The irrigation device called 'Araghatta' was
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Answer: B. The araghatta was a water wheel. Earthen pots were tied along its rim (outer ends of its spokes); as the wheel turned, the pots lifted water and emptied it into a channel. It is similar to the later Persian wheel.
Watch for: Do not confuse the araghatta (pot wheel) with the leather-bag lift (charas/mot) also used in early India.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because a leather bag pulled over a pulley is the charasa/mot, not the araghatta.
- C. Wrong because the araghatta was a wheel with many pots, not one large pot.
- D. Wrong because lifting a bucket by hand is a simple rope-and-bucket method, not a wheel.
Source to check: Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India (early medieval agriculture and irrigation); the term was also asked in UPSC Prelims 2016
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.