FORT-IFIED
I recently went to Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, to
meet a friend. In his house I was served water, while my
companion was given buttermilk. I was surprised at the injustice done
to me.
But later, I found -- to my utter amazement -- that in Rajasthan, buttermilk
is served to ordinary guests. Special guests are served water only once,
and that too, in a tumbler, which is held a little above the mouth while
drinking, so that someone else can consume the remaining. Water harvesting is deeply rooted in the social
fabric of Rajasthan. Even its mighty forts that stand witness to
innumerable wars, symbolise judicious use of their scarcest resource:
water.
Back-drop
Rajasthan, located in the northwestern region of India, is divided into
two climatic and geographic regions by the Aravalli range: Thar Desert
in the northwest, and the semi-arid region in the southeast.
It is known for its splendid forts and
palaces all over the world. Some forts lie on the summit with their
palaces on the hillside as in Amber and Bundi. Some had entire
settlement within the fort as in Kumbalgarh, Chittorgarh (or Chittor
Fort) and Ranthambhore.
But this extravagance stand in contrast
to their water wisdom.
Under siege
These forts witnessed fierce battles and were often under siege for
months. During such times, there had to be enough water inside the fort.
The only solution was their elaborate water harvesting system. Here are
a few examples:
Chittor Fort
The oldest fort of Rajasthan, constructed on the top of a hill around
152 m high, saw three ferocious battles in its history. It was a
stronghold of the Rajputana state, and no invader could subdue Mewar
unless Chittor and Kumbalgarh forts were conquered. At least 50,000
people lived in it at a single time, along with a large number of
elephants and horses. So how did they meet their water requirement?
There were 84 water bodies in the fort. At least 22 of them still exist,
which include talabs, kunds, baoris (stepwells) and wells. All
talabs
have natural catchments, and kunds and baoris located below them harvest
surface water and ground seepage. Even if a talab dries up, its seepage
can still be harvested. The rainwater that can be collected, falling
over an area of 400 hectares (ha), with an average annual rainfall of
700 mm, is around 3 billion litres. The reservoirs can store about 4
billion litres of water. Thus, an army of about 50,000 people, and
animals could live in the fort for nearly four years without any fear of
thirst!
The Chittorgarh Fort. The reservoir
formed form the waters of Gaumukh spring formed due to seepage form
Hathi Kund
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