Q. The irrigation device called 'Araghatta' was (UPSC Prelims 2025)
Answer: a large wheel with earthen pots tied to the outer ends of its spokes
Notes: The correct answer is [B] a large wheel with earthen pots tied to the outer ends of its spokes. The Araghatta (also known as the Persian Wheel) was a significant technological advancement in ancient and medieval Indian irrigation.

• Mechanism: It consisted of a vertical wheel with a series of small pots or buckets (malaghatika) attached to its rim or spokes. As the wheel rotated—usually powered by animal labor like bullocks—the pots would dip into a well or water source, fill up, and discharge the water into a channel as they reached the top of the rotation.
• Historical Context: References to the Araghatta appear in ancient Sanskrit texts and inscriptions. During the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal period, the introduction of gearing mechanisms (the "true" Persian Wheel) made the device even more efficient, allowing for deeper groundwater extraction.
• Statement [A] - Incorrect: This describes a Charas or Mote, which used a leather bag (leathern bucket) and a pulley system.
• Statement [C] & [D] - Incorrect: These refer to simpler, manual, or direct animal-draw methods like the Dhekli (lever-based) or simple pulley systems, which were less sophisticated than the continuous rotation of the Araghatta.

The use of the Araghatta was crucial for the expansion of agriculture in semi-arid regions of Northern India, particularly for growing high-value crops that required consistent watering.