7/22/2015

SaraswatiRiver:Reality,NotAMyth|SwarajyaBlogs

Saraswati River: Reality, Not A

Myth
Concrete scientific evidence proves the existence of Saraswati river. The only fact
worthy of debate is whether or not the Haryana governments investment for the
resurrection of the river is justified.

The river Saraswati was recently in the news for a couple of reasons: one, a stream of
water gushed out from a depth of 7-8 feet on digging in Mugalwali, a village near Adi
Badri, Yamunanagar, Haryana. Two, the BJP government in Haryana, in a maiden
project, commissioned Rs. 50 crore for the revival of the river. Also, a check dam
stretching across 400 acres proposed on the Somb river will be diverted to the
Saraswati river channel.
The BJP government acted fast, and the media sprang into action right away.
Saraswati is one of the dishes on the BJPs platter. Today, the theory is being sold by
the media, both mass and social. While the general debate on the river is catching up in
the background, the use of the word mythical in articles and posts contradicts
scientific findings. Lets delve into the history and geology of Saraswati for a
panoramic view.
The existence of Saraswati is certain. The river valley was a site of flourishing
civilisations, which subsequently assimilated in the modern Indian culture. The real
scientific debate hinges only on technicalities.
Mentioned in the Vedas as the best or foremost of rivers, it has been quoted as
pure in her course from mountains to the ocean. It is called the Ambitame, Naditame,
Devitame the Best of Mothers, Best of Rivers and Best of Goddesses in the Rig Veda.
Sanskrit texts are full of references to the river:
Kartikey was anointed the Commander of Deva forces on its banks.
Pururava, the scion of Lunar Dynasty, met his wife-to-be Urvasi while galloping
along the Saraswati.
Parshuram took bath in the purifying waters of the river after cleansing Earth of
http://blogs.swarajyamag.com/2015/07/22/saraswatiriverrealitynotamyth/

1/4

7/22/2015

SaraswatiRiver:Reality,NotAMyth|SwarajyaBlogs

the scourge of tyranny.

Mahabharat War that ended an era was also fought near the banks of Saraswati.
(Additionally, Saraswati has also been referred to as Goddess of Knowledge. Students
and teachers alike across the nation pay their respects to the Goddess of Knowledge
on an auspicious day in the month of February each year. The day is commemorated
with a puja in various academic institutes, hostels and homes.)
Prof. A. R. Chaudhary at the Department of Geology, Kurukshetra University, has been
working extensively on the subject for years and has established a Saraswati Research
Lab. In a detailed discussion with him on the same, the following points came to the
fore:
Civilisations develop on the banks of rivers where cities and villages grow, setting the
stage for trade and commerce. This happens precisely when nature is conducive to
their growth. The Indus valley civilisation (IVC) that flourished in the Northern and
North Western India was among the oldest civilisations in the world. The IVC has been
rightly mentioned in research findings as Indus Ghaggar-Hakra Valley civilisation
(Ching et al, 2006) and Indus Saraswati civilisation by scientists.
Such references form the cornerstone of a predictable relationship between the
Saraswati and Ghaggar-Hakra river systems. Numerous scientific findings have
successfully shown that a river existed and flowed in Haryana in the Holocene epoch,
prior to the 10th century BC. The only debatable aspect is the reach of this river and
the later recession of its channel.
Finding the river
To understand the entire gamut of debatable contentions, one needs to understand the
tectonic history of the Indian plate. The Indian tectonic plate, with force derived from
Mantle convections, detached from the Gondwana and started sailing northwards. It
came into contact with the Eurasian Plate around 90 million years ago when the
continental shelves of the Eurasian and Indian plate collided.
Around 45-60 million years ago, the Himalayas were created and uplifted due to the
collision of continental crust of Indian and Eurasian plates. The recent Kathmandu
earthquake and other minor and major earthquakes in northern India are a result of the
accumulated subsurface energy that finds a weak spot for release. The understanding
that such earthquakes and tectonic events can force major structural changes in the
http://blogs.swarajyamag.com/2015/07/22/saraswatiriverrealitynotamyth/

2/4

7/22/2015

SaraswatiRiver:Reality,NotAMyth|SwarajyaBlogs

course of rivers is important. After all, its the Himalayas that gave us the
Brahmaputra, the Ganga, the Indus and other rivers. There can be no definitive limit on
the might of the Himalayas and underlying processes!
Evidence of Saraswatis existence
The presence of many prehistoric and IVC sites: Haryana has numerous sites, whose
origin can be traced back to the IVC. Recently, Rakigarhi has been established as the
biggest IVC site. This fact becomes intriguing when one considers how the civilization
sustained itself, and that there are no perennial rivers in present-day Haryana.
Channels near Markandey are filled with little water only during monsoons.
Geological discoveries can help us find the answers:
Trench digging at various locations in Haryana: Sirsa, Hisar, Yamunanagar and
Kurukshetra show evidence of current depositions. Laminations, formed by river
currents when they deposit their load of sediment, have been found in these
excavations.
A gush of fresh water flowing from an artesian source at shallow depths in Jind,
Yamuna Nagar among other sites.
Apart from this textural analysis, the shape of grains (using visual estimation
technique) and grain sorting provide convincing evidences to a geologist.
Technical Proof
Dating the sediments: Dating of sediments and study of the heavy mineral suite from
water both give confirmatory evidence of a large river channel. The heavy mineral
assemblage analysis of the samples obtained from Kalayat, Haryana tell a tale of the
origin of the minerals in the higher Himalayas.
Remote Sensing: Imagery and photographic studies have helped in deducing a vague
paleochannel. This needs further substantiation by field evidence to finally determine
the extent of the Saraswati.
Electrical Resistivity Surveys indicate the same.

http://blogs.swarajyamag.com/2015/07/22/saraswatiriverrealitynotamyth/

3/4

7/22/2015

SaraswatiRiver:Reality,NotAMyth|SwarajyaBlogs

Most of all, the highly venerated Hindu scriptures describe Saraswati at length.
Research and results:
CF Oldham, a scholar of the Victorian period, pioneered the study of the presence of a
mighty Himalayan river in the North Western alluvial plains, which desiccated due to
drainage readjustments. He inadvertently tried to link the Vedas with geology.
Subsequent signatures of paleo-drainage have been worked out by many geologists
since then. Hitesh Chaudhari (2007,2008) recorded tectonic signatures of the
quarternary drainage readjustments which resulted in the transformation of major
rivers into streams.
With evidence based on sound hydro-geomorphic analysis, Saraswati has been
proposed to be a large paleo river of Himalayan glacial origin. In 2009, S. K. Tandon
and H. S. Saini showed the sub-surface sedimentary architecture of the area to be a
network of river channels much larger than the present-day drainage.
Hence, as rarely as it happens, archaeological findings here do fall in line with
scientific research. Now, is the investment for the revival of the long-lost river justified?
The answer to this question is subject to debate and judgement.

Today On Swarajya
Related posts

http://blogs.swarajyamag.com/2015/07/22/saraswatiriverrealitynotamyth/

4/4