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
1

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.

(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 PostHarappan 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.

Field Survey to Trace Sarasvati Nadi between Adi Badri and Pehowa
during March-April, 2005)

Location Map

(a)

Stagnated water in narrow

strip of Sarasvati Nala at
Bari Pabni Village

(d)

A sarovar on the course of

Sarasvati Nala near
Mustafabad Village

(g)

Narrow strip of Sarasvati

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

(c)

(b)

Narrow stretch of
Sarasvati Nala near Choti
Pabni village

Relatively wide section of

Sarasvati Nala Near
Chappar Village

(e)

(f)

Stagnated dirty water

along Sarasvati Nala at
Kurukshetra

(h)

Polluted Sarasvati water at

Bibipur Kalan near
Kurukshetra

Once, Sarasvati water used

to fill Jyotisar Talav, 4km W
of Kurukshetra

(i)

Sewerage water in
Sarasvati Nala near
Pehova

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.
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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).
7

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)

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 40s by the investigation of the Hakra valley by Stein (1942).
Later on A. Ghosh extended Steins 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
9

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
10

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 PostHarappan 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
Remarks
(Period, B.P)*
Post Harappan
Represents all the sites which are post to
(3500 to Medieval)
Harappan period. It includes OCP, PGW, PreHistoric, Buddhist, Medieval, etc.)
Late Harappan
Mostly Post-Urban Harappan
(3900-3300)
Harappan Sothi-Siswal
Sothi-Siswal sites have distinct Hakra culture
(~ Mature Harappan) but resembles Mature Harappan culture
Mature Harappan
Exclusive Harappan sites
(4600-3900)
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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Birdana
Kunal
Balu
Banawali
Rakhigarhi
Siswal
Mirzapur
Raja Karna ka tila
Bhagwanpura
Daulatpur
Harsh ka Tila,
Thaneswar

C.4000 B.C
C.3200-1700 BC
C.2500-1700 BC
C.2500-1450 BC
C.2500-1450 BC
C.2450 BC
C.1700 BC-1600 AD
C. 800 BC-1600 AD
C.1700 BC-1300 BC
Late Indus to Medieval period
Pre-Kushana to Late Medieval period.

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL AFFINITY WITH PALAEOCHANNELS IN HARYANA

Palaeochannels serve as the storehouse of the trapped water at shallow subsurface 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
13

14

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 SarasvatiSomb 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.

15

Somb River

ABR-III

Sarasvati Sarovar
ABR-I

(a)

Somb-Sarasvati
Sangam
ABR-II

Udgam Sthal

ABR-III

ABR-II

ABR-I

(b)

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).
16

(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 Qalandars Tomb,
Miran Sahibs Tomb, St. James Church, Bharamals 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

17

a prominent and significant drainage system in the past. Possibly Chautang is the
remnant of the Vedic Drishadvati River.

18

(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 (1 st to 3rd Century AD) to

19

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.

20

21

(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 PostHarappan 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.

22

23

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.

24

25

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
26

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.
27

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.

28

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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