Chola Irrigation and water management

Chola Irrigation and water management

Subject: Ancient and Medieval History

Context: Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan I

• Cholas undertook measures to improve the irrigation system that was in practice. As the state was drawing most of its revenue from agriculture, the Cholas focused their efforts on managing water resources. Vativaykkal, a criss-cross channel, is a traditional way of harnessing rain water in the Kavery delta.
• Vati runs in the north–south direction while vaykkal runs in the east–west direction. Technically, vati is a drainage channel anda vaykkal is a supply channel. The waterrunning through vaykkal to the field wasto be drained out to vati and to anothervaykkal. Rain water would flow from wherethe natural canal started. Many irrigationcanals are modifications of such naturalcanals. The harnessed water was utilisedalternately through vatiand Herethe mechanism designed was such thatwater was distributed to the parcelled outlands in sequel.
• Many canals were named afterthe kings, queens and gods. Someexamples of the names are Uttamacholavaykkal, Panca-vanamadevi-vaykkal and Ganavathy-vaykkal.
• Ur-vaykkal was ownedjointly by the landowners. The nadu levelvaykkal was referred to as nattu-vaykkal. Theturn system was practiced for distributingthe water.
• Chola inscriptions list some bigsizeirrigation tanks such as Cholavaridhi, Kaliyaneri, Vairamegatataka created by the Pallavas, Bahur big tank and Rajendra Cholaperiyaeri. For the periodical or seasonalmaintenance and repair of irrigation works, conscripted labour was used.

Water Management:

• Different kinds of water rights These rights regulated the share of water from the tanks and wells; italso entailed the right of deepening and
• Broadening the channels and repairingthe irrigation system. The allotment of water is described as nirkkiintavaru (share of water as allotted). The water was released through kumizh (sluice) ortalaivay (head-channel). Royal orders warned the people against the violationof water rights and encroachment of water resources gifted to the brahmadeyasettlements. Commonly owned villagetank was called enkalkulam (our tank).
• Land transactions in the form of donationand endowment were accompanied bywater rights as well. For the periodicaland seasonal maintenance and repair ofthe irrigation tanks, rendering free labourwas in practice. Vetti and amanji were the forms of free labour related to public works at the village level.
• Village assemblies under the Cholascollected a tax called eriayam, which was utilised for repairing irrigation tanks.
• Sometimes local leaders like araiyan repaired and renovated irrigation tanks destroyed in a storm. There were instancesof the water from a tank shared by villagers and the temples.
• Special groups known as talaivayar, talaivay-chanrar and eri-araiyarkal were in charge of releasing the water through the head channel and sluice from the rivers or tanks. A group of people who were in charge of kulam was called In later period, temples were entrusted with the upkeep of the irrigation sources.