ABSTRACT
Well digging to obtain water for drinking purposes and for irrigation has been practiced in India for thousands of years. Exploration for locating suitable sites to get groundwater is also an old technique from the fifth century starting from Varahmihir's "Drukggargal Shastra" in which anthills, certain species of trees, and certain types of strata have been mentioned as indicators for groundwater. These indications are still widely believed and "water diviners" in Indian villages still use them. Even in tribal areas, the local diviners know where to look for water in the summer season when streams go dry. Historically, although the kings were mainly responsible for sponsoring dug wells and providing drinking water supply to the population, their administration was not officially involved in the exploration of groundwater. This was the domain of private diviners. However, around the 1920s, the geologists, agriculturists, and civil engineers became involved in groundwater exploration, based on the study of strata met within existing wells, topography, rock exposures in streams or rivers, and their own experience.
