Ancient India’s engineering marvels prove ancestors were accomplished city builders
Today, on Engineers’ Day, I admire Sir M. Visvesvaraya, whose luster left an enduring mark on India’s engineering landscape. I expand cozy introductions to all designers that, with their imagination and resolution, remain to drive development and deal with challenging …
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 15, 2025
It is a homage to the country’s engineering heritage and specialists. The day notes the birth wedding anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, among India’s best designers, famous for tasks like the Krishna Raja Sagara dam. It is a day to honour pioneers and builders, previous and existing, that form culture with their operate in the area ofengineering
While Indian background is frequently recalled for spectacular holy places, it deserves remembering that our ancestors were likewise amazing city builders and designers. From ancient dams and tanks to scheduled cities, freeways and ports, ancient India’s engineering marvels talk to an innovative metropolitan civilisation. On this Engineers’ Day, allow’s look at a few of these tasks that prove India’s forefathers were kickass designers in their very own right.
Ancient dam still watering Tamil Nadu
The Grand Anicut is an ancient dam developed throughout theKaveri River Locally called Kallanai, it was developed around the second century CE byChola King Karikala Chola The Grand Anicut is among the earliest water-regulation frameworks worldwide that are still offering the area. It is a 329-metre-long rock dam which subjugates the circulation of the river to water theCauvery Delta
The dam was created making use of unhewn rock and crafted to draw away waters right into canals to improve farming in the area. In the 19th century, British designers were so satisfied that they reinforced and duplicated its layout for more recent tasks. The dam initially irrigated regarding 69,000 acres of farmland which increased to over a million acres by the very early 20th century with enhancements.
Kallanai is not just a visitor destination however living evidence of ancient India’s engineering expertise.
Bhopal’s 11th-century lake still provides a city
Another engineering wonder is Bhojtal which is likewise called the Upper Lake ofBhopal It was developed by Paramara King Raja Bhoj in the 11th century. It was created on the Kolans River to give water to individuals of the kingdom.
It has actually mored than a thousand years given that the lake was created, and it is still the lifeline ofBhopal Bhojtal satisfies the water requirements of 40% of the city’s populace. The lake covers 32 square kilometres and is amongst the earliest human-made lakes inIndia The name of the city “Bhopal” is originated from Bhoj Tal or Bhoj’s Lake itself.
In 2011, the lake was officially relabelled Bhojtal in honour of its owner, and a sculpture of Raja Bhoj currently supervises its waters. Bhojtal is likewise component of a UNESCO-listed marsh.
Harappan cities– Water systems and a dockyard
Long prior to the Cholas and Paramaras, individuals of the Indus Valley Civilisation were structure thoroughly prepared cities with framework that would certainly go over also today. The city of Dholavira lies in contemporaryGujarat It was a growing city around 2,500 BCE. Those that resided in the city crafted a collection of huge water tank and step-wells to develop a special water administration system to collect the little rains in the Rann ofKutch
During excavation, excavators have actually discovered a minimum of 5 huge tanks at the website. There are significant sunken containers sculpted right into rocks. Furthermore, an innovative network of drains pipes has actually been discovered at the website. These developments enabled a city in a semi-desert to prosper for centuries.
The Harappans grasped the seas also. The port-town of Lothal, which was a growing area in Gujarat in 2,400 BCE, is home to what excavators think is the globe’s earliest recognized dockyard. It is a large rectangle-shaped dock which covers over 220 metres. It when linked Lothal to an ancient tributary of the Sabarmati River and enabled ships to berth inland.
It was an amazing maritime framework for its time, total with sluice gateways to manage water circulation, making it possible for profession with Mesopotamia and past. Marine excavations have actually discovered salt and aquatic microfossils in Lothal’s container, validating it was open to the sea.
Both Dholavira and Lothal are archetypes of exactly how Indian subcontinent cities were introducing city preparation, water engineering and maritime design 4,000 years earlier.
Mauryan freeways connected the subcontinent
During the Mauryan Empire in between the fourth and second centuries BCE, the state developed substantial freeways to weaved with each other its substantial regions and advertise profession. The 2 most well known paths were the Uttarapatha (Northern Road) and the Dakshinapatha (Southern Road). The Uttarapath was a grand trunk path encountering the Indo-Gangetic plain, it extended from the Gangetic delta in the eastern throughout north India to Taxila (in the northwest, near contemporary Islamabad).
The arterial roadway linked vital cities like Pataliputra or Patna, Mathura andTaxila These roadways allowed the circulation of items, militaries and concepts. Equally vital was the Dakshinapath, the roadway branching southwards from Ujjain down right into theDeccan
These freeways were greater than dust tracks. They were kept paths with landmarks and color trees. Emperor Ashoka, in his engravings, points out growing banyan trees for color and excavating wells along roadways for tourists and pets. Safe and clean freeways were essential for administration. Couriers, explorers and investors all utilized them. The Mauryan freeways reveal that over 2,200 years earlier, India had an idea of nationwide roadway networks to attach remote edges of the subcontinent, a striking accomplishment of managementengineering
Poompuhar– An ancient international port city
On India’s southeastern coastline, the ancient Tamils developed a city that stood as a dynamic maritime portal. Poompuhar, likewise called Kaveripattinam or Puhar, was a prospering port city at the mouth of the Kaveri River and functioned as a very early Chola resources which went to its elevation throughout the third century BCE to the second century CE. It was a multicultural harbour including profession.
Tamil literary works of the Sangam Age paints a vibrant image of this preparedcity The markets were loaded with items, the roads were wide and there were storehouses. The harbour was so deep that “big ships entered the port of Puhar without slacking sail” to discharge unique freight. Poems like the Pattinappaalai explain multi-storeyed estates in the city, hectic docks, and also state details areas for vendors and craftsmens.
Submerged docks and pier wall surfaces have actually been found on the seabed off Poompuhar, suggesting components of the ancient city currently exist under the waves. Researchers think a mix of disintegration and a catastrophic tidal wave (potentially around 300 CE) ingested areas of Poompuhar, resulting in its decrease. Yet, in its prime, this city was a center linking South India to Rome, Greece, Southeast Asia and past. Roman coins and grains discovered in the location talk to its worldwide reach.
Conclusion
These instances, a 2,000-year-old dam, a middle ages lake, Indus Valley water functions, royal freeways, and a shed port city, highlight the neglected engineering brilliant of ancientIndia Our ancestors were not just constructing churches, however likewise intending whole cities, handling water sources, creating framework and assisting in business on a grand range. Their tasks were developed to last, with some still offering us today.
As India observes Engineers’ Day in honour of contemporary engineering heroes, it is likewise a minute to take satisfaction in this heritage of development.
