Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period:

Question

Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period:

I. Irrigation from wells allowed agriculture to expand away from flood plains and strips on river margins into the present Punjab and Haryana plains having underground water levels reasonably close to the surface.

II. Draught-animal power was employed to draw up water out of the wells.

Which of the following information support/supports the above statements?

1. There is evidence in the Rigveda of the use of ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) and ahava (strapped wooden pails) to draw up water.

2. Mention has been made in the Rigveda of the use of implements like parashu/kulisha (axe) and datra/sreni (sickle).

3. There is a history of the use of ox, even before the Rigveda, for ploughing the land and pulling the carts.

1. A. 1 and 2 only
2. B. 1, 2 and 3
3. C. 1 and 3 only (Correct answer)
4. D. 3 only

Correct Answer

Option C — C

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Option C.

Key Points

• Explanation: Statement 1 supports the claim about well irrigation: the Rigveda refers to the ashma chakra, a stone pulley wheel, and the ahava, strapped wooden pails — precisely the apparatus for drawing water up from a well, which is what allowed cultivation to spread away from flood plains and river margins onto plains where the water table lay close to the surface.
• Statement 3 supports the second claim: the use of the ox for ploughing and for pulling carts, attested even before the Rigvedic period, shows that draught-animal power was available and could be applied to lifting water from wells.
• Why Statement 2 is wrong: The axe (parashu or kulisha) and the sickle (datra or sreni) relate to clearing land and harvesting crops.
• They tell us nothing about well irrigation or about using draught animals to lift water, so they support neither statement.

Additional Information

• Wells (avata, kupa) are referred to in the Rigveda, and the shift from purely flood-plain cultivation to well-irrigated fields was a significant step in extending agriculture across the Punjab and Haryana plains.