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Glimpses of Hydrology in Jainism
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Vishnuvardhana. This inscription specifies the small size of the water body as Katte, which was extended to constitute Kere, a tank."
Sri Nandisena epitaph of Shravana Belugola while reveling the momentary nature of human beings records three physical allotropic forms like liquid, vapor, and rainbow as well as the lightning that occurs before the rainfall (1042 A.D) as Surachapambole, Vidyullatheyavole, and Manjuvole.
The Rattamata9
This 13 century Kannada work describes in detail about Hydrology. Ratta, the Jain author who lived in the Mysore District had compiled this book based on many works like Ratnojwla Samhita, Varaha Mihira's Brihat Samhita, Dhanakeerti Samhita, Gargacharya Samhita. He was the 15th heir of Kadamarasa, the Dandadhipa of Ganga Narasimha 947 AD. Here the author provides us abundant information of Hydrology in as many as 12 chapters. The highlights of these chapters are given below:
1. Origin and importance of water
2. Sudden changes occurring in the atmosphere depicting the rain
3. Three signals of rain forecasting
4. Hydrological cycle
5. Three types of drastic changes occurring in nature
6. Characteristics of rainbow
7. Astrology
8. The names of clouds
9. Plaguing and sowing seasons
10. Effect of eclipses
11. Ground water and its quality
12. Details of stars and planets effecting the rainfall
Water is the essential element of life for which rain is the only source. The purpose of writing this book is to update the previous knowledge and spread it for the practical utility in order to combat the draught conditions with which world is suffering (1.30). There are four ingredients viz., earth, water, sun and the air, which are interlinked in the process of producing water (1.31).
Hydrological Cycle
Water is evaporated because of sun radiation. The water vapour after reaching to a certain height cools to form the droplets of rain that quenches the thirsty earth, germinates the seeds.
Rain Forecasting
The author lists out the following sudden changes in nature and in the human beings as the indicators of rainfall:
Formation of the whirlwind
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