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Description: | Photograph of a dry water course in Rajgir Valley, taken by Alexander E. Caddy in 1895. Situated in a large valley and surrounded by hills, during the monsoon season Rajgir would need a system of water control to prevent flooding and to divert water for agricultural use. We cannot be sure whether the channel shown in this image was man-made or not, but its depth provides a clear indication that large volumes of water must have been coursing down it. Developments in irrigation meant that the land could be farmed more efficiently. Irrigation makes a poor harvest due to drought less likely, and provides more regularly watered, and therefore healthier, crops. This, combined with other factors, often results in the generation of a surplus in rural areas which could be used to feed sections of the population who did not work in the agricultural sector. These people would live in urban centres like Rajgir. This would be facilitated through the use of both man made and natural water courses similar to the one shown in this photograph. | License: | http://www.bl.uk/services/copy/permission.html | Rights holder: | British Library | Source: | Collect Britain | Creator: | Caddy, Alexander E. | Identifier: | http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/personal... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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