South Asian rice cultivation

Timeline

1. c. -3000–-2000Northern Indian plains · IndiaCharred rice grains and farming tools excavated from archaeological sites show that early peoples began domesticating and growing rice on river floodplains, gradually replacing some dryland millet farming.
2. c. -1500–-500Middle Ganges · IndiaThe spread of iron tools and improvements in waterworks pushed rice cultivation into the interior of the Ganges plain; wet-field plowing and rainy-season sowing patterns gradually took shape.
3. c. -600–1Magadha and the Bengal delta · BangladeshSanskrit classics and Buddhist texts record rice planting, harvest rituals, and land taxes; rice became a core crop of state finance and religious patronage.
4. c. -300–1Eastern South Asian coast · South AsiaSouth Asia bred japonica and indica varieties adapted to different water levels and seasons, influencing the spread of rice cultivation in Southeast Asia through maritime and overland trade.