Editing Hydromanagement in Ancient India (section)

=== '''Vedic Varuna: Vedic References of Hydro-management''' ===
During the Vedic period, it was understood how to collect water from undulating hilly terrain and transport it through canals to distant areas. Numerous verses in the Rigveda indicate that agriculture can be advanced by using water from wells and ponds, and it is mentioned that Ribhus or an engineer constructed artificial canals to irrigate desert areas. It also emphasizes the efficient use of water; that is, water obtained from various sources such as wells, rivers, rain, and any other sources on earth should be used efficiently, as it is a gift from nature, for the benefit of all. The Rigveda also contains references to irrigation by wells, canals (the word "kulya" in the Rigveda), and canal excavation. In Patanjali's Mahabhasya (150 BCE), the term "kulya" is also used. Interestingly, "asma-cakra" is mentioned in the Rigveda (a wheel made of stones). A leather strap was used to raise water in a pail using the wheel. There is also mention of "Ghatayantra" or "Udghatana" (a wheel in the shape of a drum), around which a pair of endless ropes with ghata (earthen pots) were tied at equal distances. On the basis of evidence from Indian texts written around 350 BCE, the "Noria" was developed in India around the fifth or fourth century BCE, and the knowledge was transmitted to the west by the first century BCE and to China by the second century AD. Yajurveda states that those who use rainwater for navigation, recreation, agriculture, etc. via rivers, wells, and canals will be always prosperous. Atharvaveda instructs the king to construct suitable canals across mountains to supply water for agriculture and other purposes. The chronology of Rigveda and Vedic texts makes the material evidence for Vedic water management debatable, despite the abundance of literary references. According to traditional historiography, it dates to the middle of the second millennium BCE, making it post-Harappan. According to the research of B.B. Lal and Mark Kenoyer, there were numerous similarities between the Vedic and Harappan cultures, which led to the theory that they were the same culture. Dilip Chakrabarti has a different interpretation of the similarities; he believes that the Rigvedic period can be dated to the 5th or 6th millennium BCE, while the Vedic period represents successive millennia. Thus, it is plausible, based on recent research that numerous references to various types of water management techniques in Vedic texts refer to various types of Harappan hydro management techniques and systems discovered during archaeological excavations. Nevertheless, despite the disputed chronology, it can be asserted that the significance of water management in Rigvedic culture was immense and that water was accorded divine status.