Q.Read the given source and answer the questions that follow : (1+1+2=4) Irrigating trees and fields This is an excerpt from the Babur Nama that describes the irrigation devices the emperor observed in northern India : The greater part of Hindustan country is situated on level land. Many though its towns and cultivated lands are, it nowhere has running waters ... For ... water is not at all a necessity in cultivating crops and orchards. Autumn crops grow by the downpour of the rains themselves; and strange it is that spring crops grow even when no rains fall. (However) to young trees water is made to flow by means of buckets or wheels ... In Lahore, Dipalpur (both in present-day Pakistan) and those other parts, people water by means of a wheel. They make two circles of rope long enough to suit the depths of the well, fix strips of wood between them, and on these fasten pitchers. The ropes with the wood and attached pitchers are put over the wheel-well. At one end of the wheel-axle a second wheel is fixed, and close to it another on an upright axle. The last wheel the bullock turns; its teeth catch in the teeth of the second (wheel), and thus the wheel with the pitchers is turned. A trough is set where the water empties from the pitchers and from this the water is conveyed everywhere. In Agra, Chandwar, Bayana (all in present-day Uttar Pradesh) and those parts again, people water with a bucket ... At the well-edge they set up a fork of wood, having a roller adjusted between the forks, tie a rope to a large bucket, put the rope over a roller, and tie its other end to the bullock. One person must drive the bullock, another empty the bucket. (32.1) Examine the factor that accounted for the expansion of agriculture in Mughal Period.

Here is the exam-ready answer based strictly on the NCERT textbook.

(32.1) The expansion of agriculture in the Mughal period was driven by the state's active role in building and maintaining irrigation systems, such as new canals and wells, which brought more land under cultivation.

(32.2) The expansion of irrigation facilities increased the participation of farmers by reducing their dependence on the monsoon. This allowed them to cultivate multiple crops in a year, especially high-value cash crops, which made farming more profitable and secure. …

(32.1) The single most important factor that accounted for the expansion of agriculture in the Mughal period was the state's active role in building and maintaining irrigation systems. The Mughal rulers, especially under Akbar, understood that a prosperous peasantry meant a steady flow of revenue. They therefore invested heavily in canals, wells, and tanks. The most famous example is the Shah Nahr (or Hasli Canal), built by Akbar’s chief minister, which brought water from the Ravi to the new capital at Fatehpur Sikri and irrigated vast tracts of land along its route. By providing a reliable water supply, the state reduced the farmer’s dependence on the unpredictable monsoon. This allowed for multiple cropping cycles and brought previously dry, unproductive land under the plough. The result was a dramatic increase in both the area under cultivation and the total agricultural output.

(32.2) The expansion of irrigation facilities increased the participation of farmers in several concrete ways. First, it reduced the risk of crop failure. A farmer who depended solely on rain faced the constant threat of drought. With a well or a canal, that risk dropped sharply, making agriculture a more stable and attractive livelihood. Second, irrigation allowed for intensive cultivation — farmers could grow two or even three crops a year on the same plot of land. This meant more work, but also more income. Third, the spread of wells and water-lifting devices like the persian wheel (the saqiya described by Babur) and the dhenkli (a lever-based lift) meant that even small and marginal farmers could irrigate their fields. They did not need to own a massive canal system; a simple well, shared with neighbours, was enough. This lowered the barrier to entry for poorer peasants, drawing them into the market-oriented agrarian economy. Finally, the state’s revenue system, which assessed tax based on the actual produce, gave farmers a direct incentive to invest their labour in irrigated, high-yield plots.

(32.3) The irrigation devices used in Mughal agrarian culture were ingenious, locally adapted, and remarkably efficient for their time. The Babur Nama excerpt you have read gives us a vivid, first-hand account of two main types.

The first was the Persian wheel (called saqiya or arhatta in Sanskrit texts). As Babur describes, it was a complex gear system. A bullock turned a horizontal wheel, whose teeth engaged with a vertical wheel. This vertical wheel had a continuous loop of rope with pitchers attached. As the loop turned, the pitchers filled with water at the bottom of the well, rose up, and emptied into a trough at the top. From there, the water flowed through channels to the fields. This device was a marvel of mechanical engineering — it could lift water from deep wells (often 20-30 feet) and deliver a steady, continuous flow. It was most common in the Punjab region (Lahore, Dipalpur) and parts of western Uttar Pradesh. …