Satellite Images as Scientific Tool for Sarasvati Palaeochannel and its Archaeological Affinity in NW B. K. Bhadra and J. R. Sharma

ABSTRACT The "Lost Vedic " that have flown through , , 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 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 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 in the western part of Thar Desert. It is now well known that the tectonic changes along the foot hills of 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 near . Present day drainage systems in Haryana viz. , , 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 (, 1999; Kalyanraman, 1999; Kochhar, 2000; Radhakrishnan, 1999; Valdiya, 2002). Most of these chequered evolutionary history, wherein factors of Late Quaternary climatic changes and tectonism

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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 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.

Figure-1: Existence of Saraswati River System along the vast tract of alluvial/aeolian plain between Indus and Ganges River System in NW India.

The northern plains of Haryana and Punjab are drained by three major independent river systems namely Yamuna, 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 near Firozpur. The Yamuna River originates from the /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 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 . The wide valley of the small Bata River supports this. The Ghaggar River raises in the Siwaliks from the hills and enters the plains near (Haryana). After covering a distance of

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175 Km it joins the Sarasvati at Rasula (). The combined river now known as Ghaggar flows through (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.

Figure-2: Display of westerly flowing major drain ages (Ghaggar, Dangri, Markanda, Saraswati, Chautang and the traced Drish advati) in northern Haryana (a) Sarasvati Nadi of Haryana: Sarasvati Nadi (also known as Sarasvati River, Sarasvati , 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, , Bibipur and 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 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 period. The river passes through Yamunanagar,

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Kurukshetra, 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 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)

(a) (b) (c) Figure-3: (a to i) Field photographs showing the defunct Stagnated water in narrow Narrow stretch of Relatively wide section of strip of Sarasvati Nala at Sarasvati Nala near Sarasvati Nala Near state of Sarasvati Bari Pabni Village Choti Pabni village Chappar Village Nadi at various

(d) (e) (f) places in the south of Siwalik foothills. The location of

A sarovar on the course of Stagnated dirty water Once, Sarasvati water used photographs are Sarasvati Nala near along Sarasvati Nala to fill Talav, 4km W shown on the map. Mustafabad Village at Kurukshetra of Kurukshetra Red dots are (g) (h) (i) denoting the historical places/Tirthas.

Narrow strip of Sarasvati Polluted Sarasvati water at Sewerage water in (dirty water) at Narkatari, Bibipur Kalan near Sarasvati Nala near 3km W of Kurukshetra Kurukshetra Pehova (b) Drishadvati River System: Drishadvati system of Haryana is also an ancient river system, more or

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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 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 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). 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

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Figure-4: Satellite Image showing the delineated palaeoch annelsu using IRSP6 AWiFS and LISS-III images in northern districts of Haryana Inset shows highly moistzones with dark tone in and Sirsa Districts.

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 () 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 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

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indicating a scanty flow. Radiocarbon dating indicates that , 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 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, , 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 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 / 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, and indicate towards historical significance at least in the Post-Medieval period.

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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, 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, Pre-Historic, Buddhist, Medieval, etc.) Late Harappan (3900-3300) Mostly Post-Urban Harappan Sothi- Sothi-Siswal sites have distinct Hakra culture but Harappan (~ Mature Harappan) 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

Figure-5: Spatial Distribution of Archaeological Sites in northern Haryana. Note the locations of important Mature Harappan sites in the close vicinity of Saraswati / Drishadvati palaeochannels on the satellite image.

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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. - C.2500-1450 BC 5. - C.2500-1450 BC 6. Siswal - C.2450 BC 7. Mirzapur - C.1700 BC-1600 AD 8. Raja 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

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 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 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, , Bilaspur, , , , 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

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Mature Harappan sites have been discovered. However, most of the sites (25 out of 27) are belonging to Post-Harappan to Medieval period and 2

Buddhist Vihar, excavated Section of Brick Broken Buddha Pratima at T3 Terrace at Adi Badri (Period) at ABR-III excavated Sarovar

Buddhist's Stupa lika a Entrance to Buddhist's Broken pottery of mound at Chaneti Stupa at Chaneti Buddhist's Era at Chaneti

Figure-6: Map showing present day drain ages, palaeochannels, archaeological sites and places, of historical importance with field photographs in Yamunagar district

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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 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).

(b) 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 . 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 , born to their mother 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 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.

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

Mount of Buddhist Stupa of 1st C.B.C. Buddhist Stupa made up of bricks at as Asandh in Karnal District Asandh in Karnal District Figure-8: Map showing present day drainages, palaeochannels, archaeological sites and place of historical importance with field photographs in Karnal district

(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

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(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 , Sannihit Tank, Sthanesvara tank, Jyotisar, Ban- , 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 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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Figure-9: Map showing present day drainages, palaeochannels, archaeological sites and place of historical importance with field photographs of Kaurukshetra District

(d) Hisar district is devoid of any major drainages/rivers. However, 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, , 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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The Excavated site at Banawali and cultural assemblages reveal a fortified town of Pre-to Mature Harappan Period

The excavated site (Pre-Harappan Culture) at Rakhigari Figure-10: Map showing present day drainages, palaeochannels, archaeological sites and place of historical importance with field photographs in Hisar District

The following are the important historical/archaeological places in Hisar district: (i) Agroha – Raja 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.

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(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 in 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 . 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.

Excavation site at Birdana Pre-to Mature Harappan cultural assemblages (Mature Harappan) (C. 3200BC) at Kunal

Figure-11: Map showing present day drainages, palaeochannels, archaeological sites and place of historical importance with field photographs in

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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

Figure-12: (a) Satellite Image showing indus, Ganges and Luni River System in NW India

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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 (, 2001) and (3) Connectivity of Vedic Sarasvati with Yamuna through Drishadvati.

Figure-12: (b) The delineated palaeochannels of the entire course of Sarasvati River.

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.

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 Museum, Kurukshetra and others for their active association, encouragement and fruitful discussion at various stages of the project work.

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