Based on long-term anthropological fieldwork, oral histories and detailed archival work, this book explores the changing ecology, political significance and cultural meaning of water in south India.

This book uses long-term anthropological fieldwork, oral histories and detailed archival work to explore the changing ecology, political significance and cultural meaning of water in south India. Focusing on the ancient and complex "tank" irrigation systems of a coastal plains region, the book develops an account of the interplay between social and political organization and the ecology of water flows.