Persian wheel
Also called: Saqiya, Araghatta · Topic: Mughal Agrarian Society and Economy · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 2 "Reshaping India's Political Map"; Class 12, Ch 4 "Peasants, Zamindars and the State"
Meaning
The Persian wheel was a machine for lifting water from a well to irrigate fields. Bullocks walked in a circle and turned a set of gear wheels. These moved a chain of pots, which went down empty and came up full of water. It mattered because water-hungry crops needed more water than the monsoon gave. The Persian wheel is also called the saqiya or araghatta.
Example
In the Babur Nama, the first Mughal emperor Babur describes the Persian wheel at work around Lahore and Dipalpur in Punjab. Peasants used it to water their fields from wells.
Don't confuse with
- Bucket-lift: Babur saw this simpler method at Agra, Chandwar and Bayana. A rope pulled up one big bucket at a time. There were no geared wheels and no chain of pots.
- Canal (nahr, nala): canals were channels dug or repaired by the state, such as the shahnahr in Punjab under Shah Jahan. They carried river water to fields. They did not lift water from wells.