UPSC Prelims 2025Question 13Ancient History

The irrigation device called 'Araghatta' was

Options

Correct answer: b

(b) a large wheel with earthen pots tied to the outer ends of its spokes

The Araghatta was a traditional Indian water-lifting irrigation device.
It consisted of a large vertical wheel, often powered by bullocks or humans, with earthen pots or buckets attached to its spokes.
As the wheel rotated, these pots would dip into a water source (like a well or river), fill up, and then empty into a canal or trough for irrigation.
This method was mechanical, rotational, and more efficient than lifting water by hand.

(a) a water bag made of leather pulled over a pulley:
This refers to another irrigation device (like the moat/girba), not the Araghatta.
(c) a larger earthen pot driven by bullocks:
While bullocks may be used in some systems, this option does not describe the wheel-and-pot system of Araghatta specifically.
(d) a large water bucket pulled up by rope directly by hand:
This describes a simple pulley system, but lacks the mechanical sophistication of Araghatta.

Device	Description	Operation Method
Araghatta	Large vertical wheel with pots tied to spokes; rotates to lift water	Powered by animals or humans
Moat / Girba	Leather bag or bucket pulled over a pulley to lift water	Manual or animal-driven
Dhenkuli	Lever-based water lifting system (seesaw type)	Manual operation
Rahat	Persian wheel; similar to Araghatta but more widespread in medieval India	Animal-powered continuous lifting

Device Name	Mechanism / Description	Source of Power	Key Features	Usage Context
Araghatta	A large vertical wheel with earthen pots tied to its spokes; rotates to lift water from wells or rivers	Human or animal-powered	Efficient continuous rotation; mentioned in ancient Indian texts	Common in ancient India for well irrigation
Rahat (Persian Wheel)	A wheel with buckets, powered by animals walking in a circle	Animal-powered (typically bullocks)	Similar to Araghatta but more prevalent in medieval and Mughal India	Popular in North India during medieval times
Moat / Girba	Leather water bag drawn up over a pulley	Manual or animal-powered	Basic lifting system; widely used where simple infrastructure sufficed	Small-scale irrigation and domestic use
Dhenkuli	A lever-based device that uses a counterweight and a long pole to lift water	Manual (by hand/foot)	Seesaw-like mechanism; low-tech and low-cost	Widely used in eastern India, especially Bengal
Picottah	Vertical lifting device with a long pole and counterweight	Manual	Traditional tool in South India, especially Tamil Nadu	Small farms and individual use

Araghatta was mentioned in ancient Indian texts, including technical treatises and regional records.
Such devices reflect the technological ingenuity of early Indian agrarian societies in managing water for irrigation.

Concept	Explanation
Traditional Irrigation	Systems used before the advent of modern pumps; relied on simple mechanical principles
Sustainable Water Use	These devices often used renewable energy sources (human/animal) and were eco-friendly
Regional Variations	Device type varied by geography—Picottah in Tamil Nadu, Dhenkuli in Bengal, Rahat in northern India

Devices like Araghatta demonstrate technological ingenuity of ancient Indian farmers in water management.
These systems were often described in ancient Sanskrit texts, such as Arthashastra and various agricultural treatises.

Class 7Introduction: Tracing Changes Through a Thousand Years — NCERT History, Chapter 1. This opening chapter of Our Pasts – II sets out how historians study the thousand years from about 700 to 1750, and what changed in them. Two maps of the subcontinent …