The surrounding landscape is characterised by stunning granite hills that seem to form a girdle around the city. A number of streams flow down to the river from these rocky outcrops. In almost all cases embankments were built along these streams to create reservoirs of varying sizes. As this is one of the most arid zones of the peninsula, elaborate arrangements had to be made to store rainwater and conduct it to the city. The most important such tank was built in the early years of the fifteenth century and is now called Kamalapuram tank.
A few lines after this passage, the original text describes the Hiriya canal, one of the most prominent waterworks among the ruins. From where did this canal draw its water?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A dam raised across the Tungabhadra
Option (1) A dam raised across the Tungabhadra — Correct. The <strong>Hiriya canal</strong> drew water from a <strong>dam across the Tungabhadra</strong>. It watered the cultivated valley between the sacred centre and the urban core, and was probably built by the Sangama kings.
Option (2) The tank now called Kamalapuram tank — Incorrect. The Kamalapuram tank fed nearby fields and sent water by a channel to the royal centre. The Hiriya canal had its own source on the river.
Option (3) Reservoirs behind embankments on the streams — Incorrect. Embankments on the streams made reservoirs of many sizes for storing rainwater. The Hiriya canal took its water from the Tungabhadra itself.
Option (4) Krishnadeva Raya's tank between two hills — Incorrect. Krishnadeva Raya's tank between two hills, described by Paes, was a separate work fed by pipes from a lake far outside the city.
NCERT (2026-27): “3.1 Water resources … “One of the most prominent waterworks to be seen among the ruins is the Hiriya canal. This canal drew water from a dam across the Tungabhadra and irrigated the cultivated valley that separated the “sacred centre” from the “urban core”. This was apparently built by kings of the Sangama dynasty.” |