Timeless Eco-Wisdom: Sustainable Agricultural systems in the Mānasollāsa

Abstract

This study examines the extensive botanical, horticultural, and agricultural knowledge preserved in the Mānasollāsa (12th century CE), a seminal encyclopaedic text composed by King Someśvara III of the Western Chalukya dynasty. The work offers a structured classification of plants botanical, medicinal, and economic revealing an advanced understanding of plant morphology, ecological suitability, and agricultural utility. Detailed procedures for seed treatment, soil preparation, pit construction, and seasonal watering demonstrate a mature agronomic science grounded in empirical observation and traditional ecological knowledge. Moreover, the text records a wide array of horticultural practices designed to enhance productivity, induce flowering, alter plant characteristics, and accelerate germination. Many of these techniques, though embedded in cultural symbolism, reflect innovative experimentation and a deep awareness of plant physiology as understood in medieval India. The Mānasollāsa thus emerges as a rich source for reconstructing the history of Indian horticulture, economic botany, and early agricultural science, while also providing valuable insights into premodern ecological attitudes and indigenous knowledge systems.