[Compiled by: Kandiah Thillaivinayagalingam]
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| [Exotic goods,like spices, textiles and precious metals. were moved between Mesopotamia,the Indus and Arabian Gulf regions] |
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| [Water tank at Mohenjo-daro] |
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[(1)Top:Storm water storage in rock tank and dry well at
Dholavira and Lothal
(2)Bottom:One of the water reservoirs at Dholavira]
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| [The Kallanai(kall -stone, anai-bund),also known as the Grand Anicut(aṇaikkaṭṭu, from. aṇai: dam + kaṭṭu: building, structure ie dam building),is an ancient dam built on the Kaveri River in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India and is considered one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world, which is still in use.]
[Compiled by: Kandiah Thillaivinayagalingam]
Dholavira is an most
prominent archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch
District,in the state of Gujarat in western India,which contains ruins of an
ancient Indus Valley Civilization/Harappan city.One of the unique features of
Dholavira is the sophisticated water conservation system of channels and
reservoirs,the earliest found anywhere in the world and completely built out of
stone,of which three are exposed.Dholavira had massive reservoirs.They were
used for storing the freshwater brought by rains or to store the water diverted
from two nearby rivulets.This clearly came in wake of the desert climate and
conditions of Kutch,where several years may pass without rainfall.
Also we find a large
number of tanks were cut in the rocks to provide drinking water to tradesmen
who used to travel along the ancient trade route.Each fort in the area had its
own water harvesting and storage system in the form of rock-cut
cisterns,ponds,tanks and wells that are still in use today.One such Water tank
at Mohenjo-daro shown in above picture.
All above shows that
irrigation was well recognized from the dawn of civilization and these Indus
valley people were claimed to be the ancestors of tamil people.When Indus
valley people migrated to south India after it collapsed during 1700-1500 BC,they may also carry these knowledge of
irrigation & its importance with them.But the sangam literary works from
which we usually derive materials for our study about ancient south india or
Tamils,do not clearly mention the provenance of the use of such devices,the
water wheel. However,the application of water-lifters & other simple
devices in south India is unmistakably mentioned in the following works such
as:Akananuru-a sangam work,Maduraikanchi-one of the Pattu paatu,Silappathikaram
& Manimekalai-the two tamil epics, Periyapuranam & so on.Besides a
number of early tamil epigraphs also make definite mention about
picotahs[similar to the shadoof] & palm-leaf baskets.
Also we come to know
that the agriculture scene of South India was equally bright in Ancient
India.The Tamil people cultivated a wide range of crops such as
rice,sugarcane,millets,black pepper,various grains,beans,cotton,tamarind and
sandalwood,Jackfruit,coconut, palm,areca and plantain trees etc and Systematic
ploughing,manuring,weeding,irrigation and crop protection was practiced for
sustained agriculture in South India.
Further,due to the
many handicaps such as failure of monsoon,the uneven rainfall,its scarcity
& excess etc had forced the ancient tamil people of south india,to carry on
irrigation by means of artificial reservoirs or canals.Historically It was the
sangam king Karikalan who as a pioneer,actually engineered the above idea.
[The Kallanai(kall
-stone, anai-bund),also known as the Grand Anicut(aṇaikkaṭṭu, from. aṇai:
dam + kaṭṭu: building, structure ie dam building),is an ancient dam built on
the Kaveri River in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India and is considered
one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world,
which is still in use.]
In the earliest
Tamil grammatical treatise Tolkappiyam ,dated 5th century BC,we find a line
which says:"வருவிசை புனலைக் கற்சிறை போல ஒருவன் தாங்கிய பெருமையானும்"in its
poruladikaram.Here "kaṟ-ciṟai"[கற்சிறை] means dam, anicut,
embankment.
Further,pattinappalai
of poet Uruttirangannanar in praise of the Chola king Karikala, mentioned in
lines 283-284 that "He[King Karikala] cleared woods & habitable
made,constructed tanks & prospered the land"
Even Purananuru
352[Poet: Paranar],24[Poet Mānkudi Kilār]....etc also clearly mentioned about
tanks & sluices as:
Puranānūru
352:
"Young girls who wear white waterlily stems as bracelets,
climb on a hill and dive into a reservoir, causing
the water to run through the sluices."
Purananuru
24:
"You have seized Milalai with sluices where waters flow,
which was ruled by great Vel Evvi[வேள் எவ்வி]
where storks catch carp[fish]
in the fields and rest on piles of grain."
From above sangam
poems We come to know that During the sangam period[700BC to 300AD] Kings
considered agricultural development as their primary duty,Also They felt that
soil fertility and irrigation facilities should be the country’s assets.&
as such they dug tanks at locations where water flow from rains was plentiful
and Semicircular bunds were raised adjacent to small hillocks. Even The king
Karikal Cholan brought 1000 slaves from a conquered country and raised the
bunds of river Cauvery.Thus indicates awareness of water harvesting during the
ancient tamilakam..
Further we come
across different type of "Water reservoirs" in tamil language such
as:"இலஞ்சி(Reservoir for drinking and
other purposes),கண்ணி,எரி(Irrigation Tank),மடு(Deep place in a river),வாவி[tank,reservoir of water,lagoon],வட்டம்,நளினி ,கயம், கோட்டகம்,மலங்கன்,சலந்தரம்,தடாகம்[pond],கிடங்கு[Pit,depression],கற்சிறை[anicut],கிணறு[well],துரவு.அகழி(Moat), அருவி(Water Falls),ஆழிக்கிணறு(Well in Sea-shore),ஆறு(River),உறை கிணறு(Ring Well),ஊருணி(Drinking water tank) ,ஊற்று(Spring),ஓடை(Brook),கட்டுக் கிணறு(Built-in-well),கண்மாய்(கம்மாய்/Irrigation Tank),கலிங்கு(Sluice with many
Venturis),கால்(Channel),கால்வாய்(Suppy channel to a tank),குட்டம்(Large Pond),குட்டை(Small Pond),குண்டம்(Small Pool), குண்டு(Pool),குமிழி(Rock cut Well),குமிழி ஊற்று(Artesian fountain),குளம்(Bathing tank),கூவம்(Abnormal well),கூவல் (Hollow),வாளி(stream),கேணி(Large Well),சிறை (Reservoir),சுனை(Mountain Pool),சேங்கை(Tank with Duck Weed),தடம் (Beautifully Constructed Bathing Tank),தளிக்குளம்(Tank Surrounding a Temple),தாங்கல்(Irrigation tank),திருக்குளம்(Temple tank), தெப்பக் குளம்(Temple tank with inside pathway along parapet wall),தொடு கிணறு(Dig well),நடை கேணி(Large well with steps on
one side),நீராவி(Bigger tank with center
Mantapam),பிள்ளைக்கிணறு(Well in middle of a tank),பொங்கு கிணறு(Well with bubbling
spring),பொய்கை(Lake),மடை(Small sluice with single venturi),மதகு(Sluice with many
venturis),மறு கால்(Surplus water channel),வலயம்(Round tank),வாய்க்கால் (Small water course)",totalling over 50 such words.Do any
other language have such number of words to describe "Water
reservoirs"?If not,Why Tamil language have such number of words?Because
ancient tamil civilization had realised the tremendous value of water in human
life.Apart from cooking,personal cleanliness and hygiene,water was vital for
cultivation and irrigation of crops.Not only that,In that early age,water was a
major mode of transport too;Since tamilian life is centred on water and
agriculture,the importance of keeping these structures well-oiled was not lost
on the community.Ways were devised to retain the incoming water based on the
requirement of the village and the excess was allowed to flow into the next
tank in the series.This is why Tamils have such number of words.
PART :62 WILL FOLLOW
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