The two bedrooms had comfortable soft beds with silk linen. Bowls of fruit had been thoughtfully placed on low tables next to the beds. Even clothes had been specially ordered and placed in cupboards for the two guests, including traditional Parihan cloaks.

Shiva looked at Gopal with a twinkle in his eye and chortled, ‘I think these miserable quarters will have to suffice!’

Gopal joined in mirthfully.

Chapter 37: Unexpected Help

Chapter 37

Unexpected Help

After a sumptuous dinner, Gopal and Shiva were back in their chambers, welcoming the opportunity for relaxation and inactivity. The fountain in the room having drawn his attention, Shiva quipped, ‘Panditji, where do they get the water from?’

‘For this fountain?’ asked Gopal.

‘For all the fountains, ponds and channels that we have seen. Quite frankly, building this city and these gardens would have required a prodigious amount of water. This is a desert land with almost no natural rivers. I was told that they don’t even have regular rains. So where does this water come from?’

‘They owe it to the brilliance of their engineers.’

‘How so?’

‘There are massive natural springs and aquifers to the north of Pariha.’

‘That is water within the rocks and the ground, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘But springs can never be as bountiful.’

‘True, but scarcity engenders ingenuity. When you don’t have enough water, you learn to use it judiciously. All the fountain and canal water that you see in the city is recycled waste water.’

Shiva, who had dipped his hand into the fountain water, immediately recoiled.

Gopal laughed softly. ‘Don’t worry, my friend. That water has been treated and completely cleaned. It’s even safe to drink.’

‘I’ll take your word for it.’

Gopal smiled as Shiva judiciously wiped his hands with a sanitised napkin.

‘How far away are these springs and aquifers?’

‘The ones that supply this city are a good fifty to hundred kilometres away,’ answered Gopal.

Shiva whistled softly. ‘That’s a long distance. How do they get the water here in such large quantities? I haven’t seen any canals.’

‘Oh, they have canals. But you can’t see them as they are underground.’

‘They’ve built underground canals?’ asked Shiva, stunned.

‘They’re not as broad as the canals we have back home. But they serve the purpose. They built canals that are the size of underground drains, which begin at the aquifers and springs.’

‘But a hundred kilometres is a long way to transport water. How do they do that? Do they have underground pumps powered by animals?’

‘No. They use one of the most powerful forces of nature to do the job.’

‘What?’

‘Gravity. They built underground channels with gentle gradients that slope over a hundred kilometres. The water naturally flows down due to the force of gravity.’

‘Brilliant. But building something like this would require precision engineering skills of a high order.’