TeresaGuercio23: Updated formatting and improved readability

2025-06-10T09:01:15Z

Updated formatting and improved readability

ImportMaster: robot: import pages using Special:Import

2022-05-04T09:10:01Z

robot: import pages using Special:Import

New page

{{about|an Irrigation tank||Tank (disambiguation)}}
{{For|etymology|Storage tank}}
[[File:Shravanabelagola lake.JPG|thumb|right|[[Shravanabelagola]] lake in [[Karnataka]]]]

An '''irrigation tank''' or '''tank''' is an artificial [[reservoir]] of any size. They are mainly found in India.<ref name="glossary">{{cite web
|url=http://www.indoarch.org/arch_glossary.php
|title=Architecture on the Indian Subcontinent - glossary
|access-date=2006-12-18
}}</ref> It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure. Tanks are part of an ancient tradition of harvesting and preserving the local rainfall and water from streams and rivers for later use, primarily for agriculture and drinking water, but also for sacred bathing and ritual. Often a tank was constructed across a slope so to collect and store water by taking advantage of local mounds and depressions.<ref name="Tank management">{{cite web
|url=http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Dhan.htm
|title=Tank management
|publisher=rainwaterharvesting.org
|access-date=2006-10-17
}}</ref> Tank irrigation is practised by constructing mud banks across small streams to make a small reservoir which collect excess water during the rainy season.Tank use is especially critical in parts of [[South India]] without [[Perennial plant|perennial]] rainfall where water supply replenishment is dependent on a cycle of dry seasons alternating with monsoon seasons.

==Tank design==
Water is considered a purifying and regenerative element in India, and is an essential element of prayer and ritual. Water is also revered because of its scarcity in western India where dry and monsoon seasons alternate and failure of the monsoon season means famine and death while plentiful water replacing irrigations sources is a time of rejoicing. This resulted in building water storage tanks that combined the practical and sacred.<ref>{{cite book
| first= Binda
| last= Thapar
| year= 2004
| title= Introduction to Indian Architecture
| publisher= Periplus Editions
| location=Singapore
| isbn= 978-0-7946-0011-2
| page= 24}}</ref>
Since ancient times, the design of water storage has been important in Indian architecture. As early as 3000 BC, sophisticated systems of drains, wells and tanks were built to conserve and utilise water. Tank building as an art form began with the Hindus and developed under Muslim rule.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Archit/Stepw.html
|title=Architecture - Stepwells
|access-date=2007-01-09
}}</ref>

An example of the art of tank design is the large, geometrically spectacular Stepped Tank at the Royal Center at the ruins of [[Vijayanagara]], the capital of the [[Vijayanagara Empire]], surrounding the modern town of [[Hampi]]. It is lined with green [[diorite]] and has no [[Plumbing fixture#Inlets and drains|drain]]. The tank was filled by [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/hampi/lt01.html
|title=Great Tank
|publisher=art-and-archaeology
|access-date=2007-01-13
}}</ref>

==Village tanks==
[[File:குளம்.JPG|thumb|right|A tank in [[Tamil Nadu]]]]
[[Ralegaon Siddhi]] is an example of a village that revitalised its ancient tank system.
In 1975 the village was [[drought]]-stricken. The village tank could not hold water as the earthen [[reservoir|embankment dam]] wall leaked. Work began with the [[percolation]] tank construction by the villagers who donated their labor to repair the embankment. Once this was fixed, the village's seven wells below the tank filled with water in the summer for the first time in memory. Now the village has a supply of water throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Ralegan.htm
|title=Ralegan Siddhi : A village Transformed
|access-date=2006-10-30
}}</ref>

==Temple tanks==
Tanks known as "[[Pushkarni]]" or "[[Kalyani (well)|Kalyani]]" also known as "Kund" in Hindi are reservoirs with steps leading down to the water, generally found in South India, and sometimes constructed within the walls of a temple complex.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.indoarch.org/arch_glossary.php
|title=Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent - glossary
|publisher=Indian Architecture
|access-date=2006-10-17
}}</ref>

Bathing in the sacred waters of a temple tank was believed to cure worshippers of afflictions such as leprosy and blindness.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.indiantemples.com/suntemple.html
|title=Sun Temples in India
|publisher=TempleNet
|access-date=2006-10-17
}}</ref> Many temple tanks are decaying and drying up today.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060601/aplus.htm
|title=Ponds, tanks relics of a bygone era
|publisher=AmritsarPlus Online Edition
|access-date=2006-10-17
}}</ref>

==Stepwells==

[[Stepwell]]s, also called ''bavdi'' ({{lang-hi|बावड़ी}}) or ''bavli'' ({{lang-hi|बावली}}), are [[water well|well]]s in which the water can be reached by descending a set of steps. They are most common in the west of India.

Stepwells were often used for leisure, providing relief from daytime heat. This led to the building of some significant ornamental and architectural features, often associated with dwellings and in urban areas. It also ensured their survival as monuments.

==Modern tank management==
The development of large-scale water management methods and hydroelectric generation have replaced much of the local efforts and community management of water. For example, the state of [[Karnataka]] has about 44,000 artificial wetlands locally constructed over many centuries. At least 328 are threatened today.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://en.arocha.org/india/index5.html
|title=Bird monitoring at Rampura and Kalkere tanks
|publisher=aroche.org
|access-date=2006-10-17
}}</ref>

However, recently a tank regeneration movement initiated by communities and [[non-governmental organisation]]s (NGO) has arisen.<ref name="Tank management"/> Today, there are approximately 120,000 small-scale tanks, irrigating about 41,200 km² in semi-arid areas of India.<ref>{{cite journal |id={{INIST|13552012}} |doi=10.1023/A:1014420822465 |year=2001 |last1=Anbumozhi |first1=V. |last2=Matsumoto |first2=K. |last3=Yamaji |first3=E. |title=Towards Improved Performance of Irrigation Tanks in Semi-Arid Regions of India: Modernization Opportunities and Challenges |journal=Irrigation and Drainage Systems |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=293–309|s2cid=110086216 }}</ref> This constitutes about one third of the total irrigated land in South India.<ref>{{cite journal |id={{INIST|2829920}} |doi=10.1080/02508069708686676 |title=Sustainable Development and Management of Tank Irrigation Systems in South India |year=1997 |last1=Arumugam |first1=N. |last2=Mohan |first2=S. |last3=Ramaprasad |first3=R. |journal=Water International |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=90–7}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<gallery>
Image:ShrineInTankVijayanagara.jpg|A shrine in a ruined tank at [[Vijayanagara]] in [[Karnataka]]
Image:Partial view of Kalyani (tank) in the Chennakeshava temple at Belur.jpg|A stepped temple tank at [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]] in [[Karnataka]]
File:PothundiDam3.jpg|[[Pothundi Dam|Pothundi Reservoir]] in [[Kerala]]
Image:Badami countryside.jpg|A tank at [[Badami]] in [[Karnataka]]
Image:bawdi.jpg|A [[bavdi]] at [[Shekhawati]] in [[Rajasthan]]
Image:Johad.JPG|A [[johad]] at [[Thathawata]] in [[Rajasthan]]
Image:Trikuteshwara well.JPG|A well at [[Trikuteshwara]] temple in [[Karnataka]]
Image:Ellora cave29 pond waterfall behind.jpg|A temple pond and waterfall at [[Ellora Caves]] in [[Maharashtra]]
Image:Schacht Adalaj Stepwell.jpg|[[Adalaj Stepwell]] in [[Gujarat]]
Image:PK fields by water1.jpg|A tank used for irrigating a market garden on [[Lamma Island]] in [[Hong Kong]]
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Noyyal River]] - Tanks System
*[[Irrigation]]
*[[Johad]]
*[[bavdi]] or [[stepwell]]
*[[Temple tank]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
Palanisami, K, and Easer, E.W. (2000). ''Tank Irrigation in the 21st Century—What Next?'' Discovery, Delhi, Discovery. {{ISBN|81-7141-558-X}}.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061127184054/http://en.arocha.org/images/shared/655l.jpeg Photo of Rampura temple tank]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070312024538/http://en.arocha.org/images/shared/656l.jpeg Photo of Kalkere temple tamk]
*[http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/hampi/st01.html Photo of temple Stepped Tank at Vijayanagara]
*[http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/kanchipuram/eka04.html Photo of temple tank at Ekambareshvara Temple]
*[http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/hampi/lt01.html Photo of Great Tank at Royal Center Temple, Vijayanagara]
*[http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/bhubaneshwar/mk11.html Tank, east of Mukteshvara]
*[http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Dhan1.htm Tank Rehabilitation Program]
*[https://archive.today/20070730104056/http://www.eapen.com/jacob/report/indus.html Indus River Valley Civilization]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041221155902/http://www.cbmphoto.co.uk/Ttank.html Hindu Temples: tanks - tirtta (artificial sacred ponds)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100903160914/http://www.infinityfoundation.com/hooja_book.htm Channeling Nature: Hydraulics, Traditional Knowledge Systems, And Water Resource Management in India – A Historical Perspective]

[[Category:Irrigation in India]]
[[Category:Water supply and sanitation in India]]

Irrigation tank - Revision history

TeresaGuercio23: Updated formatting and improved readability

ImportMaster: robot: import pages using Special:Import