ABSTRACT
Water Management, Patronage Networks and Religious Change: New Evidence from the Sanchi Dam Complex and Counterparts in Gujarat and Sri Lanka
Julia Shaw and John Sutcliffe
The paper develops ideas on the Sanchi dam complex (Shaw & Sutcliffe, 2001) after further fieldwork. Additional evidence is presented on spillway design and construction, irrigation and associated land use, and the length of time over which dam construction or repair continued. New theories on the patronage of the irrigation works are presented, based on associated naga sculptures; in addition to being representations of the local naga cult, they doubled as symbols of the prominent local Naga dynasty. The relative configuration of naga sculptures, dams and Buddhist sites, is relevant to current theories on the relationship between "local" and "pan Indian" religious traditions.
Comparative archaeological and hydrological evidence from Gujarat and Sri Lanka is also discussed. Field observations regarding the Sudarsana dam at Junagadh, where inscriptions describe its construction during the Mauryan period, provide evidence of historical links and hydrological contrasts with Sanchi. There are also historical and technical similarities with the contemporary developments in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, where nevertheless the scale of the reservoirs is much greater and the hydrological background is different. These comparisons throw light on the possible history and function of the Sanchi dams, and provide the basis for building an integrated model of religious and social change in ancient India.
Reference: Shaw, J. and Sutcliffe, J.V. 2001, "Ancient irrigation works in the Sanchi area: an archaeological and hydrological investigation", South Asian Studies, 17, pp. 55-75.