Previous Year Question

Araghatta was a water-lifting device used for irrigation. IGNOU's historical study material describes the arahatta/araghatta as a hydraulic device whose essential component was the ghatiyantra, a mechanism involving pitchers or pots.

In this arrangement, a rotating wheel enabled a series of pots to descend into the water, fill up, rise and discharge water successively. Thus, water could be raised continuously for irrigation. The Upamitibhavaprapanchakatha of Siddharshi (906 CE) provides a detailed description of the Araghatta and refers to the spokes (arakas) of its revolving wheel.

It is important not to identify every early Araghatta with the later animal-powered Persian wheel. IGNOU notes that early forms could be operated manually by hand or foot; the animal-powered form employing a gearing mechanism represented a later stage in the development of the water-wheel.