General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton (15 May 1803 – 24 July 1899) was a British general and
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
engineer.
Cotton devoted his life to the construction of irrigation and navigation canals throughout
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. He helped many people by building the
Dowleswaram Barrage
The Dowleswaram Barrage Or Dhavaleshwaram Barrage was an irrigation structure originally built in 1852 on the lower stretch of the Godavari River before it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It was rebuilt in 1970 when it was officially renamed a ...
(
Rajamahendravaram
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...
), the
Prakasam Barrage
The Prakasam Barrage stretches 1223.5 m across the Krishna River connecting Vijayawada, NTR and Mangalagiri Tadepalle Municipal Corporation, Guntur districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The barrage serves also as a road bridge and spans over a l ...
and the
Kurnool Cuddappah Canal (K. C. Canal). His dream was only partially realised, but he is still honoured in parts of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
for his efforts. The Sir Arthur Cotton Museum has been built in his honour in
Rajamahendravaram
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...
, Andhra Pradesh. The museum holds approximately one hundred images and 15 machine tools that Cotton used when constructing the barrage in Andhra Pradesh from 1847 to 1852.
He entered the Madras Engineers in 1819 and fought in the
First Burmese War
The First Anglo-Burmese War ( my, ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ်; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmes ...
. He was knighted in 1861.
He was the father of the evangelist
Elizabeth Hope.
Biography
![Sir Arthur Cotton Tombstone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Sir_Arthur_Cotton_Tombstone.jpg)
Arthur Cotton was born on 15May 1803 at
Combermere, the tenth son of Henry Calvely Cotton, uncle of the noted Field Marshal
Lord Combermere,
and one of eleven brothers. In 1818, aged 15, he became a cadet at the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
's
military seminary at Addiscombe, Surrey. He passed out in December 1819 and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Madras Engineer Group.
He started his career with the
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...
at
Bangor, North Wales, in January 1820, where he was praised for his reports. In 1821 he was appointed for service in India, where he was initially attached to the
Chief Engineer
A chief engineer, commonly referred to as "ChEng" or "Chief", is the most senior engine officer of an engine department on a ship, typically a merchant ship, and holds overall leadership and the responsibility of that department..Chief engineer ...
to
Madras. He was later appointed as an Assistant Engineer to Superintending Engineer of the Tank Department.
![Arthur Cotton 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Arthur_Cotton_1900.jpg)
Cotton conducted a marine survey of the
Pamban
Pamban is a town in the Rameswaram taluk of Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. It is at the west edge of Pamban Island and is a popular fishing port. The town gives its name to the whole island. Pamban railway station is the first station on ...
passage between India and
Ceylon. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1828, and was put in charge of investigation for the
Cauveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
Scheme. He started working to remove the soil settling in
Kallanai Dam
Kallanai (also known as the Grand Anicut) is an ancient dam. It is built (in running water) across the Kaveri river flowing from Tiruchirapalli District to Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. The dam located in Thanjavur
district. Locat ...
and with the model of the dam he built the Upper Dam in
Cauveri
The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...
in Mukkombu, near
Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
. He constructed the
Lower Anaicut Dam in
Anaikarai. The success of these projects paved the way for further important projects on the
Godavari
The Godavari (IAST: ''Godāvarī'' od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwa ...
and
Krishna Rivers.
Cotton recalled how, from analysing the Kallanai Dam and its foundations, his group learned how to construct foundations in a
sandbed. In 1844, Cotton recommended the construction of an "anicut" (a dam made in a stream for maintaining and regulating irrigation) and prepared plans for
Visakhapatnam
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
port. In 1847, the work on the Godavari anicut was started.
In 1848 he proceeded to Australia due to ill health and handed over the charge to Captain Orr. In 1850 he returned to India and was promoted to the rank of colonel. He succeeded in completing the magnificent project on the Godavari river at
Rajamahendravaram
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...
in 1852.
After completing the Godavari anicut Cotton shifted his attention to the construction of the
aqueduct on Krishna River. The project was sanctioned in 1851 and completed by 1855. After completing the Krishna and Godavari anicuts, Cotton envisaged the storage of the Krishna and Godavari river waters.
In 1858, Cotton came up with even more ambitious proposals such as connecting all major rivers of India, and interlinking of canals and rivers. He suggested drought-relief measures for
Odisha
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...
. Arthur Cotton retired from service in 1860 and left India. He was knighted in 1861. He visited India in 1862 and 1863 and offered advice on some river valley projects.
His work in India was much appreciated and he was honoured with KCSI (
Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
) in 1877. He became a much-revered figure in the state of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
for his contribution in irrigating the area of land also known as
Konaseema
Konaseema is a group of islands between the tributaries of the Godavari River and Bay of Bengal located in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district of Andhra Pradesh in southern India. It is nicknamed "Gods Own Creation" due to similarities wit ...
.
Cotton died on 24 July 1899.
Assessment
![Arthur Cotton Statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Arthur_Cotton_Statue.jpg)
Cotton was hated by his administrative superiors—thanks to his empathy for the people of India. At one point, impeachment proceedings were initiated by his superiors for his dismissal.
Going through the famine and cyclone-ravaged districts of Godavari, Cotton was distressed by the sight of famished people of the Godavari districts. It was then that he put in process his ambitious plans to harness the waters of the Godavari river for the betterment of the community.
John Henry Morris in ''Godavari'' writes about the work of Cotton:
The Godavari anicut is, perhaps, the noblest feat of engineering skill which has yet been accomplished in British India. It is a gigantic barrier thrown across the river from island to island, in order to arrest the unprofitable progress of its waters to the sea, and to spread them over the surface of the country on either side, thus irrigating copiously land which has hitherto been dependent on tanks or on the fitful supply of water from the river. Large tracts of land, which had hitherto been left arid and desolate and waste, were thus reached and fertilised by innumerable streams and channels.
In 1878, Cotton had to appear before a
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
Committee to justify his proposal to build an anicut across the Godavari. A further hearing in the House of Commons followed by his letter to the then Secretary of State for India reveals his ambition to build the anicut across the Godavari. His letter concluded: "My Lord, one day's flow in the Godavari river during high floods is equal to one whole year's flow in the
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
of London". Cotton almost despaired at the British Government's procrastination in taking along this project.
According to Gautam Pingle, an Indian policymaker, the idea of interlinking of rivers in India to form a national water grid, an idea which had gained much attention from the Indian government and policy-makers at the turn of the 21st century, was in fact an idea that is more than 120 years old as it was first envisioned by Arthur Cotton.
Legacy in India
In recognition of Cotton's contributions, a new barrage constructed across the Godavari river, upstream of the anicut, was named after him, and dedicated to the nation by the
Prime Minister of India,
Indira Gandhi in 1982. He is revered in the Godavari District for making it the "rice bowl" of Andhra Pradesh. He is known as the "Delta Architect" of the Godavari District because of his pioneering work in irrigation engineering.
During the
Godavari Maha Pushkaram
Godavari Maha Pushkaram () was a Hindu festival held from 14 July to 25 July 2015. This festival occurs once every 144 years, corresponding to the 12th recurrence of the 12-year Godavari Pushkaram cycle.
The festival starts from the Ashadha (J ...
festival of 2015, homages were paid to Arthur Cotton, with
Nimmala Rama Naidu
Nimmala Rama Naidu (born 6 May 1969) is an Indian politician and a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He was first elected in 2014 as a member of the Telugu Desam Party in the Palakollu constituency. He is the incumbent MLA of ...
, the
MLA of Pallakollu, offering
pinda as per Hindu ancestral rites.
A statue of Arthur Cotton has been installed on
Tank Bund Road
The Tank Bund Road is a road in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, India. The Tank Bund dams Hussain Sagar lake on the eastern side and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It has become an attraction with 33 statues of famous people from ...
in Hyderabad, along with statues of other heroes of the united Andhra state.
Major Works as an Engineer
![Dowleswaram Barrage](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Dowleswaram_Barrage.jpg)
* The
Godavari
The Godavari (IAST: ''Godāvarī'' od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwa ...
Canal System
* The Ganges Canal
*
Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage
The Dowleswaram Barrage Or Dhavaleshwaram Barrage was an irrigation structure originally built in 1852 on the lower stretch of the Godavari River before it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It was rebuilt in 1970 when it was officially renamed a ...
See also
*
List of dams and reservoirs in India
This page shows the state-wise list of dams and reservoirs in India. As of July, 2019, total number of large dams in India is 5,334. About 447 large dams are under construction in India. In terms of number of dams, India ranks third after China an ...
*
Charles Phillip Brown, another westerner who is respected by Telugu people, an administrator and patron of Telugu
* Sir
Sydney John Cotton (1792–1874), elder brother
* Rev.
Richard Lynch Cotton
Richard Lynch Cotton (14 August 17948 December 1880) was a British vicar and academic administrator at the University of Oxford.
Cotton was born in Whitchurch, Oxfordshire, the son of Henry Calveley Cotton and Matilda Lockwood, one of 11 childr ...
(1794–1880), elder brother
* Dr.
K.L. Rao
* Dr.
K. Sriramakrishnaiah
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
* Hots, Susan. (2008). "Cotton, General Sir Arthur Thomas." in ''Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 2: 1830–1890''. pp. 195–199..
*
External links
*
*
RootsWeb page on Sir Arthur CottonMarble bust of Sir Arthur CottonGeneral Sir Arthur Cotton R.E. K.C.S.I. – His Life and Work by his daughter(Lady Hope)
The Study of Living Languagesby Sir Arthur Cotton
Public Works in Indiaby Sir Arthur Cotton
Arabic Primerby Sir Arthur Cotton
Arabic Primer (audiobook)by Sir Arthur Cotton a
LibriVox
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Arthur Thomas
1803 births
1899 deaths
People from Oxford
Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary
English engineers
Europeans in India
British East India Company Army officers
British military personnel of the First Anglo-Burmese War
Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India
Royal Engineers officers
British Army generals
Irrigation engineers
Railway officers in British India
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...