public works in Ramayana

[thillaud at unice.fr]

        In the 80th sarga of the Ayodhyakanda, Valmiki relates the building
of a road, specially in slokas 1-10 the clearing and levelling. Many terms
are not very clear to me, trades, objects ans actions; few examples:
        bhumiipradezajnaaH are geographers, geologists or surveyors ?
        what about the viiraNastambaaH, just weeding ?
        what are the nimnabhaagaaH, marshes or ponds (opposite to sthalaani) ?
        and then what about bandh-, kSud- and bhid- (confine, empty, drain ?) ?
        etc.
I would like to know if exists a good reference explaining this passage in
proper terms of civil engeenering.
many thanks,


--------------------------------------------------------------
Dominique Thillaud - Universite de Nice - Sophia Antipolis
email : thillaud at unice.fr