Lecture 3
Agriculture heritage – Agriculture in
ancient India
Some definitions
History is the continuous record of past events
Heritage is the inherited values carried from one
generation to other generation
Agricultural heritage refers to the values and
traditional practices adopted in ancient India which are
more relevant for present day system.
Agriculture Heritage in India
Agriculture in India is not of recent origin, but dating back to
Neolithic age of 7500-6500 B.C.
It changed the life style Early man from ‘nomadic hunter of wild
berries and roots’ to ‘cultivator of land’.
Agriculture is benefited from the wisdom and teachings of great
saints.
The wisdom gained and practices adopted have been passed
down through generations.
The traditional farmers have developed the nature friendly
farming systems - mixed farming, mixed cropping, crop rotation
etc.
The great epics of ancient India convey the depth of knowledge of
the farmers of India.
The ecological considerations shown by the traditional farmers are
now-a-days is reflected in the resurgence of organic agriculture.
Ancient literature
Four Vedas
Brahmanas
Aranyakas, Sutra literature, Susruta Samhita, Charaka Samhita,
Upanishads
The epics Ramayana and Mahabharata
Eighteen Purana
Buddhist and Jain literature
Texts such as Krishi-Parashara, Kautilya’s Artha-sastra, Panini’s
Ashtadhyahi, Sangam literature of Tamils, Manusmirit,
Varahamihira’s Brihat Samhita, Amarkosha, Kashyapiya-
Krishisukti and Surapala’s Vriskshayurveda.
This literature was most likely to have been composed between
6000 BC to 1000 AD.
Rigveda - most ancient literary work of India, believed that
Gods were the foremost among agriculturists.
Amarakosha (a thesaurus of Sanskrit by Amarasimha) -
Aryans were agriculturists.
Manu and Kautilya prescribed agriculture, cattle rearing
and commerce as essential subjects, which the king must
learn.
Patanjali (compiler of the Yoga Sūtras) - the economy of
the country depended on agriculture and cattle-breeding.
Puranas - ancient Indians had intimate knowledge on all
agricultural operations.
Technical books
Dealing exclusively with agriculture –
- Sage Parashara’s ‘Krishiparashara’ in 1000 A.D.
- Agni Purana and Krishi Sukti attributed to Kashyap (500 A.D.).
Tamil and Kannada works contain lot of useful information on
agriculture in ancient India.
Rigveda
There is reference to hundreds and thousands of cows; to
horses yoked to chariots; to race courses where chariot
races were held; to camels yoked to the chariots; to sheep
and goats offered as sacrificial victims, and to the use of
wool for clothing.
The famous Cow Sukta indicates that the cow had already
become the very basis of rural economy.
In another Sukta, she is defined as the mother of the Vasus,
the Rudras and the Adityas, as also the pivot of Immortality.
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The Vedic Aryans appear to have large forests at their
disposal for securing timber, and plants and herbs for
medicinal purposes appear to have been reared by the
physicians of the age, as appears in the Atharva Veda.
The farmers' vocation was held in high regard, though
agriculture solely depended upon the favours of Parjanya,
the god of rain. His thunders are described as food-
bringing.
Plants and Animals
The four Vedas mention more than 75 plant species
Satapatha Bhrahamna mentions over 25 species
Charkaa Samhita (300 BC) an Aayurvedic (Indian medicine)
treatise-mentions more than 320 plants.
Susruta (400 BC) records over 750 medicinal plant species.
The oldest book, Rigveda (4000 BC) mentions a large number of
poisonous and non poisonous aquatic and terrestrial, and
domestic and wild creatures and animals.
Puranas mention about 500 species of plants.
The science of arbori-horticulture has been documented in
Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda.
Forests were very important in ancient times.
Kautilya in his Artha Sastra (321-296 BC) mentions that
superintendent of forests had to collect forest produce through the
forest guards.
He provides a long list of trees, varieties, of bamboos, creepers,
fibrous plants, drugs and poisons, skins of various animals, etc., that
come under the purview of this officer.
Animal husbandry
Manu (Manusmriti, 2nd Century BC) - Preservation of wild animals was
encouraged and hunting as a sport was regarded as detrimental to
proper development of the character and personality of the ruler
The Puranas (300-750 AD) the names of Shalihotra on horses, and
Palakapya on elephants have been found as experts in animal
husbandry.
For instance, Garudapurana is a text dealing with treatment of animal
disorders while the classical work on the treatment of horses is
Aswashastra.
One chapter in Agni purana deals with the treatment of livestock and
another on treatment of trees.