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{{Short description|Artificial lake in Gujarat, India}}

'''Sudarshana Lake''' is an artificial lake located in the semi-arid region of [[Kathiawar]].<ref>
*{{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Richard H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QRsLEQAAQBAJ&dq=sudarshana+lake&pg=PA313 |title=Religions of Early India: A Cultural History |date=2024-11-26 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=978-0-691-26578-0 |pages=313 |language=en |quote=On the night of 16 November 150 CE, a fierce storm raged in from the Arabian Sea onto the shores of Gujarat. The rain clouds pouring out their waters, it was reported, made it appear as if the earth had been turned into one big ocean. In the path of the storm’s destructive floods was a man-made reservoir called Lake Good-Looking (Sudarshana). The lake had been excavated several centuries before, by order of the Mauryan rulers Chandragupta}}
*{{Cite web |title=Sudarshana Lake {{!}} lake, India {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sudarshana-Lake |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |quote=…the dam and conduits at Sudarshana, a man-made lake on the Kathiawar Peninsula.}}
*{{Cite book |last=Tandle |first=Dr Sanjeevkumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I6jzBgAAQBAJ&q=sudarshana+lakeKEwiD8fWbltuJAxV1TmwGHclbFU44KBDoAXoECAUQAw%23&pg=PA132 |title=INDIAN HISTORY|isbn=978-1-312-37211-5 |pages=132 |publisher=Lulu.com |language=en |quote=Sudarshana lake in the semi-arid zone of Kathiawar. This lake had been in use for irrigation for a long time, and was old as the time of the Mauryas.}}</ref> The lake was originally commissioned by [[Chandragupta Maurya]] and later renovated by several kings across different dynasties.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Upinder |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&dq=%22sudarshana+lake+%22&pg=PA380 |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |date=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-1120-0 |pages=380 |language=en |quote=The purpose of the inscription is to record the restoration of a reservoir called Sudarshana lake by the mahakshatrapa Rudradaman . The construction of this reservoir was started by Vaishya Pushyagupta , the provincial governor of Chandragupta Maurya . It was completed by the Yavana Tushaspha , governor of the Ashoka.}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Upinder |url=https://archive.org/details/aemi_20200906/page/48/mode/1up |title=Ancient and Early Medieval India |date=2016 |pages=48–49 |language=English |quote=A 150 CE inscription of the Shaka ruler Rudradaman records the beginning of the construction of a water reservoir known as Sudarshana lake in the 4th century BCE during the time of the Maurya emperor Chandragupta, its completion during the reign of Ashoka, and its repair in the 2nd century CE. A 5th century inscription on the same rock, of the time of the Gupta king Skandagupta, describes how the lake burst its banks due to excessive rains and was repaired after two years work.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mitra |first=Sudipta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J0rME6RjC1sC&pg=PA13 |title=Gir Forest and the Saga of the Asiatic Lion |date=2005 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=978-81-7387-183-2 |pages=13 |language=en |quote=Chandragupta built a dam over the Sudarshan lake. Later on Ashoka, his grandson developed the area by constructing canals and dams to make cultivation possible. He also engraved his famous edicts on the rock at Junagarh. [...] Inscriptions made by the Gupta rulers like Skandagupta (the successor of Vikramaditya) on the rocks at Junagarh can be seen even today. The inscriptions show further development projects adopted by the Guptas, including repair of the dam constructed over Sudarshan lake by Chandragupta Maurya.}}</ref>
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Sudarshana Lake
| native_name =
| pushpin_map =
| image = Lake on Girnar Taleti.jpg
| caption =
| image_bathymetry =
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = [[Bhavnath]], [[Girnar]], [[Gujarat]]
| coords = {{Coord|21.5272|N|70.5035|E|}}
| lake_type = [[Ancient lake]], [[Man-made lake]]
| catchment =
| length =
| width =
| area =
| depth =
| residence_time =
| max-depth =
| cities = [[Girnar]]
}}

== History==
Sudarshana Lake was originally constructed by Pushyagupta, a governor under the Maurya emperor [[Chandragupta Maurya]] (c. 320–297 BCE). The lake was built as part of a water conservation project in the semi-arid region of Kathiawar, now Gujarat.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thapar |first=Romila |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5irrXX0apQC&dq=sudarshana+lake&pg=PA187 |title=From the Origins to AD 1300 |date=2004 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24225-8 |pages=187 |language=en |quote=Taxes for the provision of water for irrigation were regularly collected wherever the state was responsible for providing irrigation. One of Chandragupta’s governors had a dam built across a river near Girnar in western India, thus constructing the Sudarshana lake to supply water for the region. An inscription in the neighbourhood mentions the continuous maintenance of this dam for 800 years, stating that it was built through local but official initiative.}}</ref> Later, during the reign of [[Ashoka]] (c. 268–232 BCE), the lake underwent renovations by [[Tushaspha]], a governor appointed by Ashoka.
[[File:Gujrat, Sudarshana Lake.png|thumb|Sudarshana Lake, an ancient water conservation project in [[Junagadh]] of Gujarat. The lake was constructed by [[Chandragupta Maurya]] and underwent renovations by other three ruler including [[Ashoka]], [[Rudradaman I]], and [[Skandagupta]].<ref name=":0" />]]
The lake suffered damage in the 2nd century CE due to heavy rains, which led to a breach in the dam. In 150 CE, [[Rudradaman I]], a king of the [[Western Kshatrapas]], undertook a major renovation as recorded in the [[Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman]]. The lake was also repaired by Suvisakha, a Parthian governor under Rudradaman.<ref>{{Cite book |last=M. S. Randhawa |url=https://archive.org/details/HistoryAgricultureIndia1/page/n398/mode/1up |title=History Agriculture India, Volume I |publisher=INDIAN COUNCIL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, NEW DELHI |pages=363 |quote=The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman records that the Sudarshana lake was constructed by Pushyagupta, the provincial governor of Chandragupta Maurya; it was subsequently provided with conduits by the Yavana king Thushaspha for Asoka Maurya. It suffered a breach (420 cubits long and 75 cubits deep) in the second century of the Christian Era, owing to heavy flood in the rivers Suvarnarekha and Palasini. It was repaired by the Parthian Amatya Suvisakha, who was the governor of Rudradaman, the Saka ruler of that time. In western India, the successors of Rudradaman continued the tradition of constructing tanks.}}</ref>

{{quote|
(L.8)... for the sake of ordered to be made by the Vaishya Pushyagupta, the provincial governor of the Maurya king [[Chandragupta Maurya]]; adorned with conduits for [[Ashoka]] the Maurya by the [[Yavana]] king [[Tushaspha]] while governing; and by the conduit ordered to be made by him, constructed in a manner worthy of a king (and) seen in that breach, the extensive dam.<br>
—[[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Epigraphia Indica, Volume VIII |year=1905–1906 |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing |location=Calcutta |pages=45–49 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.69971}}</ref><ref name="WB">[http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", ''Project South Asia''.]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |date=23 February 2009 }}</ref>
}}

The lake was also restored by Chakrapalita, the son of Parnadatta, the governor of Saurashtra under King [[Skandagupta]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=https://archive.org/details/bhic-132-history-of-india-from-c-300-to-1206/page/17/mode/1up |title=History Of India From C 300 To 1206 |publisher=Indira Gandhi National Open University |pages=17 |language=English |quote=The Junagadh inscription of his reign tells us about the public works undertaken during his times. The Sudarshana lake (originally built during the Maurya times) burst due to excessive rains and in the early part of his rule his governor Pamadatta got it repaired. This indicates that the state undertook the task of public works. The last known date of Skandagupta is 467 CE from his silver coins.}}</ref> Chakrapalita repaired the breach and rebuilt the embankment—100 cubits long, 68 cubits wide, and as tall as seven men—in just two months.<ref name="CHAND">{{Cite book |last=V.D |first=Mahajan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TJlDwAAQBAJ&dq=sudarshana+lake&pg=PA386 |title=Ancient India |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-93-5253-132-5 |pages=386 |language=en |quote=The Sudarshana Lake became Durdarshana Lake. The citizens were in despair and did not know what to do. However, Chakrapalita came to their rescue. He was full of regard for the welfare of his city and for the king. He had the breach repaired and the embankment renewed by an expenditure of unlimited wealth within the short period of two months. The embankment was 100 cubits long, 68 broad and 7 men's height. Chakrapalita also constructed the temple of God Chakrabhrit.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fV1uAAAAMAAJ&q=sudarshan+lake+Parnadutta|title=Royal Temples of Gupta Period: Excavations at Bhitari|last=Jayaswal|first=Vidula|date=2001|publisher=Aryan Books International|isbn=978-81-7305-207-1|pages=9|language=en|quote=..the repair of the Sudarshan lake and construction of two temples by Chakrapalita, the son of the governor of Saurashtra, Parnadatta, who was appointed by the monarch, Skandagupta.}}</ref>
{{multiple image|border=infobox|perrow=1|total_width=250
| align = left
| direction =vertical
| header=Junagadh rock inscription
| image1 = Ashoka Rock Edict at Junagadh.jpg
| image2 = Junagadh rock inscription of Skandagupta.png
| footer=The [[Junagadh]] rock in [[Girnar|Girnar mountain]] contains an inscription of [[Skandagupta]], besides those of the earlier kings [[Ashoka]] and [[Rudradaman I]].<ref>[http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm "Junagadh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman", ''Project South Asia''.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm|date=23 February 2009 }}</ref>
}}

== Architecture ==
Sudarshana Lake has an elaborate system of channels and conduits that were constructed to direct water into the lake. The embankment of the lake was reportedly 100 cubits long, 68 cubits wide, and 7 cubits high.<ref name="CHAND"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Shaikh |first=Dr Shahajahan B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b6Q0DwAAQBAJ&dq=sudarshana+lake+900&pg=PA28 |title=Archaeological Study of Kandhar (Dist. Nanded, Maharashtra) |date=2017-09-04 |publisher= Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-387-15993-2 |pages=28 |language=en |quote=While considering the history of India, it appears that kings, noblemen, and the rich created ponds and lakes thinking it their duty and maintained them well In Girnar mountains in Saurashtra, Chandragupta Maurya's (324- BC) regent Pushya of Dhant built Sudarshana lake by rain water harvesting. Later on Ashoka's depute Tushasph renovated it and made the waiter of the lake available for irrigation. Around 150 AD when tha lake was washed away by heavy rains, the King Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman repaired it.}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Tushaspha]]
*[[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]]
*[[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]]
*[[Western Satraps]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
=== Bibliography ===

{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |author=Richard H. Davis |title=Religions of Early India: A Cultural History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QRsLEQAAQBAJ&dq=sudarshana+lake&pg=PA313|year=2024 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-26578-0 }}
* {{cite book |author=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H3lUIIYxWkEC&dq=%22sudarshana+lake+%22&pg=PA380|year=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=978-81-317-1120-0 }}
* {{cite book |author=Upinder Singh |title=Ancient and Early Medieval India |year=2016 |publisher=Pearson |url=https://archive.org/details/aemi_20200906/page/48/mode/1up }}
* {{cite book |author=Romila Thapar |title=From the Origins to AD 1300 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5irrXX0apQC&dq=sudarshana+lake&pg=PA187|year=2004 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24225-8 }}
* {{cite book |author=M. S. Randhawa |title=History of Agriculture in India, Volume I |publisher=Indian Council of Agricultural Research |url=https://archive.org/details/HistoryAgricultureIndia1/page/n398 }}
* {{cite book |author=V. D. Mahajan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TJlDwAAQBAJ&dq=sudarshana+lake&pg=PA386|title=Ancient India |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-93-5253-132-5 }}
* {{cite book |author=Vidula Jayaswal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fV1uAAAAMAAJ&q=sudarshan+lake+Parnadutta|title=Royal Temples of Gupta Period: Excavations at Bhitari |year=2001 |publisher=Aryan Books International |isbn=978-81-7305-207-1 }}
* {{cite book |author=Shahajahan B. Shaikh |title=Archaeological Study of Kandhar (Dist. Nanded, Maharashtra)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b6Q0DwAAQBAJ&dq=sudarshana+lake+900&pg=PA28 |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-387-15993-2 }}
* {{cite book |title=Epigraphia Indica, Volume VIII |year=1905–1906 |publisher=Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing |location=Calcutta |pages=45–49 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.69971}}
{{ref end}}

[[Category:Artificial lakes of India]]
[[Category:Lakes of Gujarat]]

Sudarshana Lake - Revision history

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