Bridging Ideology and Practice: Ancient Water Management Strategies and Environmental Thought in Sri Lanka and Beyond
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48048/ajac.2026.60Keywords:
Environmental ideologies, World views, Anthropocentrism, Ancient waterworks, Buddhist environmental perspectivesAbstract
Human interpretations and modifications of the environment are deeply shaped by the ideological frameworks of their respective communities. Instead of a singular concept of ‘environment,’ there exist multiple ‘environments,’ reflecting diverse human perspectives and practices. Water, as a vital resource for all living beings, has historically driven extensive environmental interventions. This paper situates ancient Sri Lankan waterworks within this broader conceptual landscape, examining their purposes, the ideological foundations that motivated them, and the practical measures that translated these ideologies into reality. Analysis of literary and inscriptional sources suggests that the primary aim of these waterworks was to ensure timely rainfall (subhikṣa). The moral justification for this aim was rooted in Buddhist principles emphasizing the welfare of all living beings (lokopakāra). Practically, this ideology was enacted through a sophisticated network of village tanks arranged in cascading systems, integrated with large-scale reservoirs and inter-basin canals to extend and distribute the benefits of rainfall. Comparable conceptual frameworks, similar practices and ethical considerations, can be identified across other ancient Asian societies, indicating that the Sri Lankan example may reflect a broader regional approach to water management and environmental stewardship.
Highlights
• The study argues that manmade waterworks are not merely technological achievements but also profound expressions of the environmental worldviews and ideological foundations of the societies that created them.
• Although a substantial body of scholarship exists in Sri Lanka’s ancient hydraulic civilization, the underlying purpose and ideological motivations behind these constructions remain insufficiently explored.
• Conventional interpretations have long assumed that the primary objective of these waterworks was agricultural irrigation in the dry zone; however, recent scholarship has begun to propose alternative perspectives that challenge this assumption.
• This paper seeks to fill that gap by introducing a previously unexplored interpretation of the purposes of ancient Sri Lankan waterworks, developed through an examination of primary sources and contextual evidence.
• The discussion situates these findings within a broader Asian framework, offering comparative insights into how parallel hydraulic traditions across the region reflected shared and divergent environmental ideologies.
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