IRRIGATION IN EARLY MEDIEVAL

RAJASTHAN BY

B. D. CHATTOPADHYAYA (New Delhi)

Although the two broad regions of , demarcated into east and west by the regular stretch of the Aravalli in a northeast-southwest direction, have distinct geographical characteristics 1), yet perhaps neither of them can be justifiably called, to use two archaic expressions, nadimätrka (i.e., river-fed) or devamdtrka (i.e., rain-fed) 2). As such, any attempt to reconstruct the agrarian history of these areas will have to take into account the patterns of their irrigation system. The present paper seeks to examine available data on irrigation relating to the early medieval period, its total emphasis being on methods of artificial irrigation. Apart from the nature of the relevant contents of inscriptions, the major source-material for this period, the impression that settlement areas proliferated in early medieval Rajasthan 3) while climatic con- ditions or natural drainage conditions either remained unaltered or deteriorated 4), provides the only other rationale for such an emphasis.

1) For the geography of Rajasthan we have largely depended upon V. C. Misra, Geograpby of Rajasthan, New Delhi, 1 967. 2) For the use and sources of these expressions see S. K. Maity, Economic life of Northern in the Gupta period, second edition, Delhi-Patna-Varanasi, I 970, p. 33; also A. K. Chaudhary, Early medieval village in north-eastern India (A.D. 600-I200), Calcutta, I97I, p. 113, p. 1 3 9,fn. 4. 3) It is not possible to fully substantiate this supposition within the compass of this paper except by underlining that its main focus is on western Rajasthan where archaeological material on early historical settlements is almost totally absent. 4) The only relevant evidence so far comes from Rang Mahal in north Rajasthan. See Hanna Rydh, Rang Mahal (The Swedish archaeological expedition to India Lund-Bonn-Bombay, see also n. q. on p. 301. For general impressions regarding increasing aridity see P. C. Raheja, 'Influence of Climatic Changes on the Vegetation of the arid Zone in India', Annals of Arid Zone (published by the Arid Zone Research Association of India), Vol. IV, No. I, pp. 64-68; also, Proceed- ings of the Symposium on the Rajputana desert (Bulletin of the National Institute of Sciencesof India), Vol. I, passim. 299

The material examined here is confined to inscriptions of the early medieval period, but it is done in the hope that an initial brief survey may eventually lead to a more detailed and meaningful research. The first part of the paper deals with the territorial distribution of different devices of artificial irrigation; the second attempts to study, albeit sketchily, the relationship between irrigation and whatever imperfect knowledge we have about crop production in early medieval Rajasthan, and the final part seeks to view irrigation organisation as part of the agrarian structure. Although the paper refers roughly to c. 700-c. 1300, it considers the pattern of crop production and irrigation in the earlier period to see whether any change in this pattern is perceptible. Quite naturally, the data for ancient times have so far been very meagre. Early excavation reports refer only perfunctorily to evidence relating to cultivation. Rairh, in the former state-a site believed to have been under occupation between the third century B.C. and second century A.D., with traces of partial occupation till the Gupta period-has yielded, from its ringwell or soakpit deposits, nondescript 'corn' and through- out the entire publication the find of millet is reported once 1). The first century A.D. remains from Bairat, also in former Jaipur state, include a fragment of cloth and may or may not indicate local produc- tion of cotton 2). Excavations at Nagari in do not seem to have yielded any corresponding specimen, and Bhandarkar's find of six alleged oilmills has no significance in this respect as there is

1) K. N. Puri, Excavations at Rairh during I9J8-J9 and I9J9-4°, Department of Archaeology and Historical Research, Jaipur (no date), pp. 58-61, nos. 81, 82, 103. 2) D. R. Sahni, Archaeological Remains and Excavations at Bairat, Department of Archaeology and Historical Research, Jaipur (no date), p. z 2. It is believed that Hiuen Tsang's seventh century account of P'o-li-ye-ta-lo or Pariyatra gives an idea of the agricultural products of the Bairat area. "According to him Pariyatra (Bairat?) yielded crops of spring wheat and other grains, including a peculiar kind of rice", D. Sharma (General editor), Rajastban through the ages, Vol. I (published by Rajasthan State Archives), Bikaner, 1966, p. 67; also T. Watters, On Yuan Chazvang's travels in India, Delhi reprint, ig6i, p. 300. The chronology of this evidence falls more within the scope of the early medieval rather than of the early historical period.