Saraswati River: It’s Past and Present

Vedic Saraswati River flowed in full vigour about 5000 year BP and before as an independent river system between the Indus and Ganga systems. The river originated from the Himalaya flowed along the present Ghaggar-Saraswati Channel in Haryana-Punjab Plain and then took Hakra-Nara course in Rajasthan and Sindh, finally debouching in Arabian Sea near Rann of Kachchh. A large number of archaeological sites present in Saraswati basin bear testimony to the flourishing Indus-Saraswati Civilization. Drier climate in the lower reaches and drainage disruption in the upper reaches due to neotectonic block movements along Ropar and Yamuna Tear Zones, lead the river to desiccate and make it ephemeral type. The neotectonic movements in Yamuna Tear Zone created a water divide in erstwhile Bata-Markanda (cf. Saraswati) course, diverting most of Saraswati waters into Yamuna. Likewise block movement in Ropar Teat Zone diverted the south flowing Satluj River to take a westerly course. Thus, the Saraswati River was deprived of a perennial source of water.