Bharatiya Pragna - Dr. Th Chowdary

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Mrigendra, Panchasya, Haryaksha, Kesarin, and Hari as different types and does not consider them as synonyms. Similarly, he describes 3 types of Koel, vanapriya, parabhrita, and kokila. This classic is yet another proof of the advancements made by our ancestors in the field of biology. This Sanskrit text was obtained from the Oriental Institute, Vadodara, Gujarat. This was translated in English by Dr Nalini Sadhale and commentaries written by Drs Sadhale and Nene. Krishi Gita (Agricultural Verses) c. 15 th century This Malayalam printed text was procured from Adyar Library, Chennai. It is edited by Vidwan C. Govinda Warriar. AAHF published its Translation in English done by B Mohan Kumar. Commentaries were written by Mohan Kumar and PK Ramchandran Nair. This text refers to cultivation of coastal region crops prior to introductions by Arabs and Portuguese. Soil management involved tillage, manuring, and avoiding water stagnation and iron toxicity. Agronomy covered optimum seed rate, time of planting, depth of planting, spacing between plants and iron toxicity. Agronomy covered optimum seed rate, time of planting, depth of plant- 70 ing, spacing between plants and rows. A large number of rice varieties (135 varieties) for different areas are recommended, indicating availability of genetic variation. Other crops discussed are arecanut, (8 varieties), Amaranthus (3 varieties), ash gourd (1 variety), banana/plantain (19 varieties), chickpea (2 varieties), betel leaf (13 varieties), bitter gourd (3 varieties), brinjal (12 varieties), chili (7 varieties), coconut (5 varieties), cotton (2 varieties), cowpea (4 varieties), Elephant foot-yam (2 varieties), fenugreek (1 variety), yam- Diascoria spp (6 varieties), cocoyam (9 varieties), beans-Dolichos lablab (9 varieties), ivy gourd (3 varieties), lime-Citrus spp.(4 varieties), maize (8 varieties), oriental pickling melon (2 varieties), pigeonpea (2 varieties), sesame (9 varieties), snake gourd (4 varieties), sugarcane (6 varieties), taro (3 varieties), tobacco (8 varieties), turmeric (3 varieties), and watermelon (2 varieties). Vishvavallabha (Dear to the World: The Science of Plant Life) 1577 AD In the last few years, some of the rarest texts on agriculture were discovered, translated into English, and commented upon in the context of current knowledge of scientific agriculture. Since then another Sanskrit classic on agriculture, Vishvavallabha (Dear to the World: The Science of Plant Life), was discovered in the library of the Rajasthan Prachya Vidya Pratishthan, Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The Asian Agri- History Foundation, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh recently published the English translation and also discussed utility of the contents for today’s agriculture. November & December 2008 Bharatiya Pragna
Vishvavallabha was compiled by a scholar, Sri Chakrapani Mishra, around 1577 AD. Chakrapani worked under the patronage of the towering personality of Maharana Pratap (1540–1597) of Mewar in Rajasthan. As is wellknown Maharana Pratap refused to surrender or be a vassal of the Mughal ruler, Akbar and protected his own honor as well as that of his people all through his life. The text contains a wealth of information. It describes methods to detect underground water, construction of water reservoirs, planting methods, plant disorders and treatments, and plantation in forts. Nuskha Dar Fanni-Falahat (The Art of Agriculture) (c. 1650) This text in Persian was copied from a compendium, Ganj-e-Badawar, compiled around 1650 AD by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, son of Shah Jahan, who built the famous Taj Mahal. The text briefly describes the “art” of growing about 100 economic plant species. These include trees (fresh fruit, dry fruit, avenue, and timber), shrubs of ornamental significance, 71 vegetables, cereals, legumes, oilseeds, and aromatics. Species are grouped on the basis of similarities and the general sequence followed is: fresh fruit trees, dry fruit trees, berry-producing plants, avenue and timber trees, flowering shrubs, plantation crops, spices, aromatics, cereals, legumes, fiber crops, and vegetables. However, the sequence has not been followed strictly. Manures mentioned are dung, salt, and nitre for soil application in case of palm trees, nitre and vine sap as foliar application in vines, eggs in soil and olive leaf-sap sprinkling on leaves in fig, dung in soil in olive, pig’s dung and human urine in soil in pomegranate, night soil, animal dung, and sheep’s blood in soil in guava [pear (?)], dry dung of pig in almonds, and cowdung in carrots. Nitre as a fertilizer was new to the Indian agriculture as no document before the present one mentioned use of nitre as a manure. This must be therefore one of the first inorganic fertilizers used in India. The recommendation to sprinkle nitre on vines must have been based on observing beneficial effects on growth of vines. A statement under baqla (Vicia faba L.) is noteworthy. It is mentioned that roots, branches, and leaves of baqla “have the qualities of manure and it increases the strength of the manure” and that is why it is grown as an intercrop. This is a very significant statement pointing to the beneficial effects of legumes, which we know so well today. The contents of “Nuskha Dar Fanni- Falahat” are almost totally different from the earlier, indigenously written texts. It is not difficult to understand the reason. Historically speaking, the conquerors almost always despise the con- November & December 2008 Bharatiya Pragna
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BHARATIYA PRAGNA Board of Advisors
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3 Chandrayaan-1 Editorial I ndia’
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5 Even the worm turns! Editorial J
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lectual life of a nation -that of s
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ow. Although a man should do him in
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truth to maintain a spirit of absol
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What Swami Vivekananda is in the re
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17 150th Birth Year to check their
Page 21 and 22: During 1897-1900, Bose turned his i
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Page 25 and 26: Even as the Hindu Muslim riots are
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Page 39 and 40: T he long-declared dissatisfaction
Page 41 and 42: W hatever happened to the ‘silent
Page 43 and 44: Paul II unveiled the document ‘Ec
Page 45 and 46: it as ‘Rajarajeswaram’ after hi
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Page 53 and 54: 51 The Nexus of Isms: The Nexus of
Page 55 and 56: with common enemy which they view a
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Page 69 and 70: 67 The pattern of the rainfall dist
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Page 77 and 78: Book-Review Indus or Sindhu-Sarasva
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Bharatiya Pragna - Dr. Th Chowdary

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