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Satellite Images as Scientific Tool for Sarasvati Palaeochannel and its Archaeological Affinity in NW India

B. K. Bhadra and J. R. Sharma

RRSC-W, NRSC/ISRO, Dept. of Space (GOI), CAZRI Campus, Jodhpur-342003 E-mail: bkbhadra63@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The “Lost Vedic Sarasvati River” that have flown through Haryana, Punjab,

Rajasthan and northern Gujarat States in full might around 6000 B.C. and

disappeared around 3000 B.C. However, establishing the exact course of Vedic

Sarasvati and its perennial source remains a debatable topic among the researchers

due to lack of proper scientific database. An attempt has been made to unravel the

truth through Remote Sensing technology and multi-resolution satellite images.

Detailed studies on the Sarasvati and Drishadvati drainage systems in northern

Haryana have been carried out using satellite data. The mapped palaeochannels

have been validated with a variety of ground information. The affinity of the

discovered archaeological sites with the delineated palaeochannels is highlighted in

the present study. The possible linkages of the Himalayan Rivers with the Vedic

Sarasvati River are discussed here.

INTRODUCTION

Existence of `Vedic Sarasvati‟, a mighty holy river in the northwestern India

has been described in the ancient Indian literatures. Large numbers of

archaeological sites of Harappan Civilization occur along the course of Sarasvati

River. Two perennial rivers of today, River Yamuna and River Satluj, served as the

tributaries to the extinct Sarasvati River. The legendary river of the Vedic age

(10000-8000 B.P.), originated in the Himalayas and passed through Punjab,

Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and finally emptied into Rann of Kachchh (Arabian

Sea). This river flowed as a parallel river system with Indus River in the western part

of Thar Desert. It is now well known that the tectonic changes along the foot hills of

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Himalayas coupled with climatic changes in the region (onset of dry climate) were

primarily responsible for the drainage desiccation of Vedic River Sarasvati during

4000-3500 B.P. (Gupta et al, 2004; Valdiya, 1996; Yashpal et al., 1980). Due to

tectonic changes in the past, the two perennial rivers changes their courses viz.

Satluj to the west to join river Indus and Yamuna to east to join river Chambal near

Etawah and finally meets with River Ganges near Allahabad. Present day drainage

systems in Haryana viz. Dangri, Chautang, Markanda including Sarasvati Nadi, that

originate in Siwalik Hills, are mostly ephemeral (seasonal) streams with smaller

catchment areas and draining to meet Vedic Sarasvati (Ghaggar River). These

rivers in the present form could not sustain the flow to the mighty Vedic Sarasvati

River. As a result, its major part in the downstream direction got buried below the

sands of Thar Desert and finally the river dried up. Study of River Sarasvati has

exercised great fascination and unflagging interest in the minds of the Scholars and

Scientists.

DRAINAGE SYSTEM OF NW INDIA

Rivers of Punjab, Haryana, western Rajasthan and the northern Gujarat,

present an interesting and complex evolutionary history of drainage development

dating back to middle Pleistocene (Chauhan, 1999; Kalyanraman, 1999; Kochhar,

2000; Radhakrishnan, 1999; Valdiya, 2002). Most of these chequered evolutionary

history, wherein factors of Late Quaternary climatic changes and tectonism have

played a significant role in modifying the drainage. A few thousand years back

several mighty rivers drained the northwestern part of India and these now stands

disrupted, partly destroyed and preserved only as poor relicts making up the present

day drainage system. The vast tract of Indo-Gangetic alluvium plains and the

Aeolian plains of Thar Desert represents a powerful drainage system in the past.

The stretch of land is manifested by the `Lost River Sarasvati‟ between Indus and

Ganges River Systems (Fig.1). This vast river-less tract is underlain by nearly 10-30

m thick mantles of riverine sediments of younger age characterized by a multiplicity

of channels in which only flood waters flow for extremely limited durations. The wide

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channels are either choked with sediments or are buried under the sands of the Thar

Desert. This is the present scenario of the drainage system in the area.

The northern plains of Haryana and Punjab are drained by three major

independent river systems namely Yamuna, Sutlej and Ghaggar (Sarasvati).

Yamuna and Sutlej are perennial river systems while the Ghaggar is mainly

ephemeral. The Sutlej River originates in the Himalayas from the holy lake of

Mansarovar in Tibet and enters the plains near Ropar (Punjab), where it takes a

sharp right-angled turn and flows westward over a distance of 150 km before being

joined by the Beas river near Firozpur. The Yamuna River originates from the

Yamunotri/Bandarpunch glacier and reaches the plains near Yamunnagar. The

Yamuna River and its tributaries originating from the central Himalayas exhibit

dendritic drainages in the hard rocks and display typical rectangular drainage

pattern. Most of the streams are joining each other at right angles, which exhibit that

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it is flowing through a structurally controlled terrain. Giri River meets Yamuna near

Paonta about 12Km upstream from the confluence of Bata and Yamuna. The

Yamuna, which was supposed to be a major tributary of Sarasvati, got diverted

through the Yamuna Tear Fault was earlier flowing through the Bata river course

and joining the Markanda river. The wide valley of the small Bata River supports this.

The Ghaggar River raises in the Siwaliks from the Morni hills and enters the plains

near Ambala (Haryana). After covering a distance of 175 Km it joins the Sarasvati at

Rasula (Patiala district). The combined river now known as Ghaggar flows through

Sirsa (Haryana), Hanumangarh and Ganganagar districts (Rajasthan). Significance

of the two major rivers in Haryana viz. Sarasvati Nadi and Drishadvati River (Fig.2)

that contributed to the mighty Vedic Sarasvati in the past is described below.

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(a) Sarasvati Nadi of Haryana: Sarasvati Nadi (also known as Sarasvati River,

Sarasvati Nala, Sarsuti and Chautang in certain segments) in northern Haryana is

one of the important tributary of the “Lost Vedic Sarasvati River” that flowed through

Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and northern Gujarat States in full might around 6000

B.C. and disappeared around 3000 B.C. The Sarasvati Nadi originates near Rampur

Herian south of Adi Badri and passes through Bilaspur, Mustafabad, Thanesar,

Bibipur and Pehowa and ultimately joins river Ghaggar near Rasauli village in

Punjab. Presently, Sarasvati Nadi is in defunct state and exibits as a discontinuous

drainage (Fig.3). Existence of a large number of archaeological sites along the river

suggests it to be an important drainage of the past. Though Adi Badri is located on

the bank of River Somb, but local people believe that Sarasvati originates at Adi

Badri. As seen on the SOI topomaps, Sarasvati Nadi originates from a place called

`Rampur Herian‟ which is located south of Adi Badri in Yamunanagar district. The

existence of Sarasvati Nadi from Rampur Herian to Bibipur is seen clearly on the

topomaps and satellite images. On Survey of India (SOI) topomap of 1969-70, it is

shown as Sarasvati Nala / Nadi / River. The name `Sarasvati/Sarsuti‟ Nadi in

Haryana has been mentioned elsewhere in the earlier literatures.

Sarasvati Nadi is believed to be a sacred river in Haryana. This is evident from

the occurrence of several historical temples, pilgrimage and Hindu ritual sites and

relics of archaeological sites all along the course of Sarasvati River indicating it to be

a perennial river in the past. Most of these Pilgrim sites belong to either Post-

Harappan or Mahabharata period. The river passes through Yamunanagar,

Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Fatehabad districts and joins with River Ghaggar at

Rasauli village near Shatrana in Patiala district of Punjab. Old revenue records of

erstwhile Punjab Province indicate the existence of Sarasvati River in Yamunanagar

and Kurukshetra districts of Haryana. Drainage pattern of Sarasvati Nadi derived

from the SOI topomaps shows two southwesterly flowing sub-parallel streams on

either side of the Chautang Nala which crisscross at several places between

Purangarh and Babain villages. The shifting of their course is possibly due to

discontinuous discharge in the past. The local people strongly believe that Adi Badri

is the place of origin of Sarasvati Nadi which is the main Vedic Sarasvati River.

Local populace performs different Hindu rituals along this river course.

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Figure-3: (a to i) Field photographs showing the defunct state of Sarasvati Nadi at

various places in the south of Siwalik foothills. The location of photographs are

shown on the map. Red dots are denoting the historical places / Tirthas.

Field Survey to Trace Sarasvati Nadi between Adi Badri and Pehowa

during March-April, 2005)

Relatively wide section of

Sarasvati Nala Near Chappar Village

(c)

A sarovar on the course of

Sarasvati Nala near Mustafabad Village

(d)

Once, Sarasvati water used

to fill Jyotisar Talav, 4km W of Kurukshetra

(f)

Sewerage water in

Sarasvati Nala near Pehova

(i)

Narrow strip of Sarasvati

(dirty water) at Narkatari, 3km W of Kurukshetra

(g)

(e)

(a)

Stagnated water in narrow

strip of Sarasvati Nala at Bari Pabni Village

(b)

Narrow stretch of

Sarasvati Nala near Choti Pabni village

Stagnated dirty water

along Sarasvati Nala at Kurukshetra

Polluted Sarasvati water at

Bibipur Kalan near Kurukshetra

(h)

Location Map

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(b) Drishadvati River System: Drishadvati system of Haryana is also an ancient

river system, more or less contemporary to Vedic Sarasvati. It is proved by the

mention of Drishadvati in Rig Veda and occurrence of a large number of Harappan

sites along its course (Kar and Ghosh, 1984; Sahai, 1999) and also proved through

the present study. There are no continuous traces of River Drishadvati in central

Haryana which is attributed mainly to the disturbance of original ground through

digging of dense canal network in this region. But its presence can be inferred from

discontinuous drainage, Vedic literature and archaeological findings. It is believed by

most of the previous workers that the course of Western Yamuna Canal has been

constructed along the palaeo-course of River Drishadvati (Ghose et al., 1979; Kar

and Ghose, 1984; Oldham, 1893; Wilhelmy, 1999; Yashpal et al., 1980). The

Chautang Nala (1.0 - 1.5 km wide channel) is considered as the main tributary of the

Drishadvati River.

The region begins right from the Pakistan border (eastwards) up to midway

between Hanumangarh (Bhatner or Bhattinagara) and Suratgarh is known as

Sarasvati valley and about 25 km east of Bhadra town is known as Drishadvati

valley. The Yamuna might have flown into the Sarasvati River through the Chautang

or the Drishadvati channel, since many Harappan sites have been discovered on

these dried out river beds. Fossil existence indicates that the people of the

Harappan civilisation reared cattle and other livestock. Copper fishing hooks found

at the site confirm the presence of a river. The drainage also throws light on the

advanced sewage disposal system.

REMOTE SENSING FOR PALAEOCHANNEL MAPPING

With the advent of Remote Sensing technology and the available satellite

images, it is possible to trace the drainage course in the form of buried

palaeochannels. The abandoned courses are recognizable as curvilinear or

meandering segments of dry channels amidst the sea of sand. Remote Sensing

techniques helped in locating these buried channels as they are clearly seen in the

satellite images (Ghose et al. 1979, 1980; Yashpal et al. 1980; Sood and Sahai,

1983; Bakliwal and Grover, 1988; Ramasamy et al. 1991; Kar, 1995; Sahai, 1999).

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Pioneering works in Remote Sensing has been carried out by Yash Pal et al.

(1980), Sahai (1993), Rajawat and Narain (1996) who have compiled various studies

pertaining to the palaeo drainage network of Northwestern India. The present river

systems of the Sutlej – Yamuna divide which have a bearing on the subject are the

Sutlej, the Ghaggar, the Sarasvati, the Markanda, the Chautang, the Yamuna and

their tributaries. Recently the entire course of River Sarasvati has been traced from

satellite images by the authors like Gupta et al. (1984), Bhadra et al. (2009), Bhadra

et al. (2005), Sharma and Bhadra (2009a and b) Sharma et al. (2006) and others.

The course of the Sarasvati River buried below the sands of Thar Desert has been

discovered using IRS P3 WiFS images (Gupta et al, 2004). The Sarasvati river

system (present day drainages along with palaeochannels) in Haryana, Punjab and

northern Gujarat has also been studied in detail by using IRS P6 AWiFS, LISS-III

and LISS-IV satellite data (Bhadra et. al., 2006; Bhadra et al., 2009; Sharma and

Bhadra, 2009). Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from SRTM data has been studied to

depict 3D view of the region. The delineated palaeochannels in Haryana (Fig.4)

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have been validated on the ground by using archaeological sites, hydrogeological

and drilling data, rainfall data and stream discharge rates in the last 60 years. The

drilled tube wells in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan shows potable water with high

discharge from the sub-surface fluvial palaeochannels. Isotopic dating of trapped

water is correlated with the Harappan Civilisation.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES IN NW INDIA

The pre-historic remains in the Sarasvati basin were for the first time brought

to light in the early 40‟s by the investigation of the Hakra valley by Stein (1942).

Later on A. Ghosh extended Stein‟s work when he undertook a survey of the dried

up course of Sarasvati and Drishadvati in Ganganagar district of Rajasthan between

1950 and 1953. Ghosh has carried out an intensive survey of the Sarasvati basin

within Haryana since 1960. Late Harappan and PGW materials were recovered from

Kurukshetra, Mirzapur (Kurukshetra district) and Bhagwanpura (Hissar district).

Recent excavations at Bhagwanpura and Kaithal in Kurukshetra district have yielded

evidence of a partial overlap between the late Harappan and PGW culture. Within

Haryana the PGW (Painted Grey Ware) was picked up from the valley at Pehowa

and Kurukshetra by Lal (1971, 1979). Continued efforts done by Lal (2002, 2009)

during excavations of new archaeological sites in Haryana and elsewhere lead to

resolve many unsolved questions of Indian Civilization.

Steady river flows, followed by desiccation and later utter dryness of the river

are clearly indicated by the archaeological evidences. Eastward diversion of water to

the Ganges system is indicated in 1750 B.C (end of Harappa culture), resulting in a

dry phase (partly coinciding with the PGW period), a recurrence of the wet phase in

the early centuries A.D (Rang Mahal period) and then by another desiccation. Thus,

the PGW sites are generally small and are sometimes situated in the riverbed itself

indicating a scanty flow. Radiocarbon dating indicates that Kalibangan, the Mature

Harappan settlement, located on the bank of the ancient river Sarasvati was

abandoned around 1900 B.C because of the drying up of the river.

During archaeological excavation, it is possible to find mixed cultural

assemblages of different periods at any single site. However, the following

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parameters are generally used to qualify Harappan Civilisation viz. (a) Twin mounds,

(b) East west axis, (c) Citadel and Lower town, (d) Typical pottery - „S‟ shaped jar,

miniature pot, perforated jar, thick sturdy and painted, pipal and other motifs, (e)

Forts, (f) Script, (g) Seals and sealing, (h) Grid pattern town planning, (i) Streets and

road, (j) Parallel sided blade made of chert, (k) Copper and stone articles, (l) Steatite

and clay bangles, (m) Triangular and oval terracotta cakes (Courtesy: Rajesh

Purohit, Kurukshetra).

More than 1200 settlements of the Stone Age and Harappan civilizations are

found along the river course implying the availability of year-round supply of water,

which only perennial rivers could have provided. Occurrence of earthquakes, ground

subsidence, land upliftment and drainage deflection were the causes for the

migration and disappearance of the civilization. The change in the pattern of

settlements of the Late Harappan time (3900 – 3300 B.P) also clearly brings out the

large-scale migration from the middle reaches of the Sarasvati river.

ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA IN HARYANA

The delineation of the palaeochannels of Sarasvati and Drishadvati in the

northern parts of Haryana got a big boost by the discoveries of Harappan sites. The

excavations are done by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) & various other

scholars. It provides a good evidence of the presence of an ancient civilization. This

civilization is also known as „Harappan Civilization‟ or „Indus Valley Civilization‟. Most

of the sites of this civilization have shown a common characteristic like (a) Presence

of house made of bricks, (b) Well planned city, (c) Ploughed agricultural field, etc.

Archaeological sites of Late-Harappan to Medieval period have been

discovered in Adi Badri, Sandhya, Kapal Mochan, Mustafabad, Bilaspur, Sadhaura,

Thanesar and Pehowa area which lie mostly along the course of Sarasvati Nadi.

Although catchment area of Markanda River is larger than that of Sarasvati Nadi, but

the number of archaeological sites are much more along the Sarasvati Nadi. This

indicates towards higher level of historical significance of Sarasvati Nadi in the

region than that of Markanda River. Recently, an archaeological site (12th Century

old Painted Grey Ware i.e. Post-Harappan) has been discovered at Bhor Saidan

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village which lie on the bank of Sarasvati Nadi in the west of Kurukshetra (Purohit,

2006). All these evidence indicate flourishment of Mature Harappan to Post-

Harappan culture along the Sarasvati Nadi.

Apart from these archaeological sites, a large number of historical places /

tirtha sites are located in northern Haryana in the close vicinity of the existing

drainage and the delineated palaeochannels. The concentration of these locations

along the Sarasvati River in Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind and Karnal indicate towards

historical significance at least in the Post-Medieval period.

The locations of these archaeological sites, discovered till 2000 in Haryana

(Possel, 2000) and a few recently discovered archaeological sites have been plotted

(Fig.5) and overlaid on the mapped river courses for age determination. The

archaeological sites are classified into four categories viz. Mature Harappan, Sothi

Harappan, Late Harappan and Post to Harappan, as given below (Table-1). In

northern Haryana, mostly Late Harappan sites have been found to lie in

Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts. However, clustered Mature

Harappan/Sothi Harappan sites are found to occur in Jind and Karnal districts,

where many palaeochannels have been demarcated.

Table-1: Classification of Archaeological sites in Haryana

Classes (Period, B.P)*

Remarks

Post Harappan (3500 to Medieval)

Represents all the sites which are post to Harappan period. It includes OCP, PGW, Pre-Historic, Buddhist, Medieval, etc.)

Harappan

Late Harappan (3900-3300)

Mostly Post-Urban Harappan

Sothi-Siswal (~ Mature Harappan)

Sothi-Siswal sites have distinct Hakra culture but resembles Mature Harappan culture

Mature Harappan (4600-3900)

Exclusive Harappan sites

Criterion: The archaeological sites, reported in Possel (2000) and other sources are plotted on the map. It is observed that archaeological assemblages (cultures) of many periods are found over a single site. To plot on the map, only the oldest period out of many cultures present over a site, has been considered for a particular class. Other lower period cultures are not depicted on the maps. * Source: Valdiya, 2002, p.38

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The region between Sarasvati River System in the north and Drishadvati

River System in the south witness a rich cultural sequence from Harappan to

Modern period in northern Haryana.

1. Birdana - C.4000 B.C

2. Kunal - C.3200-1700 BC

3. Balu - C.2500-1700 BC

4. Banawali - C.2500-1450 BC

5. Rakhigarhi - C.2500-1450 BC

6. Siswal - C.2450 BC

7. Mirzapur - C.1700 BC-1600 AD

8. Raja Karna ka tila - C. 800 BC-1600 AD

9. Bhagwanpura - C.1700 BC-1300 BC

10. Daulatpur - Late Indus to Medieval period

11. Harsh ka Tila, - Pre-Kushana to Late Medieval period.

Thaneswar

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL AFFINITY WITH PALAEOCHANNELS IN HARYANA

Palaeochannels serve as the storehouse of the trapped water at shallow sub-

surface level. It has been observed that most of Ancient Civilization in the world has

grown along a major river course. The close affinity of the archaeological remains

along the palaeochannels may be attributed to the primary requirements of domestic

and agricultural development of the region. The close association of the two can be

better understood by the examples given in the following districts of northern

Haryana.

(a) Yamunanagar District

Yamunanagar district is laced with numerous ephemeral drainages, emerged

from the Siwalik Ranges. Present day drainages have been traced from the satellite

images and SOI topomaps. Among the major drainages such as Yamuna, Somb

and Pathrala, there are other drainages (Sarasvati, Chautang, Rakshi, Linda and

Khad Nadi) of narrow width which are flowing through the northwestern part of the

district (Fig.6). Field photographs all along the Sarasvati drainage course represent

a discontinuous, defunct and stagnated water bodies. It has been observed that

there are two courses of Sarasvati Nadi which have emerged from Rampur Herian

and Mustafabad-Chappar villages in Yamunanagar district. Further, these two

drainages join at Babain village in Kurukshetra district. Although Adi Badri is

believed to be the origin of Sarasvati Nadi in Haryana, but there is no direct link of

this drainage upto Adi Badri. However, Adi Badri is situated very close to Somb

River which is now joining with Yamuna River further south. Due to dense vegetation

cover, no palaeochannels could be identified on the satellite image of this district.

Yamunagar district is historically and culturally rich due to having a large

number of pilgrim places such as Adi Badri, Sadhaura, Lohgarh, Bilaspur, Buria,

Chhachhrauli, Jagadhri, Chaneti, Harnauli, Sugh, Bisationwala, Kalesar and others.

Bilaspur is said to be associated with sage Ved Vyas, the writer of Mahabharata.

There are number of tirthas in and around Bilaspur, Rin Mochan tank, Suraj Kund,

Vyas Kund, Sidheswar temple etc. There are 27 reported archaeological sites in this

district. So far, no Mature Harappan sites have been discovered. However, most of

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the sites (25 out of 27) are belonging to Post-Harappan to Medieval period and 2

sites (Khotarkhana and Sand) are of Late Harappan Period. Detailed information of

some of the archaeological sites has been discussed below:

(i) Adi Badri: Adi Badri is located on the Siwalik foothill and lies 2km from Kathgarh

village and 40km north of Yamunanagar town. Adi Badri area is supposed to be

the origin of Sarasvati Nadi which joins with Somb River. Archaeological Survey

of India, New Delhi excavated three mounds at this place viz. ABR-I, ABR-II and

ABR-III. The height of ABR-II is 200ft and is situated on the right bank of the

Sarasvati-Somb confluence. ABR-III is located on the left bank of the Sarasvati-

Somb confluence. Buddhist artifacts, Buddhist Vihar and Brick stupa were

discovered from this site which belongs to Post-Harappan period (Fig.7). The

pottery recovered from the site includes Bowls, Basins, Jars, Cooking Vessels,

Pitchers, Handies etc. A huge brick structure was exposed which can be dated to

about AD 1st C to AD 300.

(ii) Chaneti – Chaneti is an archaeological site of Buddhist period (Post-Harappan)

which is located close to Jagadhri town. The testimony of Hiuen Tsang suggests

that the brick mound at Chaneti is probably the remains of an Ashokan Stupa.

(iii) Sugh – Sugh is the ancient city of Shrughana which is mentioned in the Vedic

literature. The archaeological excavation at Sugh reveals that the town existed

from circa 600 B.C. to circa 300 A.D. The finds include pottery, terra-cotta

figurines, coins, seals etc. The headless figure of a child with a slate with

alphabets belonging to Sugna period is of great importance, currently displayed

in the New Delhi Museum.

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Figure - 7: (a) High resolution satellite image of Quickbird (October, 2002) around

Adi Badri area (Source: Google earth Image). (b) Map showing the sites of

archaeological excavations (ABR-I, ABR-II and ABR-III) around Adi Badri area

(Source: Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi). e

Udgam Sthal

Sarasvati Sarovar

So

mb

Riv

er

Somb-Sarasvati

Sangam

ABR-IIABR-I

ABR-III

(a)

ABR-II

ABR-I

ABR-III

(b)

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(b) Karnal District

Chautang is the major river that is flowing through Karnal district. This river

originates from the Siwalik foothills near Rampur Herian, south of Adi Badri.

Chautang is also an ephemeral drainage and cut across Sarasvati Nadi at Bari

Pabni and Punagarh in Yamunanagar district. An offshoot of Bhakra Canal is flowing

west of Ambala district. Western Yamuna Canal or Chautang is believed to be the

tributaries of Drishadvati River (Yash Pal, 1980). Digital image processing

techniques are applied on the satellite images, but no major palaeochannels could

be delineated in the district due to mask of extensive agricultural lands. However, a

NE-SW trending paleochannel has been delineated in the northwestern part of

Karnal district and NW of Asandh where Chautang River ends (Fig.8).

Karnal is named after Raja Karna, an elder brother of Pandavas, born to their

mother Kunti of the Sun God before marriage, who was a very close associate of

Duryodjana. The district is dotted with ancient sites and almost every village and

stream is connected with the legends of the Great Epic. Important historical places in

and around the Karnal town are Karna Tank, Old Fort, Buali Shah Qalandar‟s Tomb,

Miran Sahib‟s Tomb, St. James Church, Bharamal‟s Serai, Makbara Naugaza and

Gurudwara Manji Sahib. There are 25 important tirthas in Karnal district viz.

Jarasandh ka Tila (Asandh), Kulotaran Tirth (Kirmich), Prithvi Tirth (Balu),

Panchdeva Tirth (Pada) etc. The antiquity of Asandh town goes back to the Vedic

period and it finds mention in the Brahma literature as the site of two sacrifices, one

of which was Asvamedha performed by Janmejaya. Remains of a stupa of Kushan

period can still be seen here.

A large number of archaeological sites have been found from western part of

Karnal district. Out of 59 sites discovered so far, 11 sites belong to Mature

Harappan/Sothi Siswal, 47 are of Late Harappan and only 1 is of Post-Harappan

period. Some of the important Harappan sites are Dikadla, Jamlana, Gagsina,

Urdana, Saunkara etc. Most of these sites lie very close to the existing Chautang

River (dry) and NE-SW trending palaeochannels in the western margin of Karnal

district. Concentration of this large number of archaeological sites indicates towards

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a prominent and significant drainage system in the past. Possibly Chautang is the

remnant of the Vedic Drishadvati River.

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(c) Kurukshetra District

Yamuna and Markanda Rivers are the major drainages of the district which

can be seen clearly on the satellite images and topomaps. However, other drainages

such as Sarasvati, Chautang, Rakshi and Khad Nadi of narrow width are also

flowing through the district (Fig.9). Sarasvati Nadi in Haryana is believed to be the

holiest and oldest drainage system in Haryana as most of the Hindu ritual sites

(Kurukshetra, Jyotisar and Pehowa) are located along the bank of this river.

However, ground realities indicate towards a deteriorating state as polluted water is

flowing along the Sarasvati drainage between Thaneswar and Pehowa.

Digital image processing of satellite images indicates a distinct palaeochannel

in the south of Kurukshetra and Pehowa. As no other palaeochannel could be

identified in the northern part of Kurukshetra district, the delineated palaeochannel is

supposed to be linked with the present day Sarasvati drainage system.

Kurukshetra is braced with a large number of pilgrim places and tirthas since

history. The foremost among the Kurukshetra tirthas are Brahma Sarovar, Sannihit

Tank, Sthanesvara tank, Jyotisar, Ban-Ganga, Lohar Majra and Chandrakupa. Other

important tirthas are located in Thaneswar (Nabhi Kamal), Pipli (Rantuk Yaksha),

Pehowa (Prachi Tirtha, Prithudal Tirtha), Mangna (Sapta Sarasvat) and other places

(Ekshumati, Brahmavarta, Aruntak Yaksha). A bath in the Brahma Sarovar at the

time of the solar eclipse is said to be the best in life to the bather than the benefit of

a thousand Ashvamedha Yajnas. Most of tirtha sites either belong to medieval

period or Late Harappan & Kushana period. These tirtha sites are mainly lie on the

bank of Sarasvati Nadi.

The district is also rich in archaeological point of view. Out of 56

archaeological sites discovered so far in the district, only 4 sites belong to Mature

Harappan/Sothi-Siswal (Garhi Rodan, Bhagwanpura, Nandu Khera and Urnalcha),

41 sites belong to Late Harappan and 11 sites are of Post-Harappan to Medieval

period. One of the most important archaeological sites at Thaneswar is the town

planning and water harvesting system during Mughal period. The excavated site at

Thaneswar depicts a cultural evolution from Kushana (1st to 3rd Century AD) to

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Mughal Period (16th to 19th Century AD). As the location of the four Harappan sites

lie very close to Sarasvati Nadi, the drainage is said to be of Vedic period.

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(d) Hisar District

Hisar district is devoid of any major drainages/rivers. However, Hansi Branch

Canal, offshoot of Western Yamuna Canal, is flowing through the district from east to

west. A branch of Sirsa Branch Canal is also flowing in the north of the district. On

the Landsat TM image of 1995 show a number of linear patches (NE-SW) of dark

red tone in the central part of the district which are possibly the sub-surface

drainages that flows along NE to SW direction.

Based on digital image processing techniques of satellite images, a number

of palaeochannels have been delineated in the central part of the district (Fig.10). A

few palaeochannels have also been delineated in the southwest of Hisar town. The

width of the palaeochannels varies from 2km to 6km in the west. Most of the

palaeochannels are trending NE-SW direction and are anastomosing with each

other. Old record of drainages and canal route maps indicate that Hansi Branch

Canal is constructed mostly along the Chautang River which is supposed to be the

old Drishadvati River course. At places, the Hansi Branch Canal cut across the

delineated palaeochannels. Possibly, Vedic Sarasvati River and Drishadvati River

joins around Hisar.

Hisar district has been rich in pre-Harappan sites dating back to the 3rd

millennium B.C. and possibly even earlier. The region was later associated with the

Vedic tribes like Bharatas, Purus, Kurus, Mujavats and Mahavrishas. It was certainly

a part of the Kingdom and then it came under the rule of Mandas and Mauryas.

Location of archaeological sites shows an arcuate form of spread in the central part

of Hisar district. Most of these sites are concentrated along the delineated

palaeochannels. It has been observed that out of 45 archaeological sites, 31 sites

belong to Harappan civilization, 13 are of Late Harappan and only 1 is of Post-

Harappan age. Banawali, Agroha, Hansi, Patan, Siswal and Rakhigarhi are the

important Mature Harappan sites. Other sites of Sothi-Siswal are Singhwa,

Salimagarh, Datta, Alipur Kharar etc. The discovery of all these rich sites indicates

that Hisar would have been an important place during Vedic period.

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24

The following are the important historical/archaeological places in Hisar district:

(i) Agroha – Raja Agra used to live at this place. The ancient name of the town was

Agrodaka, as revealed from the coins found during excavations. It has been

mentioned in Mahabharata and Ashtadhyayi. Excavations at the mounds have

shown that it covered a well-planned city. Mounds of ash indicate that fire burnt

the city down.

(ii) Rakhigarhi – The twin mounds at Rakhigarhi are typically Harappan. Among the

characteristic finds are bangles and beads of terra-cotta, a chess board like

design on a brick piece and massive mud brick constructions.

(iii) Banawali - The mound in Banawali, 15 km from Fatehbad, reveals a fortified

town (BC 2500 – 1700). It is a Pre-Harappan to Harappan site. At Banawali,

evidence of ploughed fields has been found, indicated by wooden plough. Large

quantity of barley and evidence of growing of sesame and mustard have also

been found.

(iv) Siswal – The site has been known as a contact between the Pre-Harappan and

Harappan cultures. Many interesting finds have been discovered here.

(e) Fatehbad District

In Fatehbad district, Ghaggar River is the main drainage which is emerging

from the Morni Hills near Kalka in Panchkula district. Usually the Ghaggar River is of

ephemeral nature except in monsoon period. It forms a huge flood plain in Fatehbad

district and flows through Sirsa district. Two canal system viz. Sirsa Branch Canal,

offshoot of Western Yamuna Canal, and Bhakra Canal, offshoot of Sutlej River, are

entering into the Fatehbad district from east and flows parallely to the west.

Using satellite images, a number of palaeochannels have been delineated in

the northern and central part of the district (Fig.11). The width of these channels

varies from 3.5km in east to 7.5km in west. These palaeochannels basically

represent the limit of old and new flood plain areas of Ghaggar River. However, no

palaeochannels could be delineated in the southern part based on image

interpretation.

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Analysis of archaeological data shows the presence of both Harappan and

Late-Harappan sites in the district. Although the district encompasses with a few

prominent palaeochannels, but only a few number of archaeological sites have been

discovered so far. Some of the important Harappan sites, discovered so far, are

Kunal, Birdana and Talwara. It has been observed that most of these archaeological

sites lie close to the palaeochannels which indicates the existence of a major

drainage system in the area. The characteristic features of the two important

archaeological sites area given below:

(i) Kunal - Kunal seems to be a Pre-Harappan site. Two silver crowns presumably

worn by the King and queen along with gold and silver jewellery have been found

here in an earthen jar. This is the first time that a regal crown has been found in

the subcontinent. This site brings to light that the Harappans went through three

stages of development i.e. pit houses to regular rectangular and square dwellings

above the surface. Thus, Neaolithic tendency, Pit dwelling and other cultural

assemblages indicate to be of Pre-Harappan to Mature Harappan (C.3200 B.C.)

found on Sarasvati River bed

(ii) Birdana - The excavations were carried out on the bank of the River Sarasvati.

The whole riverbed had been converted into agricultural lands with the passage

of time. Pottery, among the antiquities, is the main criteria for ascertaining the

Harappan civilization. Radio carbon dating reveals that Birdana site dates back to

4000 BC.

RIVER LINKING OF VEDIC SARASVATI WITH HIMALAYAN SOURCES

To be a vibrant mighty river, the Sarasvati in Vedic Period must have been

contributed by any major river system of the Himalaya. Presently, Sutlej and

Yamuna are the two perennial rivers which are likely to be the feeder channels of

Vedic Sarasvati River in the past (Fig.12a). Beyond the range of Siwalik and Lesser

Himalaya, these two rivers are fed with the permanent glaciers in the Higher

Himalaya. It has been observed from the satellite images that the size of the glacier

of Sutlej River is much larger than the size of the Yamunotri and Bandarpunch

27

glaciers. But, due to tectonic changes in the past, these two perennial rivers shift

their courses viz. Satluj to the west to join river Indus and Yamuna to east to join

River Ganges near Allahabad. Based on the analysis of several satellite images

coupled with the Remote Sensing techniques, the entire course of Sarasvati

palaeochannels have been delineated from the Himalayan foothills to the Rann of

Kutchch, passing through the Thar Desert in NW India (Fig.12b).

Review of different literatures, archaeological findings and synthesized

scientific evidences, three following possible connectivity of the Vedic Sarasvati with

the Himalayan River sources (Sharma and Bhadra, 2009b) have been emerged viz.

(a) Connectivity of Vedic Sarasvati with Sutlej River (2) Connectivity of Vedic

Sarasvati with Yamuna through Bata/Markanda River (Puri, 2001) and (3)

Connectivity of Vedic Sarasvati with Yamuna through Drishadvati.

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CONCLUSION

The entire course of Vedic Sarasvati River has been delineated using latest

satellite images. The mapped course is validated with a variety of ground data such

as archaeological sites, drilling and hydrogeological data. Present day perennial

sources of Satluj and Yamuna/Tons rivers upto the Siwalik foot hills have been

considered as part of Vedic Sarasvati River. Apart from Yamuna-Drishadvati

connectivity, there is a strong possibility of Yamuna joining through Bata-Markanda

River, passing through Adi Badri area. However, more information is required to

substantiate the hypothesis.

29

Acknowledgements

The authors are extremely grateful to Dr. V. Jayaraman, Director and Dr. Y. V.

N. Krishnamurthy, Dy. Director, NRSC, Hyderabad for their valuable guidance to

carry out this research work. We are equally grateful to Dr. S. Kalyanraman of

Saraswati Nadi Sodh Prakalp, Chennai; Shri Darshan Lal Jain of Saraswati Nadi

Sodh Sansthan, Yamunanagar; Late Dr. S P Gupta, Indian Archaeological Society,

New Delhi; Dr. Amol Kar, CAZRI, Jodhpur; Dr. Sanjay Manjul, Archeological Survey

of India, New Delhi; Dr. V M K Puri (Retd), Geological Survey of India and Shri

Rajesh Purohit, Archaeologist, Sri Krishna Museum, Kurukshetra and others for their

active association, encouragement and fruitful discussion at various stages of the

project work.

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