Sacred ways

A pivotal role in irrigation management was played by temples. The famous temple of Kalahasti near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, for instance, used the endowments from its devotees to excavate irrigation channels and to reclaim temple lands. A Kalahasti inscription dating back to 1540 states: "Virappanar Ayyar deposited (with the treasury of the gods at Kalahasti) 1,306 pon , which was to be invested in the new settlements of Muttayammansamudram... with a view to bring the lands under cultivation (and) the lands of Lakkusetipuram are to be irrigated and brought under the plough with the help of the waters of Virasamudaram lake (which will) be repaired and maintained by investing 1,006 pon of the amount deposited.' It made good economic sense for the temples to invest in irrigation. Getting a regular share in the production from the irrigated lands meant that they had a regular income. Temples were sometimes also granted tax-free land by the state; temple officials then leased these lands for reclamation and cultivation.