Ancient Irrigation Work at Sanchi

Sanchi is located in Madhya Pradesh and is a site known for its stupas, pillars, temples, monasteries and sculptural wealth. This is the wonderful place where the beginning and downfall of Buddhist art and architecture can be witnessed. Sanchi cover up the whole period of Buddhism in India.

Sanchi is a World Heritage Site with a glorious ancient past. In a fresh archaeological and hydrological study by Julia Shaw and John Sutcliffe have brought to notice ancient irrigation works that belongs to 1st century BC.

The occurrence of rain water harvesting for drinking water needs and for irrigation, perhaps in rice cultivation is indicated by the presence of mud dams and reservoirs.

The Buddhist monks were famous for practical agriculture. One of the embankments of the Sanchi runs for almost 350m between Sanchi hill and low-lying hill of Nagauri in the south.

As per the study the dams must have been formed a reservoir drained by streams running down from the hills to the west. The study states that the reservoir was build for irrigation purpose for the fields below the dams.

During the Buddha’s time Sanchi was a part of the mahajanapada which states that rain water harvesting must have been an important component of this area.