ASSIGNMENT - 1

Chaitanya R Davay
122004051

Water Management in Ancient India

India has always had their own ecological traditions due to different type of
climates and temperatures. Since predominantly, the temperature is high,
water must be conserved to avoid draught kind of situations. Countries like
France, Italy need not conserve water like higher temperature countries
since they do not face these situations. Water conservation also helps a lot
for agriculture in extreme summer situations where there is water scarcity.
Mohenjodaro in Indus Valley has always had great water conservation
systems since a long time. Harappan also serves as another example bricks
used for construction wells broke down with the reason being heavy water
pressure, and the solution was found by civil engineers in that region when
they replaced them with trapezoidal shaped bricks. Their structure and
composition helped prevent the high-water table causing heavy water
pressure. Trapezoidal bricks helped in coming together keeping the wall
intact in-case of heavy water pressure situations. Kallanai in Tamil Nadu is
a dam flowing across Kaveri River is another great example of a water
conservation project. It was constructed in the first century and the main
idea was to divert the water across delta region to use for irrigation. It was
constructed by an ancient king. It is around 1800 years old. River was
considered as their deity by the people of that locality and they worship
near the shrine constructed on top of it.
Dholavira is a dry area with little or no rain at times which had only 2
major water bodies for water supply. Rock cut tanks, and canals were used
as sub streams which channelled the water from those water bodies. These
were achieved only with the help of manpower in that region. Kautilya on
the other hand had a lot of water management systems such as water lifting
machines and irrigation systems. The state also is involved in water supply,
and incase they are used by the farmers in that area, they must pay the
state for those facilities. This was done with the revenue they earned with
their crops. Anyone who obstructed the waterbodies or water collection
pools were penalized. Reservoirs, lakes and other tanks which were used to
preserve water were opposed by the Britishers and their maintenance was
stopped. They were supposed to be under the control of a central
regulatory body. All the waterbodies were destroyed and they do not exist
today due to poor maintenance. Urbanization was another main reason
why these water bodies do not exist today.

Town Planning and Architecture

In ancient times, the architecture and the way monuments are astounding.
It is still a puzzle without appropriate machinery, how kings and their
architects designed and constructed such masterpieces. Mohenjodaro again
is another great example which has a great architecture. They were
constructed in and around 2600BC. These cities were constructed
orthogonal to each other, in each of the 4 directions during Harappan
civilization. They were maintained by a set of civil engineers post the
construction. The dimensions of the brick used in today’s world exactly
matches with the bricks used then. It is actually surprising that without the
use of appropriate instruments, they had constructed and the brick
dimensions also match. Rich and poor class of people lived together
without any wall of separation between them, and this shows that there
was no kind of discrimination or stereotyping that existed in ancient times.
In Harappan civilisation, there were around 700 different wells used as
water sources for various purposes. There were 2 types of wells: Private
and Public. Public wells are common and can be used by all, while private
ones are restricted as the name suggests. Harappan civilisation was also
mined enough by the Britishers who used all the materials dug out for the
construction of railway tracks. The bricks used for construction inside the
civilisation were of trapezoidal shape which were used for wells as well to
prevent high water pressure. They cave in, which prevents the damages.
An ideal construction according to Arthashastra is a square shape with
entrances on each side. Palace is ideal to be located in the North direction.
To monitor the movement of goods and people around, the entrances were
made very narrow. These architectures were followed in many places such
as Orissa. Jaipur is another example which follows the arthashastra.
Monasteries were built in huge numbers when buddhism grew rapidly.
Nalanda University was one such example which was constructed that was
really huge and had place for around 10000 students and 2000 monks at
that time. It still exists and is a great example for ancient architecture.
Vaastu Shastra
Vaastu Shastra is one of the oldest concepts that exist which aid in
construction or architecture of buildings and has specific geometry in
which rooms or areas can be built. It was developed using Sanskrit but it is
not essential to know the language since understanding the purpose would
be more helpful. It was done by Vishwakarma Community who are spread
across the country and are called by various names with Vishwakarma
being a generic name. They have 5 different subgroups like Manu, maya,
shilpi and etc. After the British invasion their ideologies were ignored.
Brihadeeswara temple or Thanjavur Big Temple were built out of huge
rocks and were joined without the use of mortar. This still stays a mystery
on how they were constructed in the old times. The temple also has
another astonishing fact that shadow of Vimana is not cast on the ground
even at the noon time. They have one of the largest shiva lingas in the
world. Over hundreds of years, their legacy and the knowledge they had
were completely forgotten. Vaastu in modern times is completely forgotten
which serves for a positive vibe in and around a construction. It is basically
the architectural design prepared considering the flora and fauna around it.
The Brihadeeswara Temple even after thousands of years, does not have a
single crack on any of the rocks on which its built upon. Most homes built
using Vaastu are based on the four major directions as they have cosmic
powers associated with them. According to Vaastu shastra, a building must
have aesthetics combined with sensibility while constructing the same.
They must serve the purpose which its built for. Sundial was set at a perfect
east direction as compasses have a slight deviation. Compasses designed by
the Chinese are not cardinal but operate based on the magnetic field.
Toilets in earlier days were present outside homes, but in modern times
they are placed inside for comfort and convenience. Vishwakarmas used to
stay overnight to predict the seasons and climate of that region. They
would also stay for a year or so for predictions.

Contributions of India to Mathematics

India has a great contribution to mathematics as most of the world-
renowned scholars originate from India. From Brahmagupta, who found
the number zero to Ramanujan who was known for his remarkable
contribution to Mathematics, India has had great mathematicians since
ancient times. Major contributions include: Concept of zero, Pythagoras
Theorem, Sin function, trigonometry associated with sine functions,
negative numbers, and first exact formula to find the value pi, Binomial
Coefficients and etc.
Aryabhata’s book has sine functions and the concepts related to it. After
zero was found, negative numbers were defined and Brahmagupta
associated one’s fortunes and debts as an analogy to negative and positive
numbers. Pi value which originates from ratio of perimeter of circle by its
diameter, was found by Madhava after many scientists and mathematicians
failed. Solutions to quadratic equations and their properties also originated
from India. Pi which has an infinite series leading to calculus was also
found by Madhava. All these are present in four thousand years old Vedic
literatures of India.
Management Paradigms from Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita is said to have all solutions to problems in mankind and the
way one must uphold and follow dharma to be successful in life. One who
follows and is well literate in Bhagavad Gita can achieve anything and is
proven by many in the world. Work stress, pressure, war situations,
business strategies and situations the way it can be tackled and how
diligently they can be solved are part of Bhagavad Gita. Human beings
judge everything happening around them and have a lot of issues like sleep
deprivation, depression, health, financial issues and etc. When one feels
empty it might be due to an unsteady mind, no peace of mind, cannot
deeply meditate on the quintessential, no guaranteed happiness etc. Sloka
62-63 also states that uncontrolled senses can ruin individuals. They can
ultimately lead to internal destruction of an individual if left unchecked.
Sense organs are superior to body and mind is superior to sense organs,
buddhi is superior to mind and atman is superior to buddhi. Life is a
journey towards fulfilment where body is the chariot, sensory system act as
horses. The ultimate motive power is in the horses and not the chariot.