5. Agriculture and Agricultural Products

It appears in the 7^th century that the village economy was depended on agriculture. The cattle^[1] and camels^[2] were the wealth of the villagers, and the villagers were very laborious and depended almost on ploughs, axe and hoe.^[3] The writer also mentions that sometimes they cultivated without ploughs and oxen.^[4] But, the writer used the term sairika^[5] to imply ploughmen. The waste-land was being broken by formers accompanied with loud talk^[6] which shows the man were very laborious. The production mainly depended on the rains,^[7] but it is found in the Harṣacarita that the people were expert to use the water-wheel (uddhātaghaṭī) in the tough field or their cultivations.^[8]

We find that rice was essential food products in that age and different types of rice were cultivated^[9] such as—

1. śāli,^[10]
2. khala,^[11]
3. nalaśāli,
4. ṣaṣṭikā,
5. nivāra^[12] etc.

Other various agricultural products are also mentioned in the Harṣacarita, such as—

1. gram or corns,^[13]
2. cotton,^[14]
3. castor plant,^[15]
4. haritaki,^[16]
5. tulasī,^[17]
6. gavedhukā,^[18]
7. śyāmāka^[19] etc.

Different kinds of shoots of vegetables were cultivated in all the directions of the village, which is described colorfully by the writer.^[20] Again the pulses,^[21] bean,^[22] grain^[23] were produced, which shows that the people paid great attention to the field of agriculture.

Besides, all the sides of the city were covered with the plantations of puṇḍra sugarcane^[24] and, therefore, the boundaries looked dark with rows of plantations. The borders in every direction were also crowded with heaps of corn.^[25] Bāṇa informs about sugar-cane^[26] (i.e., ikṣu crops cultivated at that time). It proves that sugarcane and rice were planted on the field.

They also preserved the various seeds of the plants such as—

1. rājamāṣa (bean,p.124),
2. trapuṣa or karkatikā (cucumber,p.124),
3. kūṣmāṇḍa (p.124),
4. alābu (p.124),
5. śyāmāka (a kind of grain, p.123) etc.

At that time, there were enough barren lands and the writer describes that type of land as—

1. jaṭilitabhūmi,^[27]
2. kālāyasairiva kṛṣṇamṛttikākaṭhinai,^[28]
3. karkarasthalī^[29] etc.

The people also tried to fertile the infertile soils with various ways.^[30] Above discussion, clearly indicates agricultural products were the main source of living at that time. Besides these, various flowers, fruits, and other eatables were also sold in the markets which were collected from the forests or jungles.^[31]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

[a].……gopālapālitaiśca…, Ibid., II.p.27 [b] …..godhanairdhavalitavipiṇaḥ, Ibid., III.p.42

[2]:

…..kramelakakulaiḥ kapilāyamānam…, Ibid., II.p.27

[3]:

[a] …kuddālaprāyakṛṣibhiḥ kṛṣivalaiḥ…, Ibid., VII.123 [b] ….skandhādhyāsitakathorakuṭhārakaṇṭha…, Ibid.,VII.124 [c].…grāmīṇakāṣṭhikakuṭhāraiḥ, Ibid., VII.123

[4]:

..kṛṣivalairabalīvardairavaladbhi.., Ibid.

[5]:

Ibid.,VII, p.124

[6]:

…ucchabhāgabhāṣitena bhajyamānabhūri…khalakṣetrakhaṇḍalakam, Ibid.,VII.123

[7]:

kṣīrodapayaḥpāyipayodasiktābhiḥ, Ibid., III.p.42

[8]:

uddhātaghaṭīsicyamanai….jaṭilitabhūmiḥ, Ibid.

[9]:

[a] ……ullikhyamānakṣetraḥ, Ibid.
[b] vanyadhānyabījadhānīnām…, Ibid.,VII,p.124
[c]. …bhūriśālikhalakṣetrakhaṇḍalakam, Ibid.,VII.p.123

[10]:

urvarāvarīyobhiḥ śāleyairalaṅkṛtaḥ, Ibid.

[11]:

pratidiśam…..khaladhānadhāma….sasyakuṭaiḥ…, Ibid.,III.p.42

[12]:

Ibid.,p.124

[13]:

godhuma, Ibid., p.42,124

[14]:

picyavānām, Ibid., p.124

[15]:

urubūka, Ibid.

[16]:

vaca, vaṅgaka, Ibid.

[17]:

surasaḥ, Ibid.

[18]:

One type of rice, Ibid.

[19]:

a kind of grain, Ibid., p.123

[20]:

śākakandalaśyāmalitagrāmopakaṇṭhakāsyapīpṛṣṭhaḥ, Ibid., p.42

[21]:

mudgaphala, Ibid.

[22]:

rājamāṣa, Ibid.,p.42, 112,113

[23]:

śyāmāka, Ibid., p.123

[24]:

puṇḍrekṣuvāṭasasantatibhirnirantaraḥ…, Ibid.,p.42

[25]:

pratidiśam…khaladhāna….sasyakūṭaiḥ saṅkaṭasīmāntaḥ, Ibid.

[26]:

[a] …puṇḍrekṣu vāṭasantatibhirnirantaraḥ, Ibid.
[b] aharniśaṃ bibhramakṛta… khaṇḍitapuṇḍrekṣu…., Ibid.,III.p.30
[c] …prayatnaprabhṛtavisaṅkaviṭapairvāṭaraikṣavaibahubhiḥ śyāmāyamānamopakaṇṭham, Ibid.,VII.p.124

[27]:

Ibid., III.p.42

[28]:

soil like iron, Ibid.,VII.p.123

[29]:

Ibid., II.p.22

[30]:

sampādyadurbalorvīvirukṣakṣetrasaṃskāramarākṣakṣiptadānta…, Ibid.,VII.p.124

[31]:

[a]...kāṣṭhasaṃgrahārthamaṭavīṃ praviśatā.. bhārāṃśca madhuno….vividha vanaphalapurita….., Ibid.,VII.p.123
[b].…bhārākāna….lokenādāya vrjatā……vikrayacintāvyagrabhigrāmeyakabhivyāptadigantaram, Ibid.,p.124