Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons

Author(s): Jagdishchandra Jain
Publisher: New Book Company

Page 92

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LIFE IN ANCIENT INDIA
land to five hundred ploughshares, each onc ploughing one hundred acres (niyattana) of land. Three types of ploughshares are mentioned. viz., hala, kuliya and nangala; spade (kudala) was known." The fields were guarded by fences." Samadha is mentioned as a place situated in a mountain or any other place of safety where the farmers used to store their com.13
FIELD-CROPS The predominant grain harvest was that of rice of different varieties. Kalamasali, a variety of rice, which was cultivated in the eastern part of India, is referred to;" raktatali,mahadäli and gandhafāli are mentionedn as other varieties. The paddy was sown during the rains, and wheripe, the crops were harvested with newly sharpened sickles (narapajjana chim asxhim), thrashed, windowed and then taken to the granary where they were filled in new jars which were sealed and kept in a comer.19
The piles of the rings (valaya) were made of straws and leaves known as kadapalla and tzuapalla, which served as receptacles for grains. The inside floor space was coated with cow-dung 17 The round heap of grains was called punja; if it was slightly oblong, it was called rãi; a heap of grains was pressed close to the wall; besmeared with ashes (lūnchita); sealed with cow-dung and kept in the required places,screening it with a screen of straw and bamboos. In the rainy searon the grains were stored in a granary made of earth (kottha), of straw and bambous (palla), a granary standing on pillars (mañca), the upper store of the house (malā), covered with a lid coated with cow-dung (olitta), coated with mud all over (Irita), closed (pihita), sealed with earthen seals imuddıya! by making lines etc. (laachiya).28 Kumbhi, karabhi,a' pallaga, muttoli, mukha, idura, alindaa and acāra (apacări)" are mentioned as other forms of storage In ganjasala various kinds of corns were pounded.23 A wooden mortar (udukhala) for cleansing rice and a threshing floor (khalaya) were known.* Then mention is made of a cattic-feeding-basket (gokilaiija) and windowing sieve (suppahaltara)
t'91, 1, p. 7. 11.urlara Is menuioned by Baudhayana ; it was an area of land suffiriant to uppert one man from its produce , (S. K Das, The E mic History of Indir
Ind... P. 19), 10 la. Ups! 31 Ini! p. 23.
4 dārgrazer.draluss, w ild Brh. Bha. 1. 1092
Cd., p. D. cf Turtagili (S211) lacre can lyrics of Vogaba ar druri teinnh 13 Brh Bha, 3301 33971. au sec arala.ch -7 734 16 .Va. 7 p. so.
Brk. Bhi., 9 3298. 131d 2. 3311 f. Brh S. 2 3 and BTU + 3391-9 Brh. Sa, 1 l, llominuoned in the Rim ara, 11 91 71
a. Ti, (Hari.) p 75 a ulol is al cuvand in the Majhna I p 57
A. Sū. 13). 13 Niss C. 9, P511 24 Vja. Bhi, 1023, Siju. 4.2. 12. 15 C'ra, 2, p. 33, Sūjo., 4 7, 19.