A History of Agriculture in India v2.c65.s17: Construction of Vijayanagar Dam
A History of Agriculture in India v2.c65.s17
- Language
- English
Construction of Vijayanagar Dam
v2.c65.s17.1
Later in his reign Krishnadevaraya busied himself in improving the irrigation of the dry lands about Vijayanagar. He constructed in A.D. 1521 the great dam and channel at Korragal, and the Basavanna channel, both of which are still in use and of great value to the country.
v2.c65.s17.2
Another great work of his was the construction of an enormous tank of dammed-up lake at the capital, which he carried out with the aid of Joao de la Ponte, a Portuguese engineer, whose services were lent to him by the governor-general of Goa. Both Paes and Nuniz mention this lake, and as the former actually saw it under construction it may have been begun in A.D. 1520. This is the large lake, now dry, to be seen at the north-western mouth of the valley entering into the Sandur hills south-west of Hospet.
v2.c65.s17.3
Describing how the Vijayanagar dam was built, Paes writes, ‘This king also made in his time a lake for water, which lies between two very lofty *serras*. But since he had no means in the country for making it, nor any one who could do it, he sent to Goa to ask the Governor to send some Portuguese masons, and the Governor sent him Joao de la Ponte, a great worker in stone, to whom the King told how he wanted the tank built. Though it seemed to this man (*mestre*, modern *maistry*) impossible to be made, he told the King he would do it and asked him to have lime prepared, at which the King laughed much, for in his country when they build a house they do not understand how to use lime. The King commanded to throw down quantities of stone and cast down many great rocks into the valley, but everything fell to pieces, so that all the work done in the day was destroyed each night, and the King, amazed at this, sent to call his wise men and sorcerers and asked them what they thought of this thing. They told him that his idols were not pleased with this work, it being so great and he giving them nothing, and that unless he spilled there the blood of men or women or buffaloes that work would never be finished. So the King sent to bring hither all the men who were his prisoners, and who deserved death, and ordered them there to be beheaded; and with this the work advanced. He made a bank across the middle of the valley so lofty and wide that it was a cross-bow shot in breadth and length, and had large sluices; and below it he put pipes by which the water escaped, and when they wish so to do they close these. By means of this water they made many improvements in the city, and many channels by which they irrigated rice-fields and gardens, and in order that they might improve their lands he gave the people the lands which are irrigated by this water free for nine years, until they had made their improvements, so that the revenue already amounts to 20,000 *pardaos*.⁷
v2.c65.s17.4
⁷ Sewell, R. *A Forgotten Empire, Vijayanagar*, pp. 345-347