SARASWATI,Mystry of a losing river

revealing the mystry of saraswati river with supporting evidences

1. THE SARASWATI MYSTRY OF A LOSING RIVER BY:Himadri Samal 3 rd Sem

2. INTRODUCTION The Saraswati River is one of the main Rig vedic rivers mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda (10.75) mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Saraswati dried up in a desert. #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

3. Course of Saraswati river According to some geological and glaciological studies, the Saraswati originated in the Bandapunch Massif, from the Sarawati-Rupin glacier confluence at Naitwar in western Garhwal . Descending through the foothills via Adibadri , Bhavanipur , and Balchapur , the river took a roughly southwesterly course, passing through the plains of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, to finally debouch into the Arabian Sea at the Great Rann of Kutch. Drainage network An ancient drainage network formed of several paleochannels , largely buried under the sands of the Thar Desert, is located in western Rajasthan and nearby states, parallel to the Aravalli Hills. Palaeo -drainage network formed by several palaeochannels has been worked out by different researchers in western Rajasthan and neighboring states, which is mainly buried under sand cover of the Thar Desert and parallel to the Aravalli Hills. #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

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5. Full flow It is unclear whether the full flow of the paleo-Saraswati was present during the Holocene . Some studies suggest that the Yamuna and Sutlej were lost during the Pleistocene, and that the Saraswati was a much smaller river, fed entirely by monsoon rains rather than glacial streams, during the mid-late Holocene (including the Vedic period). Others dispute this, citing evidence that it was a large perennial river draining the high mountains as late as 3700-2500 years ago. Recent Hindu belief is that still Saraswati river flows underground and meets Yamuna and Ganga at their confluence in Prayag (Allahabad ). #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

6. EVIDENCE 1.Religious & Mythological evidence: #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

7. 2.Archeological Evidence Most of the archeological sites of the then civilization are located on The Saraswati river basin. There are four Harapaan & pre- Harappan sites in Punjab , Rajastan & UP. It is believed that Harappans entered through the Indus Valley into Kalibagan Valley on the left bank of GHAGGAR(erstwhile Saraswati ). As the present day geomorphological setup didn’t exist in 1500B.C & thus Indus,Satlej ,Beas followed independent Course.After the introduction of VEDA,some of the rivers mentioned have shifted from their Orignal course. #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

8. 3.Geological Evidences The saraswati was supposed to have originated in the Badarpanch Massif .the river crossing the Siwalik entered the plains & took a roughly southernly course,passing through plains of Punjab,Rajastan,Haryana,Gujurat & finally debouched into the ancient Arabian sea at the Great Rann of Kutch. In this journey , Saraswati was believed to have had three Tributaries i.e Shatadru,Drishavati & Paleo -Yamuna. Presently these three are supposed to be part of Saraswati . Though a few researchers use the name Ghaggar to describe Saraswati’s upper course & Harka to it’s lower course. #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

9. Geologic studies also revealed the tectonic event had occurred around beginning of Pleistocene(1.4m) in the entire Siwalik Region. Resulting disturbances thus continued to uplift the Himalayas.Presumably one of these might have served the glacier connection & cut off the supply of glacier melt waters to the Saraswati.Consequently the Saraswati dwindled & become a seasonal river. R.D Oldham(1886) was the first geologist who argued logocally pointing the changes in drainage pattern in the rivers of Punjab & Rajastan covering once fertile to a desert. #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

10. Influence of neotectonic movements The larger part of the Saraswati domain cut by many faults across the river from its source to the sea experienced neotectonic movements as a number of lines of evidence of geomorphic, structural and seismologic. The higher-than-normal seismicity along the roughly NW–SE trending Lahore–Sargodha and Barwani–Jaisalmer Ridges that trend across the upper and middle reaches respectively, of the Saraswati River demonstrates that tectonic movements continue to take place along the limits of these ridges. The Aravali , delimited by NE–SW trending major faults, is even more active seismically in its northeastern expanse. The NNW–SSE trending Daudpur–Bibipur lineament (fault) identified on Landsat image19. This fault is supposed to be responsible for distribution – rather diversion – of more water to the Yamuna #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

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12. 4.EVIDENCE FROM RS & GIS #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

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14. Testimony of heavy metals : The thickness of the sediment in the Ghagghar Basin varies from 5 to 30 m, locally to 90 m and in the Hakra reach as much as 150 m. The clay beds are composed of well-crystallized smectite , which is of Himalayan origin. Saini et al. found a suite of heavy minerals such as s tourmaline, greenish-brown amphibole, garnet, sillimanite , kyanite , ilmenite and biotite in the brown micaceous sandy facies of sediments ‘similar to the modern-day sediments of the mountain- fe ( Himalayan) rivers like Yamuna and Ganga ’. #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

15. The connection In the lower part of the basin the channel-fill deposits are characterized by lamination with abundant biotite , muscovite, hornblende, tourmaline, zircon and rutile within each layer. The presence of these heavy minerals implies the schistose and gneissic rocks contributing to the fluvial sediments of the Saraswati . Needless to recapitulate, the schistone and gfneissic rocksoccur in the inner Himalaya. #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL

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18. CONCLUSION REFERENCE Wikipedia The Times Of India Speaking Tree Current Science Article By K S Valdiya Indian Journal Of History Of Science,srn Murthy Geography Of India,majid Hussain Geological Survey Of India #PP5 HIMADRI SAMAL