Reviving Madumar’s Ancient Tank: How Water Heritage, Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Meet in Bundelkhand

Madumar, a small village in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, offers a striking reminder that India’s past holds valuable answers to today’s development challenges. Anchored around a massive 100-acre tank dating back to the era of the Chandela kings, Madumar shows how traditional water systems can simultaneously support livelihoods, preserve heritage and strengthen climate resilience—if they are cared for and renewed.

A Chandela legacy carved in water

The Madumar tank traces its origins to the rule of the Chandela dynasty, which governed the Bundelkhand region between the 9th and 14th centuries. The Chandelas are widely remembered for their sophisticated water architecture—large, well-planned tanks that captured monsoon flows and sustained settlements through dry seasons.

Centuries later, the Madumar tank continues to irrigate fields, support fisheries, and meet the water needs of people and animals alike. Its historical value is amplified by its proximity to Paporaji (earlier Pampapur), a major Jain religious site comprising around 108 temples, renowned for their architecture and wall paintings and drawing pilgrims for nearly 800 years.

Forgotten agro-processing and lost livelihoods

Close to the tank lie the remains of a traditional agro-processing centre—an often-overlooked aspect of the site’s heritage. Villagers recall that sugarcane juice was processed here into “gur” (jaggery). According to Kamlesh Kurmi, closely associated with the tank’s recent renovation, the centre may also have processed edible oils, reflecting Bundelkhand’s long association with oilseed crops such as groundnut, mustard and sesame.

Reviving such traditional processing offers more than nostalgia. It holds potential for livelihood support, healthier food products, and cultural preservation—especially for traditional processors who have been steadily marginalised despite producing nutritionally rich and medicinally valuable foods.

Neglect, silt and the turning point

Despite its importance, the Madumar tank suffered years of neglect. Heavy siltation reduced its storage capacity, weakening its ability to buffer the village against droughts and floods. This changed with a recent initiative led by Srijan, supported by the InterGlobe Foundation.

The de-siltation drive restored the tank’s water-holding capacity, improving irrigation potential and reducing distress during erratic rainfall—whether deficient or excessive. In an era of climate change, such restoration directly strengthens local climate adaptation by moderating hydrological extremes.

Silt as a resource, not waste

One of the most telling outcomes of the project was how villagers engaged with it. The fertile silt removed from the tank was carried by farmers—at their own expense—to their fields, enhancing soil fertility. Remarkably, farmers are estimated to have spent nearly ₹5 lakh transporting the silt, compared to about ₹2.5 lakh spent on the de-siltation itself.

This participatory investment reflects local ownership and aligns with Srijan’s parallel efforts to promote ecologically protective natural farming, including small orchards, multi-layer vegetable gardens and reduced chemical inputs.

From water restoration to ecological regeneration

Community engagement extends beyond water. During a recent village meeting under a peepal tree—on a traditional “chabutra”—plans were drawn up for tree planting around the tank. The emphasis was on indigenous species, supplemented by flowering plants, to strengthen local biodiversity.z

These efforts are also being extended to the nearby Garora tank, traditionally seen as hydrologically linked to Madumar. Over time, the integration of restored water bodies, natural farming, orchards and revived food processing could turn the area into a living heritage landscape near the Jain pilgrimage centre—where conservation and livelihoods reinforce each other.

Thinking beyond one tank: a landscape approach

Srijan’s work reflects a broader understanding that water bodies and channels are interconnected. As Rakesh Kumar of Srijan notes, protecting tanks, rivulets and streams ultimately contributes to safeguarding major rivers such as the Ken and the Betwa and their tributaries.

In village Maughat, for instance, efforts focus on digging “dohas”—small ditches that retain water longer into the dry season—benefiting farmers, livestock and birds alike. Gabion-wall structures have been added to slow runoff, with visible increases in bird activity around the conserved water.

Repairing the neglected, restoring the benefits

Equally significant are modest repair works on existing but damaged structures. In Mamau village, a check dam had fallen into disuse after its gates were stolen. With a small budget arranged by Srijan, the gates were reinstalled and the structure revived. The result: irrigation for around 25 farmers and a rising water table across three settlements—Mohanpura, Dhajrai and Hajurinagar.

Similar outcomes have been recorded in villages such as Markhera, Ramnagar and Banpura, underlining how repairing neglected infrastructure can often deliver quicker and cheaper gains than building anew.

Why Madumar matters

The story of Madumar is not just about one village or one tank. It illustrates how India’s water heritage, when restored through community participation, can address multiple contemporary challenges—climate adaptation, livelihood security, ecological restoration and cultural preservation.

In a region as water-stressed as Bundelkhand, such integrated efforts show that development need not erase the past. Instead, it can draw strength from it—allowing ancient systems to once again support modern lives.