Terminologies
Land related terminologies
Sr. No.
Term in Devanagari
Term in Roman
Meaning
Description
1
मृत्तिका/ मृद्
Mrittika
Soil
A land full of trees with moist soil is recommended for settlements. Sandy soils are to be avoided.
2
हस्तिवनोपेता
Hastivanopeta
Land surrounded by mountains and forests having elephants thus enhancing the king's army
This is one of the sixteen types of lands mentioned in the text that are classified on the basis of their qualities and benefits they bestow to the residents. This land is important from defence point of view.
Other names of this land are Hasti-vanaashritaa or Hasti-vanavati.
3
अम्बु / मृद्
Ambu
Water
A land with plenty of water sources is recommended for settlements. It is also said if a site for a new town has plenty of water bodies in the South, it is recommended.
4
इरिण
Irin
Salty and barren soil, desert
Lands with such soils are to be avoided for settlements. It can be said thus, that Jaangal region as described in the text is not very suitable for suitable new settlements.
5
कण्टक / मृद्
Kantak
Thorn
Jaangal has short and thorny trees. Land with thorny trees and thorns are supposed to be avoided for settlements. It can thus be said, settlements are based avoided in Jaangal due to harsh conditions.
6
प्लव
Plava
Slope
Lands sloping towards North or North East are recommended. Land with such slope absorb less heat of the harsh South and South-West sun which is a good thing for tropical climate. Lands with slopes on all sides are also recommmended in the text as they are they are easier to defend.
7
कलधौत / मृद्
Kaldhaut
Bullion ie. gold and silver
If a land is rich in such metals, it is recommended for settlements.
The terms mentioned above appear in the 8th chapter of Samarangana Sutradhara, a book on architecture and town planning by the scholar king Raja Bhoj of Malwa from the Paramara dynasty. The chapter deals with land classification, site selection for towns and houses, soil testing, etc. Different types of lands are mentioned with different types of flora and fauna, topography and based on this, recommendations are made for selection and avoidance of these lands for new settlements.
The land classification and selection methods are unique from modern methods in following ways:
Recommendations are given for selection of land based on its colour, taste, etc for people involved in different professions (varna).
Different lands are given different names based on the quality of living and the kind of lifestyle that residents have there. For example, Bhogya is a land where residents are wealthy and pay more taxes. This classification has very diverse varieties of lands mentioned.
It is interesting to note that lands are classified on a regional level in three categories as follows which, to a certain extent, can be related to different ecosystems like deserts, wetlands, etc.
Regional Classification of land
Jaangal
It is characterized by scanty water sources, sandy & black soil with hot, dry and fierce winds. It has short and thorny trees. From various other Shlokas in the same chapter, it is apparent that such lands are to be avoided for settlements. It is contradictory, for a land with desert-like description to have sandy & black soil.
Image credits: CIKS-TP
Anup
Anup has characteristics of a wetland or a land with alluvial soil in a river basin. It is described to have plenty of water including ground water at shallow depths. It has tall, sappy/ sticky trees and has an abundance of fishes. The soil is moist and sticky unlike Jaangal and the climate is cold.
Image credits: CIKS-TP
Sadharan
Sadharan land has characteristics of both these types with a climate that is neither too hot nor too cold.
Image credits: CIKS-TP