A History of Agriculture in India v1.c33.s10: Agricultural Implements of Iron
A History of Agriculture in India v1.c33.s10
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Agricultural Implements of Iron
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Taxila, 200 B.C.-A.D. 200. Iron technology made great progress in the age of Sātavāhanās and Kushans. Indian iron and steel weapons and cutlery were exported to western Asia where they enjoyed high esteem. In India it led to the manufacture of sturdy agricultural implements. A number of iron agricultural implements were recovered from the Bhir mound at Taxila. These include a variety of hoes with length varying from 18 to 30 centimetres, seven spuds, 15.5 to 18 centimetres in length, and five sickles. One sickle had a curved blade and the other a straight blade and a curved handle. The length of the blades varied from 12.5 to 18 centimetres. True spades were also discovered which are superior in design to those currently in use in rural India (Fig. 185). The workmanship of these iron agricultural implements indicates the high level of iron technology in India during 300 B.C. to A.D. 100.
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Improvement in the quality and strength of iron chisels and hammers led to improvement in the manufacture of stone objects, particularly grinding-mills (chakkis), which are still used in Indian homes for grinding foodgrains and spices. Now querns and mullers, and pestles and mortars could be manufactured with greater ease. Apart from these grinding devices, stone vases and cups of a variety of shapes and designs were manufactured at Taxila (Fig. 186).
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Sanchi—A.D. 200. A number of agricultural implements were discovered from Sanchi in 1920. These implements include a blade-harrow (bhakhar), sickles with curved blades, and iron trowels which were possibly used as hoes (Fig. 189). The bhakhar is even now in common use in the black cotton soil areas of Madhya Pradesh. It shows that an implement of proved utility continues unchanged over the centuries.
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