiṣya (fourth year) that such water-levers were also known as etta-p-pāḍam. While there are these and other distinct references to the principal types of water lifting devices there is absolutely no full account or description of them in any ancient literary or inscriptional references.