Traditional Water Systems of India: A Heritage for the Future
Contents: Preface. EXPLORING TRADITIONAL WATER SYSTEMS: 1. Multidimensional Relationship of Traditional Water Systems and Gender/Nidhi Batra and Deepika Ghosh Saxena. 2. Pre-Modern Water Conservation: A Historical Survey of Medieval Rajasthan/Salim Zaweed. 3. Reactivating Jaipur’s Traditional Water Harvesting Devices/Maureen Certain. 4. Bundi Baoli Circuit: Developing a Participatory Approach/Pooja Agrawal, Tanya Chaturvedi Vegad and Naveen Sharma. 5. Traditional Water Harvesting Structures of Gujarat/Jigna Desai. 6. Cultural Landscapes of Govardhan: The Braj Region/Annabel Lopez and Athira TP. 7. Traditional Water Harvesting Structures of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh/Shubhangi Shirole. 8. Manmade Traditional Water Systems along Rivers of India: Palaspe River, Maharashtra/Ritu G Deshmukh. 9. Tunnel Technology in Medieval India: Traditional Wisdom of Sustainable Water Management/Mukta Latkar-Talwalkar. 10. Concept of Jannat in Islamic Art and Architecture: Water Bodies of Deccan Sultanates/Abdul Aziz Rajput. 11. Water Heritage of the Adil Shahis of Bijapur/Paromita De Sarkar. A WINDOW INTO SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES: 12. Rehabilitating Traditional Water Systems: Case Studies from India, Oman and Spain/Saranya Dharshini, Meisha Hunter and Priyanka Sheth. 13. Privatisation of Water Heritage: Toorji ka Jhalra, Jodhpur/Satya Singh Bhati. 14. Water Profundities and Water Harvesting Structures: Naganah’s Garden Well, Hyderabad/Afreen Fatima. 15. Revitalising Chola’s Traditional Water Management System: Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu/Godwin Emmanuel J, Ophylia Vinodhini G, Maniyarasan R, Judith Belinda Laura T and Tirth Shroff. HERITAGE ALBUM: 16. Stepwells of Khoh Nagorian, Jaipur/Akanksha Modi. 17. The Sacred Kulams of Kanchi/Trivikram TN and Saparya Varma.
This book brings together multidisciplinary perspectives on India's diverse traditional water systems, positioning them within contemporary discourses on heritage, ecology and sustainability. The contributions engage with a wide range of case studies -- from stepwells to tanks and temple reservoirs, highlighting the intricate relationships between culture, hydrology and settlement. The book discusses how these traditional water systems evolved in response to local ecologies and climate conditions, offering insights into their continued relevance and contemporary challenges.
By critically engaging with past and present efforts in conservation, documentation and policy formation, the book reflects how traditional knowledge systems can inform integrated frameworks for sustainable water management, recognising water structures as living infrastructures.
Traditional Water Systems of India: A Heritage for the Future contributes to the ongoing dialogue on re-evaluating traditional wisdom as a vital resource for contemporary governance and conservation of water systems.
