[Y-Indology] History of toilets and sanitation (VideoonUntouchability)

[Guest guest]

Dear Mr Phillip,

 

We have a book published in this area as follows which may be helpful to all

of you :

 

ROAD TO FREEDOM : A Sociological Study on the Abolition of Scvenging in

India by Bindeshwar Pathak @ Rs 265/-

 

Regards

 

RP Jain

 

------------

Motilal Banarsidass Publishers

41, U.A. Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar

Delhi-110007, (India)

Tel: (011) 23854826, 23858335, 23851985, 23852747

(011) 25795180, 25793423, 25797356

Fax:(011) 23850689, 25797221

Email: mlbd , mail

Website: www.mlbd.com , www.newagebooksindia.com , www.newagemusik.com

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

CELEBRATING 102 YEARS OF PUBLISHING (1903-2005)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Love is a Gift to treasure forever, given by God without price tag or

measure

 

We Support human causes

Udayan Care www.udayancare.org

 

-

<phillip.ernest

<INDOLOGY>

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 6:55 PM

R: [Y-Indology] History of toilets and sanitation (Re:

VideoonUntouchability)

 

 

>

>

> >----Messaggio originale----

> >Da: ymalaiya

> >Data: 23-gen-

> 2006 17.52

> >A: <INDOLOGY>

> >Ogg: [Y-Indology] History of

> toilets and sanitation (Re: Video on Untouchability)

> >

> >The video

> mentions "Manual scavenging" which involves involves

> >manual removal

> of human and animal excreta.

> >

> >I am curious about how this custom

> evolved and how sanitation was

> >done in the past and in other

> cultures.

>

> I forwarded your message to my friend Eisel Mazard, who has

> just returned home (to Laos) from Sri Lanka, and he happened to have

> this to say:

>

> --

>

> I'm too much of expert on the history of toilets &

> sanitation

> in Sri

> Lanka for my own liking at this point (I toured the

> ruins with a

> couple who were editing a book with some contentious

> claims about the

> history of these things, and they were trying to

> investigate the facts

> for themseves).

>

> The ancient capitals (of

> Northern Lanka) have an amazing history of

> toilets and sanitation, and

> they developed the art of

> treating/filtering both excrement and urine

> through beautiful

> stone-carved toilets & urinal stones respectively

> (with the

> treatment

> and filtering installed underground, in a sequence

> of stacked

> "pots"

> containing various reagents). Needless to say, these

> are all quite

> intact from an archaeologist's perspective, as they are

> largely made

> of cut stone, and most of the structure is preserved

> underground to

> begin with.

>

> This reflects the generally high level of

> "the culture of the

> aquaduct" in classical Sri Lanka --they were

> certainly more

> advanced

> in the engineering of water (incl. sanitation)

> than ancient Rome.

> Their irrigation schemes were on a massive scale,

> and their decorative

> fountains were truly ingenious --thus, the

> accomplished

> "science" of

> their toilets should come as no surprise.

>

> Did the relative weakness of the caste system in (Buddhist) Sri Lanka

> have something to do with the development of advanced toilets and

> sanitation? Possibly, but I would rather assume that the cultural

> barriers surrounding the provision of toilets (but not

> "servants") to

> massive monastic complexes was the more important impetus.

>

> E.M.

Links

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>