ABSTRACT
Ancient irrigation works in the Sanchi area: an archaeological and hydrological investigation
Julia Shaw and John Sutcliffe
The subject-matter of this paper is a group of ancient embankments in districts Raisen and Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, India. These would have formed a total of sixteen reservoirs, which on the basis of field investigations and hydrological analysis, appear to have been consistently built and designed for the purpose of rice irrigation. Moreover, their size is in harmony with local topography and hydrology, showing that they were designed with an empirical understanding of the principles of water balance. Eleven of these reservoirs are datable between 2nd century BC and 1st century AD on the basis of morphological analysis and reference to wider archaeological contexts, whilst the others range between 1st - 10th century AD. These findings make important contributions to the understanding of ancient Indian irrigation, as well as raising questions regarding the history of rice in central India. Consideration will also be given to how the embankments relate to wider aspects of the archaeological landscape: the 100 sq km area over which the embankments are distributed, forms part of the hinterland of the early-historic city of Vedisa (Vidisha), and includes a large number of contemporary Buddhist sites including the hilltop monastic centre at Sanchi. An analysis of the relative configuration of irrigation reservoirs, rural settlements, and Buddhist sites provides interesting insights into the area's socio-economic and religious significance between the 3rd century BC and 5th century AD.