One of the earliest recorded irrigation dams was built in what is now Gujarat.

According to inscriptions at Junagadh, a reservoir called Sudarshan was created near the hill of Girnar in the Saurashtra peninsula around 320 BC, under the Mauryan governor of the region, by damming local streams for irrigation.

The dam burst and was rebuilt several times over the following centuries, with repairs recorded under later rulers including the Western Satraps and the Guptas — making it one of the longest-documented water projects of the ancient world.