This presentation is prepared for the BA students, to get the basic ideas and informations regarding the topic.

1. Vedic Agriculture
Dr. Virag Sontakke

2. Vedic Agriculture

3. Introduction
• The Rigveda mentions land-farming as the best means
of gaining wealth
• The Vedic period was presumably between c 1500 BC
• Information on agricultural practices in the Vedic
literature is mostly sporadic, not in the form of a
narrative account.
• Agriculture embraces two-fold activities:
1. Raising of crops involving a number of practices,
2. Domestication of animals

4. Background of Vedic Age
• The Vedic people pursued pastoralism and agriculture
for their livelihood.
• According to Max Muller the term Arya, derived from
the root, ar, to stir, i.e., stirring of soil by means of
stick or plough,
• Its indicate Vedic people were cultivators.
• According to the Yajurveda, land or agricultural field
is the primary need for cultivation and it is the best
place for sowing seed

7. Vedic Period
• The Vedas are supposed to be made in the
northern part of the Indian subcontinent.
• It is believed to exist somewhere between the
end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation and
second urbanization.
• The society that existed during that period is
called the Vedic society.
• Small villages
• Small scale Agriculture
• cattle wealth
• Animal Rearing

8. Vedic Society
Early Vedic period
• The Rigveda contains
records of contentions
between the Aryas,
Dasas, and Dasyus.
• Records of military
clashes between the
different clans of Vedic
Aryans.
• The fight was battled
between the clan
Bharatas against a
confederation of ten
tribes.
• Semi-traveling life
Later Vedic Period
• Progressed from semi-
traveling life to settled
horticulture in north-
western India.
• They went as far as to the
western region of the
Ganga-Yamuna Doab.
• Many of the old clans
blended to frame bigger
political units.
• Expansions of society

9. Vedic
Agriculture
Rigvedic Age
(1500-1100 BCE)
Yajurvedic Age
(1100-800 BCE)

10. Grains of Vedic period
• Yava: Barley
• No Rice

11. Agricultural production
• The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa gives a clear description of
four important stages of agricultural crop-
production:
(i) Act of tilling or ploughing a land (karṣaṇa),
(ii) Sowing of seeds (vapana),
(iii) Reaping or harvesting a ripen crop (lavana)
(vi) Threshing (mardana) of corns for getting the
grains

12. Agricultural Soil
• Vedic settlement at the early part was on the basin of
river Indus.
• The fertile lower basins of seven Punjab rivers were
highly esteemed for bounteous crops.
• River sides were considered fertile.
• The Rigveda recognizes two types of land.
1. Fertile or apnasvati and
2. Arid or artana

13. Manuring the field
• Manures or fertilization of soil was well recognized in
the Vedic society.
• The Rigveda recommends cow-dung for restoration
of earth.
• Two varieties of cow-dung manures,
1. Stable
2. Farmyard cow-dungs.
• According to some scholars, this is a clear indication
of nitrogen fertilizer for the removal of soil
exhaustion.

14. Yajurveda: Crop Pattern
• Yava (barley) was the only cultivated crop in the
Rigvedic period.
• According to the story contained in the Atharvaveda,
yava, the sweet corn was first cultivated by the gods on
the bank of river Sarasvati for the benefit of mankind.
• The great Indra was the furrow master and the Maruts
were the ploughmen.
• Association with Indra and Maruts suggests it as a
rain-growth corn.
• Its also related wild beginning.

15. Yajurveda
• Yajurvedic time shows cultivation of varieties of crops.
• Presumably that happened due to expansion of Vedic
people.
• From North-western India and Punjab it gradually
expanded towards Ganges basin.
• New climatic zone and favourable land and soil
facilitated agricultural pursuits.

16. Yajurved Age
• Developed ritualistic performances for satisfactory
cultivation of crops and increase of cattle resources.
• The Caturmasya yajña or four monthly sacrificial
rites were held.
• These were carried out as preventive and expiatory
rites.
• Two among these four rites, Varunapraghasa and
Sunaarisa had direct link with agriculture.
• The Varunapraghasa held in the rainy season was
carried out for rain, winning of food and increase of
procreation of flocks.
• The Sunaarisa which means ploughshare and plough.

17. Crop Specimens
• The Yajurvedic texts mentioned:
1. Cereals (Rice: vrihi, Wheat: Godhuma, Barley: Yava,
Millets
2. Legumes (Bean, pulses, lentils)
3. Oil seeds (Sesame: Tila)
4. Fibrous plants
5. Fruit crops and
6. Green vegetables.
7. Among the other Brahaman red variety of paddy
(hayana), bean (kulattha, Dolichos biflorus), castor-
oil (eranda, Ricinus communis), myrobalan
(amalaki, Emblica Officinalis)

18. Sesame: Tila

20. Rotation of Crops
• The idea of rotation of crops revealed in the statement
“Corn ripens twice a year” throws light on cultivation of
grain crop.
• Rotation of crops was made between two types of
crops: grains and legumes.
• Dr. Kosambi observes for obtaining proteins in forms
of peas, grams, pulses, beans the practice of crop
rotation was followed.

23. Agricultural Technology
• Agricultural operations involving
1. Comprised soil preparation inclusive of tillage
2. Fertilization,
3. Cropping system,
4. Harvesting,
5. Crop-processing and
6. Preservation.
7. Ploughing was generally performed with the help of oxen
in teams of six, eight or twelve.
8. Ploughing was also done with the help of one or two
sheep.
9. There was also the practice employing a maid for this
purpose.

24. Agricultural implements
• Forest clearance tools: Axe (svadhiti, parasu) and axe type
tools are mentioned in the Rigveda.
• Soil-treatment: The Rigveda refers to mower (data) for
grass cutting which might be taken as pre tilling
performance of the soil.
• Tillage implements: The plough described in the Rigveda is
characterized as traction plough two types: langala (small
plough) and sira (heavy plough).
• Harvesting tool: Three types of corn cutting tools are found
to occur in the Rigveda. These include: datra (a sort of
sickle in the shape of crooked knife), srni (sickle) and jeta
(reaping hook).
• Corn-cleaning equipments: The sieve and winnowing fan
mentioned in the Rigveda, were probably used for this
purpose.

25. Development of plough

26. winnowing fan

28. Transport for carrying agricultural
products:
• Two types of carriers, viz anasa (carts) and sakata
(wagon) were for commercial types.
• The anasa was two wheeled, made of woods of Acacia
and Dalbergia with bamboo poles and wheels rimmed
with metal tyre (pavi).
• The sakata was also wooden body and especially
meant for carrying agricultural products from the field.
• The chariots, in addition to those two were used for
carrying agricultural products from the field.
• Animals employed for drawing these carriers were ox,
stallion, ram and dog

30. wagon

31. Chariots

32. Irrigation System (Sinchana)
• Natural irrigation:
• Rain water:
a) Specific utilization of rain water for flowing over arable land is laid
down in the Rigveda.
b) Small streams are stated to have formed from rainwater.
c) These streams had no flow and water for irrigation was lifted by
means of bucket (droni).
• River water : Two important river sources supporting irrigation were
Sindhu, its seven tributaries and Sarasvati.
• Artificial irrigation:
a) The well irrigation.
b) The well was nearby to the field.
c) Water was lifted with the help of buckets fastened to the stone-
wheel by means of straps.
d) The entire operation seems to have been performed by the rotation
of the stone wheel.

33. Animal Husbandry
• The Vedic period was a period of cattle-culture.
• Animal husbandry or domestication of animal though
developed widely with the flourish of cultivation of
crops.
• Three reasons animal husbandry was encouraged as
part of agricultural practices:
1. For carrying loads (as beasts of burden),
2. For protecting agricultural produce
3. For productive values needed either for agricultural
operations as manure or as supplement to food from
cultivated crops.

34. Animals
• The Rigveda concentrates on cattle, horse, sheep and
goat.
• People were familiar with the different breeds of cattle.
1. Milch cattle (dhenu) and
2. Draught breed (anadvan).
• specified in the Yajurveda, are horse, mule, ass, sheep and
goat.
• Dog is also mentioned in this text as a draught animal.
• Breeding, rearing and tending as different components of
domestication of animals are discussed in the Vedic texts.

35. Milch cattle (dhenu)
Draught breed (anadvan)

36. Yavasa
• Yavasa, is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda.
• This wild ancestral grass was cow’s fodder.
• Occurrence of yava and yavasa, i.e., cultivar and its
related ancestor testifies domestication of plants were
not unknown to the people.

37. Conclusion
• The texts gives a clear picture of Vedic agricultural
system.
• Agricultural practices with soil treatment, fertilisation,
crop pattern, use of irrigation and agricultural
implements suggests the main role of agriculture in
Vedic society.
• Animal husbandry as a part of agricultural activities
acted as a supporting role.
• It was the rural economy because those people could
maintain their livelihood by engaging themselves in
different types of agricultural work.
• The practices of exchange of goods (Barter Economy)
were in trend. It has been found that ten cows were
quoted as the price for an image of Indra.