SARASWATI-SINDHU CIVILISATION
- Bageshwar jha
Despite excavation of the first recorded history of Indian sub-continent in 1920 by Sir John Marshall, we are still in dark about the role of the river Saraswati and hence still today call it ‘ Indus Valley Civilisation, as preferred by that Englishman. This ambiguity is there for two reasons – political and lack of adequate research.
River Ghaggar, known as Saraswati near Panchkula, Hariyana
POLITICAL:
The Leftist historians believe that this civilization sprang up on the banks of the Indus in the Bronze Age, which was eliminated by the Aryan invaders in 2,500 BC who came from Central Asia. Simultaneously, there is another school of historians christened as Rightists, who flatly discard this invasion theory and hold the view that the Aryans are the natives of the land.
Since the Indian Government for a long time remained under the leftist influence, the invasion theory gained currency and found place in the school and college text- books. No serious effort was made for further concerted archaeological excavations to unravel the truth. The Indus, thus remained associated with this civilization till much later. However, laden with convincing evidences, the Rightist Indian history clan pushed to rename it as the Harappan Settlements. Even the National Museum acknowledged this argument and named the related part of its display as the Harappan Gallery. But still under pressure from the opposite camp, that is not treated as the last word. In this backdrop, several neutral historians feel that these confusions could be wiped out if it could be proved that the Saraswati was not only a living river but also played its role as the cradle of the first recorded civilization of the Indian sub-continent.
Origin of Saraswati near Badrinath, Garhwal, Uttarakhand
Every Hindu knows that their one of the most sacred pilgrimages, known as Triveni at Prayag is the confluence (Sangam ) of the three rivers, namely, the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati of which, the last is not visible (antahsalila). Why it is so, will be discussed later. Here it is important to note that the Leftists treat it as a myth and flatly dispose of the fact that in reality, during Harappan and vedic period, there was a mighty river, named as Saraswati. This clever section understands that once the Saraswati is accepted as a reality, their invasion theory will automatically collapse.
VEDIC EVIDENCES:
As discussed above, undoubtedly the Saraswati is a Vedic river. Except one or two, in almost all the mandals (books) of the Rigved, the name of this great sacrosant river occurs. The Nadistuti hymn of the Rigved clearly mentions that the Saraswati was located between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west. The Rigvedic Aryans revered the river so deeply that they called it, “ambitame (mother), naditame (river) and devitame (goddess) Saraswati”. This makes it clear that the name had some other meanings as well including mother and the goddess of wisdom(Saraswati) besides the river. Thus Saraswati, the goddess of learning can be treated as one of the oldest deities of the Aryans. Often she is shown with a symbolic river in the background which is quite significant.
Veenavadini Saraswati
The subsequent Sanskrit literary compositions, namely, Brahmnas, Puranas, Upanishdas etc also contain references to the Saraswati. Later on, for the first time, the Mahabharata mentioned it as a dry river.The Mahabharata hs an interesting comment. It says that on the banks of this the Saraswati were the settlements of the Abhiras and Shudras. Due to their mutual deep differences, the river went underground (Shudrabhir ganaishchaiva ye chashritya saraswatim- II.29.9 and Shudrabhiran prati dweshad yatra nashta saraswati- IX.37.1). This bolsters the contention that dry or flowing, the people in Dwapar Yuga knew Saraswati as a river. History records extraordinary geological changes due to huge outbursts of natural forces. As a result, the level of water in oceans went up and several islands and hills disappeared due to submersion. Similarly, when the water level went down, new geographical entities appeared. Rivers changed their course. Only recently, after an ambitious excavation to locate the Ayodhya of Treta, the archaeologists came to the conclusion that due to the repeated and severe changes in the course of the Saryu river, the location of the original capital of Ram could not be determined. The same is the saga of the invisible Saraswati. The huge literary evidences cannot be brushed under the carpet to prove that the Saraswati river is a myth.
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCES:
Of late, science has come to the rescue of the Rightist historians by validating the Rigvedic references about the existence of Saraswati as a mighty river when this great Sanskrit work was under compilation. For the first time in 1970, the NASA admitted that its satellite imagery had supported the existence of Saraswati as an underground river course now. It further clarified that the river is still alive at some 50’ – 60’ below the earth surface. Accordingly experimental excavations started in some states like Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat falling on the Saraswati course which further strengthened the contention about existence of the present invisible (Antahsalila) Saraswati. Strangely enough, waters from these places confirmed to belong to a single source and they also tasted alike. It may be emphasized here that in the said states, at places there are small lakes and ditches, full of clean water, honoured as the sacred Saraswati by the locals. The water of these lakes is pure like the Ganga water.
Sattelite image of the Saraswati river
“The latest studies, whose findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, too are clear on the river’s existence and its role in sustaining the ancient civilization. The report said that the Saraswati was ‘not Himalayan, fed by a perennial monsoon supported water course. It added that the rivers in the region (including Saraswati) were indeed sizeable and highly active”
“The Union Water Resources Ministry had then quoted in writing the conclusion of a study jointly conducted by scientists of indian Space Research Organisation, jodhpur and the Rajasthan Government’s Ground Water Department, published in the Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing. Besides other things, the authors had said that “clear signals of paleo-channels on the satellite imagery in the form of a strong and powerful continuous drainage system in the North- west region and occurrence of archaeological sites of pre-Harappan and post-Harappan age, beyond doubt indicate the existence of a mighty paleo-drainage system of Vedic Saraswati river in this region.
ORIGIN OF SARASWATI:
At different places the origin of the river is mentioned differently. The main, however, are two – Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet and Har-ki-Dun in Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Upliftment of the Arawalis forced Saraswati to go westward. The Saraswati river could be traced through palaeo-channels as a migratory river. Its initial course flowed close to the Aravali ranges and the successive six stages took west and north-westerly shifts till it coincides with the dry bed of the Ghaggar. Due to this, even today, many people treat the Ghaggar as the old Saraswati. Originating from Har-ki-Dun. The river comes to the plain at Aadi Badri, located some 60 km from Jagdhari. Then it goes westward through Shivalik ranges and falls in the Arabian Sea, known as Sapta-Sindhu near Prabhash Patan (Somnath). Some also believe it meeting the sea at Kutch. Some 5,000 years ago, when the river was flowing, from the origin to the falling in the sea, its course was 1,6oo km long and the width varied from 3 to 16 km.
According to the Geological Society of India, some 4,000 years ago, plate tectonics changed the course of Saraswati. As a result at Paonta Saheb in Himachal Pradesh, the Yamuna caught the water of Saraswati and flowing eastward joined the Ganga at Prayag This supports the mythological account that Balram changed the course of Yamuna with his plough. On the other hand the Sutlej took a 90 degree turn at Ropar and going westward, joined the Indus. This Sutlej and Ghaggar, are told to represent the Saraswati. Another survey had mentioned that around 1900 BC, due to changes in the underground rock structures, the Yamuna got a lion’s share of the Saraswati water, moved to east whereas the Sutlej also got some Saraswati water and moving west joined the Indus. The poor Saraswati, after losing these two important tributaries, became thin and disappeared in the Thar desert. Dr. R.S. Bisht, former Director, ASI who launched the excavations at Dholavira in 2001, is of a strong view that the Saraswati was a reality.
ONE NEW EVIDENCE:
Water source found at Mughalwali
As a matter of fact in 2002 itself, the NDA Govt. at the Centre decided to dig out the hidden Saraswati from Adibadri to Sirsa in Haryana but the idea did not click on ground. Of late, a normal digging under the MNREGA project brought a chance find of a water source at Mughalwali village in Yamunanagar district of Haryana. The Haryana Govt. has accepted it as the part of the Saraswati. The place has become a religio-tourist destination where visitors from far-flung areas flock as pilgrims. From that point a channel of 5 km long has also been found. Encouraged by this solid lead, the Centre, Haryana Govt. and the RSS backed Saraswati Nadi Shodh Sansthan have joined hands to make the river a reality. The Narendra Modi Govt. has gone a step further by announcing to open Saraswati River Institute at Mughalwali.
Saraswati at Bhim Pool, Badrinath
Historical claim of Saraswati: By now, some 3,000 sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation have been dug out in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Out of them only 600 are located on the banks of the Indus. The rest are scattered over other areas of these states. It is remarkable to point out here that out of the remaining 2,400 sites about 2,000 have been traced on the banks of the Saraswati. If we give any credence to the Saraswati-related Rigvedic hymns, this river then used to be a mighty stream, allowing the people to develop their first recoded civilization on its banks. Thus, despite being invisible at present, it has every right to be related with that great civilasation. The Indus alone cannot steal the lime light. So if a section of scholars is hesitant to replace Indus with Saraswati, the said civilization, under a compromise formula can safely be renamed as the Saraswati- Sindhu Civilisation.
As discussed above, the Saraswati, in its course of some 1,600 km length, often remaining underground, is overground at several places. They are known as lakes, bearing religious sacrosance. Quite interestingly, the excavational activities have propelled the people also to probe the economic aspect of this hidden river. At several places the people have started digging up canals for irrigational purposes. Thus while the flowing Saraswati allowed the civilization to flourish on its bountiful banks, the underground river is today ready to play an equally creative role by irrigating the huge tracts of barren lands and turning them into greenery. In this changed scenario, the Saraswati, not only will be known for its role in rearing a civilization, but also feeding the present population suffering from lack of water.
References:
⦁ The Lost Saraswati and the Indus Civilisation, S.P. Gupta (ed),1999
⦁ The Saraswati Flows on the Continuity of Indus Culture, B.B.Lal, 2002, Delhi
⦁ Rajesh Singh’s article, named The Saraswati Civilisation in the Pioneer, Delhi edition, June 6,2012
⦁ Internet
⦁ The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives, jane Mcintosh
⦁ Saraswati The River That Disappeared, K.S. Naldiya, 2002, H’bad
⦁ Seema Chisti in The Sunday Indian Express Magazine, July 12,2015, New Delhi edition.
- Bageshwar jha
Despite excavation of the first recorded history of Indian sub-continent in 1920 by Sir John Marshall, we are still in dark about the role of the river Saraswati and hence still today call it ‘ Indus Valley Civilisation, as preferred by that Englishman. This ambiguity is there for two reasons – political and lack of adequate research.
River Ghaggar, known as Saraswati near Panchkula, Hariyana
POLITICAL:
The Leftist historians believe that this civilization sprang up on the banks of the Indus in the Bronze Age, which was eliminated by the Aryan invaders in 2,500 BC who came from Central Asia. Simultaneously, there is another school of historians christened as Rightists, who flatly discard this invasion theory and hold the view that the Aryans are the natives of the land.
Since the Indian Government for a long time remained under the leftist influence, the invasion theory gained currency and found place in the school and college text- books. No serious effort was made for further concerted archaeological excavations to unravel the truth. The Indus, thus remained associated with this civilization till much later. However, laden with convincing evidences, the Rightist Indian history clan pushed to rename it as the Harappan Settlements. Even the National Museum acknowledged this argument and named the related part of its display as the Harappan Gallery. But still under pressure from the opposite camp, that is not treated as the last word. In this backdrop, several neutral historians feel that these confusions could be wiped out if it could be proved that the Saraswati was not only a living river but also played its role as the cradle of the first recorded civilization of the Indian sub-continent.
Origin of Saraswati near Badrinath, Garhwal, Uttarakhand
Every Hindu knows that their one of the most sacred pilgrimages, known as Triveni at Prayag is the confluence (Sangam ) of the three rivers, namely, the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati of which, the last is not visible (antahsalila). Why it is so, will be discussed later. Here it is important to note that the Leftists treat it as a myth and flatly dispose of the fact that in reality, during Harappan and vedic period, there was a mighty river, named as Saraswati. This clever section understands that once the Saraswati is accepted as a reality, their invasion theory will automatically collapse.
VEDIC EVIDENCES:
As discussed above, undoubtedly the Saraswati is a Vedic river. Except one or two, in almost all the mandals (books) of the Rigved, the name of this great sacrosant river occurs. The Nadistuti hymn of the Rigved clearly mentions that the Saraswati was located between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west. The Rigvedic Aryans revered the river so deeply that they called it, “ambitame (mother), naditame (river) and devitame (goddess) Saraswati”. This makes it clear that the name had some other meanings as well including mother and the goddess of wisdom(Saraswati) besides the river. Thus Saraswati, the goddess of learning can be treated as one of the oldest deities of the Aryans. Often she is shown with a symbolic river in the background which is quite significant.
Veenavadini Saraswati
The subsequent Sanskrit literary compositions, namely, Brahmnas, Puranas, Upanishdas etc also contain references to the Saraswati. Later on, for the first time, the Mahabharata mentioned it as a dry river.The Mahabharata hs an interesting comment. It says that on the banks of this the Saraswati were the settlements of the Abhiras and Shudras. Due to their mutual deep differences, the river went underground (Shudrabhir ganaishchaiva ye chashritya saraswatim- II.29.9 and Shudrabhiran prati dweshad yatra nashta saraswati- IX.37.1). This bolsters the contention that dry or flowing, the people in Dwapar Yuga knew Saraswati as a river. History records extraordinary geological changes due to huge outbursts of natural forces. As a result, the level of water in oceans went up and several islands and hills disappeared due to submersion. Similarly, when the water level went down, new geographical entities appeared. Rivers changed their course. Only recently, after an ambitious excavation to locate the Ayodhya of Treta, the archaeologists came to the conclusion that due to the repeated and severe changes in the course of the Saryu river, the location of the original capital of Ram could not be determined. The same is the saga of the invisible Saraswati. The huge literary evidences cannot be brushed under the carpet to prove that the Saraswati river is a myth.
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCES:
Of late, science has come to the rescue of the Rightist historians by validating the Rigvedic references about the existence of Saraswati as a mighty river when this great Sanskrit work was under compilation. For the first time in 1970, the NASA admitted that its satellite imagery had supported the existence of Saraswati as an underground river course now. It further clarified that the river is still alive at some 50’ – 60’ below the earth surface. Accordingly experimental excavations started in some states like Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat falling on the Saraswati course which further strengthened the contention about existence of the present invisible (Antahsalila) Saraswati. Strangely enough, waters from these places confirmed to belong to a single source and they also tasted alike. It may be emphasized here that in the said states, at places there are small lakes and ditches, full of clean water, honoured as the sacred Saraswati by the locals. The water of these lakes is pure like the Ganga water.
Sattelite image of the Saraswati river
“The latest studies, whose findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, too are clear on the river’s existence and its role in sustaining the ancient civilization. The report said that the Saraswati was ‘not Himalayan, fed by a perennial monsoon supported water course. It added that the rivers in the region (including Saraswati) were indeed sizeable and highly active”
“The Union Water Resources Ministry had then quoted in writing the conclusion of a study jointly conducted by scientists of indian Space Research Organisation, jodhpur and the Rajasthan Government’s Ground Water Department, published in the Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing. Besides other things, the authors had said that “clear signals of paleo-channels on the satellite imagery in the form of a strong and powerful continuous drainage system in the North- west region and occurrence of archaeological sites of pre-Harappan and post-Harappan age, beyond doubt indicate the existence of a mighty paleo-drainage system of Vedic Saraswati river in this region.
ORIGIN OF SARASWATI:
At different places the origin of the river is mentioned differently. The main, however, are two – Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet and Har-ki-Dun in Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Upliftment of the Arawalis forced Saraswati to go westward. The Saraswati river could be traced through palaeo-channels as a migratory river. Its initial course flowed close to the Aravali ranges and the successive six stages took west and north-westerly shifts till it coincides with the dry bed of the Ghaggar. Due to this, even today, many people treat the Ghaggar as the old Saraswati. Originating from Har-ki-Dun. The river comes to the plain at Aadi Badri, located some 60 km from Jagdhari. Then it goes westward through Shivalik ranges and falls in the Arabian Sea, known as Sapta-Sindhu near Prabhash Patan (Somnath). Some also believe it meeting the sea at Kutch. Some 5,000 years ago, when the river was flowing, from the origin to the falling in the sea, its course was 1,6oo km long and the width varied from 3 to 16 km.
According to the Geological Society of India, some 4,000 years ago, plate tectonics changed the course of Saraswati. As a result at Paonta Saheb in Himachal Pradesh, the Yamuna caught the water of Saraswati and flowing eastward joined the Ganga at Prayag This supports the mythological account that Balram changed the course of Yamuna with his plough. On the other hand the Sutlej took a 90 degree turn at Ropar and going westward, joined the Indus. This Sutlej and Ghaggar, are told to represent the Saraswati. Another survey had mentioned that around 1900 BC, due to changes in the underground rock structures, the Yamuna got a lion’s share of the Saraswati water, moved to east whereas the Sutlej also got some Saraswati water and moving west joined the Indus. The poor Saraswati, after losing these two important tributaries, became thin and disappeared in the Thar desert. Dr. R.S. Bisht, former Director, ASI who launched the excavations at Dholavira in 2001, is of a strong view that the Saraswati was a reality.
ONE NEW EVIDENCE:
Water source found at Mughalwali
As a matter of fact in 2002 itself, the NDA Govt. at the Centre decided to dig out the hidden Saraswati from Adibadri to Sirsa in Haryana but the idea did not click on ground. Of late, a normal digging under the MNREGA project brought a chance find of a water source at Mughalwali village in Yamunanagar district of Haryana. The Haryana Govt. has accepted it as the part of the Saraswati. The place has become a religio-tourist destination where visitors from far-flung areas flock as pilgrims. From that point a channel of 5 km long has also been found. Encouraged by this solid lead, the Centre, Haryana Govt. and the RSS backed Saraswati Nadi Shodh Sansthan have joined hands to make the river a reality. The Narendra Modi Govt. has gone a step further by announcing to open Saraswati River Institute at Mughalwali.
Saraswati at Bhim Pool, Badrinath
Historical claim of Saraswati: By now, some 3,000 sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation have been dug out in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Out of them only 600 are located on the banks of the Indus. The rest are scattered over other areas of these states. It is remarkable to point out here that out of the remaining 2,400 sites about 2,000 have been traced on the banks of the Saraswati. If we give any credence to the Saraswati-related Rigvedic hymns, this river then used to be a mighty stream, allowing the people to develop their first recoded civilization on its banks. Thus, despite being invisible at present, it has every right to be related with that great civilasation. The Indus alone cannot steal the lime light. So if a section of scholars is hesitant to replace Indus with Saraswati, the said civilization, under a compromise formula can safely be renamed as the Saraswati- Sindhu Civilisation.
As discussed above, the Saraswati, in its course of some 1,600 km length, often remaining underground, is overground at several places. They are known as lakes, bearing religious sacrosance. Quite interestingly, the excavational activities have propelled the people also to probe the economic aspect of this hidden river. At several places the people have started digging up canals for irrigational purposes. Thus while the flowing Saraswati allowed the civilization to flourish on its bountiful banks, the underground river is today ready to play an equally creative role by irrigating the huge tracts of barren lands and turning them into greenery. In this changed scenario, the Saraswati, not only will be known for its role in rearing a civilization, but also feeding the present population suffering from lack of water.
References:
⦁ The Lost Saraswati and the Indus Civilisation, S.P. Gupta (ed),1999
⦁ The Saraswati Flows on the Continuity of Indus Culture, B.B.Lal, 2002, Delhi
⦁ Rajesh Singh’s article, named The Saraswati Civilisation in the Pioneer, Delhi edition, June 6,2012
⦁ Internet
⦁ The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives, jane Mcintosh
⦁ Saraswati The River That Disappeared, K.S. Naldiya, 2002, H’bad
⦁ Seema Chisti in The Sunday Indian Express Magazine, July 12,2015, New Delhi edition.
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