Question
Consider the following statements about the Rigvedic period:
Which of the following information support/supports the above statements?
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.
Three Pieces of Evidence to Evaluate
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.
A1 and 2 only
B1, 2 and 3
C1 and 3 only
D3 only
Simple Explanation — What the Question Is Really Testing
The Core Logic of This Question
The question gives two statements (I and II) and asks which of three pieces of evidence supports them. This is an inference-support question — you must check whether each piece of evidence is relevant to the statements, not just whether the fact itself is true.
Statement I = well irrigation expanding agriculture. Statement II = draught animals drawing water from wells.
Statement I = well irrigation expanding agriculture. Statement II = draught animals drawing water from wells.
The Key Distinction — Implements vs Power Source
Information 2 mentions parashu (axe) and datra/sreni (sickle). These are cutting/harvesting tools — an axe clears land, a sickle cuts grain. Neither has anything to do with drawing water from a well or with draught animals. This is the deliberate trap UPSC set. Students who see “Rigveda” in all three options assume all three are relevant — they are not.
Each Piece of Evidence — Does It Support?
1
Rigvedic references to stone pulley and wooden pails for drawing water from wells
What does ashma chakra mean? Ashma = stone, chakra = wheel/disc. A stone pulley wheel used at the well-head. Buckets (pails) tied to ropes were pulled around this wheel to draw water up from the well.
Evidence: Ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) + Ahava (strapped wooden pails) — Rigveda
✓ Supports Statements I & II
What does ahava mean? Strapped wooden pails — the containers tied to ropes that went up and down through the pulley system to scoop water and bring it up.
Rigvedic verses: References in Rigveda X.93.12 and X.101.7 confirm the existence of this well-water drawing mechanism.
How it supports Statement I: Well irrigation using this pulley system allowed farmers to cultivate land away from rivers — in the Punjab-Haryana plains where underground water was accessible.
How it supports Statement II: The pulley system needed a power source to turn it. The stone pulley and bucket system was the mechanism — draught animals (oxen) were the power for it.
✓ Directly supports both statements
Confirms: well-based irrigation existed (Statement I) and a water-drawing device (pulley + pails) was used (Statement II)
2
Rigvedic references to axes and sickles as agricultural implements
What is parashu/kulisha? An axe — used for clearing forest, chopping wood, land clearance. A cutting tool.
Evidence: Parashu/kulisha (axe) + Datra/sreni (sickle) — Rigveda
✗ Irrelevant — Does NOT Support
What is datra/sreni? A sickle — a curved blade used for harvesting (cutting ripe crops). Still used in Indian agriculture today.
Why doesn’t this support Statement I? Axes and sickles are land-clearing and crop-harvesting tools. They have no connection to well irrigation or expanding agriculture through water access. An axe clearing forest does not tell us about well irrigation.
Why doesn’t this support Statement II? Sickles and axes are hand-held tools. They have absolutely nothing to do with draught animals drawing water from wells. This evidence would support a statement about crop-cutting or land-clearing — not irrigation.
The UPSC trap: Students see “Rigveda” + “agricultural implements” and assume it must be relevant. But the question is specifically about irrigation and draught animal power — not farming tools in general.
✗ Irrelevant — Does not support either statement
Axes (land clearing) and sickles (harvesting) have no connection to well irrigation or draught animals drawing water
3
Pre-Rigvedic history of ox as draught animal for ploughing and cart-pulling
What does this tell us? If oxen were already used as draught animals before the Rigveda — for ploughing and pulling carts — then by the Rigvedic period they were the established standard draught animal.
Evidence: Ox used before Rigveda for ploughing + pulling carts
✓ Supports Statement II
How it supports Statement II: Statement II says draught-animal power was used to draw water from wells. Information 3 confirms that oxen were the draught animals available and regularly used in this period. It was a natural extension to use oxen — already pulling carts and ploughs — to also power the well-water drawing mechanism (turning the stone pulley).
Archaeological evidence: Harappan terracotta models confirm ox-drawn ploughs from ~2500 BCE — well before the Rigvedic period (~1500 BCE). Oxen are thought to have first been harnessed around 4000 BCE globally.
Connection to well irrigation: The use of ox for drawing water became a standard technique — eventually leading to the charasa (bullock-drawn water bag) still used in parts of North India today.
✓ Supports Statement II (draught animal power)
Pre-Rigvedic oxen for carts/ploughing confirms draught animals were the power source available for drawing well water in the Rigvedic period
Rigvedic Water Lifting Devices — Explained
Ashma Chakra
aśma cakra — “Stone Wheel/Disc”
A stone pulley wheel fixed at the well-head. Ropes with attached buckets (pails) ran over this wheel. As one side went down into the well, the other side came up — like a basic pulley system. Rigveda X.93.12 and X.101.7.
Ahava / Kosa
āhava / kośa — “Strapped Wooden Pail”
Wooden pails/buckets strapped to leather ropes and attached to the stone pulley. As the rope moved over the pulley (powered by oxen), pails dipped into the well, filled with water, and were pulled up. Water emptied into channels.
💡 How the System Worked — Simple Explanation
1. An ox (draught animal) was harnessed to a rope mechanism at ground level.
2. As the ox walked in a circle, it turned the ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) at the well-head.
3. The rope over the pulley raised and lowered ahava/kosa (wooden pails/buckets) into the well.
4. Filled pails came up and emptied into channels (surmi susira) that directed water to the fields.
5. This allowed farming away from rivers — into Punjab-Haryana plains with underground water tables.
2. As the ox walked in a circle, it turned the ashma chakra (stone pulley wheel) at the well-head.
3. The rope over the pulley raised and lowered ahava/kosa (wooden pails/buckets) into the well.
4. Filled pails came up and emptied into channels (surmi susira) that directed water to the fields.
5. This allowed farming away from rivers — into Punjab-Haryana plains with underground water tables.
Key Facts — Rigvedic Agriculture & Irrigation
| Term / Item | Meaning & Significance |
| Ashma chakra | Stone pulley wheel — well-water lifting device. Mentioned in Rigveda X.93.12, X.101.7 |
| Ahava / Kosa | Strapped wooden pails/buckets attached to rope over pulley. Drew water from well |
| Varatra | Leather rope strap used to attach pails to the pulley system |
| Kupa / Avata | Rigvedic terms for dug wells — described as “always full of water” |
| Surmi susira | Broad channels into which well water was emptied and led to fields |
| Parashu / Kulisha | Axe — for land clearing. NOT related to irrigation (trap in this question) |
| Datra / Sreni | Sickle — for harvesting grain. NOT related to irrigation (trap in this question) |
| Ox (pre-Rigvedic) | Used before Rigveda for ploughing + pulling carts — established draught animal for well water-lifting too |
| Punjab-Haryana | Relatively shallow underground water table makes well irrigation feasible — confirmed by Rigveda |
| Rigveda verses | Irrigation chapters: I.23.18, V.32.2, VIII.3.10, VIII.49.6, X.25, X.64.9, X.75, X.93.12, X.99, X.101.7 |
Memory Trick — Never Forget This
🧠 Remember It This Way
Info 1 = WATER WHEEL + PAILS — Ashma chakra (stone pulley) + ahava (wooden pails) = directly about drawing water from wells. Perfectly supports both irrigation statements. ✓
Info 2 = AXE + SICKLE = FARMING TOOLS, NOT WATER TOOLS — Parashu (axe) chops land/trees. Datra/sreni (sickle) cuts crop. Neither is about wells, water, or animals. This is the trap. ✗
Info 3 = OXEN BEFORE RIGVEDA — Oxen were already established draught animals (pre-Rigveda: ploughing, carts). In Rigvedic period they naturally powered the well-pulley system. Supports Statement II (draught animal power). ✓
The UPSC test here: “Support” questions require you to check relevance, not truth. Info 2 facts are true — but they are irrelevant to irrigation/draught animals. Relevant ≠ True in UPSC support questions.
Still works today: The Rigvedic well-pulley-oxen system evolved into the charasa (bullock-drawn water bag) — still used in parts of North India. Ancient tech with thousands of years of continuity.
