UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 13 of 98
UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Araghatta Waterwheel
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2016
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectMedieval History
- TopicMiscellaneous Medieval History
- DifficultyHard
- TypeDirect
With reference to the economic history of medieval India, the term 'Araghatta' refers to
Show answer
Answer: C. a waterwheel used in the irrigation of land
Verdict
The answer is a waterwheel used in the irrigation of land. Araghatta is the Persian wheel type device of medieval Indian agriculture.
Analysis
The term combines ara, meaning spoke, with ghatta, meaning pot, describing a wheel fitted with pots that lifts water from an open well. Textual and archaeological evidence suggests this method of lifting water was in use in India well before the medieval period and became widespread in it, transforming well irrigation. The other options attach the term to bonded labour, a military land grant and reclaimed wasteland, all of which are real categories in medieval economic history but carry different names.
Source
R. S. Sharma, Early Medieval Indian Society, and Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India.
How to crack it
Break the compound. Ara gives spoke and ghatta gives pot, so the object must be a wheel carrying pots, which can only be a water lifting device. Etymological decoding is the most reliable technique available for unfamiliar historical terms, because Sanskrit and Prakrit technical vocabulary is descriptive rather than arbitrary. When a term appears that you have never met, sound out its components before concluding the question is unapproachable.