Means of irrigation during the mediaeval India:
(i) Dams, lakes and water reservoirs were some of the important means of irrigation. In south India, the state, local chiefs and temple managements constructed a number of dams over rivers for this purpose. The Madag lake, for instance, was built by the Vijayanagara rulers on the Tungbhadra river to meet the irrigational needs of the adjoining territories.
(ii) Lakes and water reservoirs such as the Dhebar, Udaisagar, Rajasamand and Jaisamand (all in Mewar); Balsan (Marwar) and Mansagar (Amber) etc., served as important sources of irrigation in medieval Rajasthan.
(iii) Wells, as a common source of irrigation, were uniformly spread in different parts of the country. A number of artificial devices were used to lift water from wells. Pulleys were employed over wells for this purpose. Another device worked on the lever principle. In this method, the fork of an upright beam was kept in a swinging position with its one end tied with a long rope and the other carrying a weight heavier than the filled bucket.
(iv) The Persian wheel which began to be used in India from the Sultanate period, however, was the most advanced water lifting device of this period. In this method, a garland of pots was attached to the rim of a wheel, a gear mechanism was also attached to it, and with the help of animal power this wheel was made to rotate.
(v) The Delhi Sultans, in particular, promoted canal irrigation, Ghiyassuddin Tughlaq (A.D. 1320-1325) built a number of canals for this purpose. However, Firoz Shah Tughlaq laid the largest network of canals. Four such canals were: (i) From Sutlej to Ghaggar, (ii) Opening from the Nandavi and Simur hills to Arasani, (iii) from Ghaggar, reaching upto the village to Hiransi Khera, and (iv) excavated from Yamuna and extended upto Firozabad.
(vi) The tradition of Delhi Sultans to construct canals was continued by the Mughal emperors as well. The Nahr Faiz, for instance, built during Shahjahan's reign carried water from Yamuna and irrigated a large area.
