A History of Agriculture in India v2.c67.s8.3

v2.c67.s8.3

Babur also made observations on the modes of irrigation prevalent in India. Two methods of irrigation from wells were with the aid of a wooden Persian wheel and a leather bucket drawn over a pulley, the charsa. Babur stated, ‘The greater part of the Hindustan country is situated on level land. Many though its towns and cultivated lands are, it nowhere has running waters. Rivers and, in some places, standing-waters are its ‘runn-ing-waters’.’ Even where, as for some towns, it is practicable to convey water by digging channels, this is not done. For not doing it there may be several reasons, one being that water is not at all a necessity in cultivating crops and orchards. Autumn crops grow by the downpour of the rains themselves; and strange it is that spring crops grow even when no rain falls.’