Sarasvati River 32708 225254250 2008-07-12T18:41:46Z Calvin 1998 5642846 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/59.93.192.137|59.93.192.137]] (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) The '''Sarasvati River''' ([[Sanskrit]]: {{lang|sa|सरस्वती नदी}} ''{{IAST|sárasvatī nadī}}'') is one of the chief [[Rigvedic rivers]] mentioned in ancient [[Hindu texts]]. The [[Nadistuti]] hymn in the [[Rigveda]] (10.75) mentions the Sarasvati between the [[Yamuna]] in the east and the [[Sutlej]] in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya (Pancavimsa) and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the [[Mahabharata]] mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert. There still is a small present-day Sarasvati River (''Sarsuti'') that joins the Ghaggar river. The goddess [[Saraswati|Sarasvati]] was originally a personification of this river, but later developed an independent identity and meaning {{Fact|date=February 2008}}. Most scholars agree that most references to the Sarasvati in the Rig Veda refer to the [[Ghaggar-Hakra River]]. ==Etymology== The name ''{{IAST|Sárasvatī}}'' is descended from [[Proto-Indo-Iranian]] ''{{lang|ine|sáras-wn̥t-iH}}'' (virtually [[PIE]] ''{{PIE|*séles-wn̥t-ih<sub>2</sub>}}''), meaning "she with many pools". Sanskrit ''{{IAST|saras-}}'' means "pool, pond"; the feminine ''{{IAST|sarasī́}}'' means "stagnant pool, swamp" (e.g. [[RV 7]].103.2b). Cognate with Greek {{lang|gr|ἕλος}} "swamp", the Rigvedic term refers mostly to stagnant waters, and [[Manfred Mayrhofer|Mayrhofer]] considers unlikely a connection with the root ''{{IAST|sar-}}'' "run, flow".<ref>Mayrhofer, ''[[EWAia]]'', s.v.; the root is otherwise often connected with rivers (also in river names, such as [[Sarayu]] or [[Susartu]]); the suggestion has been revived in the connection of an "[[out of India]]" argument, [http://www.omilosmeleton.gr/english/documents/RVpH.pdf N. Kazanas, "Rig-Veda is pre-Harappan"], p. 9.</ref> ''{{IAST|Sarasvatī}}'' is the [[Devi and Vrkis|Devi]] feminine of an adjective ''{{IAST|sarasvant-}}'' (which in the masculine occurs in the Rigveda as the name of the keeper of the [[celestial waters]], e.g. 7.96.4, 10.66.5); it is cognate to Avestan ''*Harax<sup>w</sup>aitī'', speculated by Lommel (1927)<ref>Lommel, Herman (1927), ''Die Yašts des Awesta'', Göttingen-Leipzig: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht/JC Hinrichs</ref> to refer to [[Aredvi Sura Anahita|Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā]], the Avestan mythological world river, which would point to an already Proto-Indo-Iranian myth of a cosmic or mystical ''*Sáras-vn̥t-iH'' River. In the younger Avesta, ''Harax<sup>w</sup>aitī'' is identified with a region described to be rich in rivers. ==Rigvedic Sarasvati== The Sarasvati River is mentioned a total of 72 times in the Rigveda, appearing in all books except for book four. Sarasvati is mentioned both as the chief of the [[Sapta Sindhu]], the seven major rivers of the early [[Rigveda]], and listed in the geographical list of ten rivers in the [[Nadistuti sukta]] of the late Rigveda, and it is the only river with hymns entirely dedicated to it, [[RV 6]].61, [[RV 7|7]].95 and 7.96. === Praise for the Sarasvati === The Rigveda describes the Sarasvati as the best of all the rivers (RV 2.41.16-18; also 6.61.8-13; 7.95.2). Rigveda 7.36.6 calls it "the Seventh, Mother of Floods" ''sárasvatī saptáthī síndhumātā''<ref>Hans Hock (1999) translates ''síndhumātā'' as a [[bahuvrihi]], "whose mother is the Sindhu", which would indicate that the Sarasvati is here a tributary of the Indus. A translation as a [[tatpurusha]] ("mother of rivers", with ''sindhu'' still with its generic meaning) would be less common in RV speech.</ref>. RV 2.41.16 ''ámbitame nádītame dévitame sárasvati'' "best mother, best river, best goddess" expresses the importance and reverence of the Vedic religion for the Sarasvati river, and states that all life spans (āyuṣ) abide on the Sarasvati. Other hymns that praise the Sarasvati River include RV 6.61; 7.96 and 10.17. Rigveda 7.95.2. and other verses (e.g. 8.21.18) also tell that the Sarasvati poured "milk and [[ghee]]." Rivers are often likened to cows in the Rigveda, for example in 3.33.1cd, :''Like two bright mother cows who lick their youngling, [[Vipas]] and [[Sutudri]] speed down their waters.'' === The course of the Sarasvati=== Some Rigvedic verses (6.61.2-13) indicate that the Sarasvati river originated in the hills or mountains (giri), where she "burst with her strong waves the ridges of the hills (giri)". It is a matter of interpretation whether this refers not merely to the Himalayan [[foothills]] like the present-day Sarasvati (Sarsuti) river. The Sarasvati is described as a river swollen (pinvamānā) by the rivers (sindhubhih) (RV 6.52.6). In RV 8.21.18ab mentions a number of petty kings dwelling along the course of Sarasvati, :''Citra is King, and only kinglings ''[rājaka]'' are the rest who dwell beside Sarasvati.'' The Sarasvati River is also associated with the five tribes (e.g. RV 6.61.12), with the Paravatas and with the Purus (RV 7.95; 7.96). Another reference to the Sarasvati is in the geographical enumeration of the rivers in the late Rigvedic [[Nadistuti sukta]] (10.75.5, this verse enumerates all important rivers from the Ganges in the east up to the Indus in the west in a strict geographical order), as "[[Ganga]], [[Yamuna]], Sarasvati, [[Shutudri]]", the Sarasvati is placed between the Yamuna and the [[Sutlej]], consistent with the Ghaggar identification. It is clear, therefore, that even if she has unmistakably lost much of her former prominence, Sarasvati remains characterized as a river goddess throughout the Rigveda. In RV 3.23.4, the Sarasvati River is mentioned together with the [[Drsadvati River]] and the Apaya (Āpayā) River. In some hymns, the Indus river seems to be more important than the Sarasavati, especially in the [[Nadistuti sukta]]. In RV 8.26.18, the white flowing Sindhu 'with golden wheels' is the most conveying or attractive of the rivers. In the Rig Veda (7.95.1-2, tr. [[Ralph T.H. Griffith|Griffith]]) the Sarasvati is described as flowing to the [[samudra]], which is usually translated as ''ocean''. :''This stream Sarasvati with fostering current comes forth, our sure defence, our fort of iron.'' :''As on a [[chariot|car]], the flood flows on, surpassing in majesty and might all other waters.'' :''Pure in her course from mountains to the ocean, alone of streams Sarasvati hath listened.'' :''Thinking of wealth and the great world of creatures, she poured for [[Nahusa]] her [[milk]] and fatness.'' ===Sarasvati as a goddess=== [[Image:Saraswati.jpg|thumb|Painting of Goddess Saraswati by [[Raja Ravi Varma]]]]{{main|Saraswati}} The name Sarasvati already in the Rigveda does not always relate to a river and its personification exclusively; in several hymns and a number of incidental passages, the [[Devi|goddess]] [[Saraswati]] (later, the [[Hindu]] goddess of knowledge) is distinct from the river. In the 1 and 10 of the Rigveda, the Sarasvati is mentioned in 13 hymns (1.3, 13, 89, 164; 10.17, 30, 64, 65, 66, 75, 110, 131, 141). Only two of these references are unambiguously to the river, 10.64.9 calling for the aid of three "great rivers", Sindhu, Sarasvati and [[Sarayu]], and the geographical Nadistuti list (10.75.5) discussed above. The others invoke Sarasvati as a goddess without direct connection to a specific river. In 10.30.12, her origin as a river goddess may cause the rishi invokes her as protective deity as he composes a hymn to the celestial waters. Similarly, in 10.135.5, as Indra drinks [[Soma]] he is described as refreshed by Sarasvati. The invocations in 10.17 address Sarasvati as a goddess of the forefathers as well as of the present generation. In 1.13, 1.89, 10.85, 10.66 and 10.141, she is listed with other gods and goddesses, not with rivers. In 10.65, she is invoked together with "holy thoughts" (''{{IAST|dhī}}'') and "munificence" (''{{IAST|puraṃdhi}}''), consistent with her role as the goddess of both knowledge and fertility. == Other Hindu texts == In post-Rigvedic literature, Vinasana (the place of disappearance of the Sarasvati), is mentioned. [[Plaksa]] Prasravana denotes the place where the Sarasvati appears.<ref>Pancavimsa Brahmana, Jaiminiya Upanisad Brahmana, Katyayana Srauta Sutra, Latyayana Srauta; Macdonell and Keith 1912</ref> In the Rigveda Sutras, Plaksa Prasravana refers to the source of the Sarasvati.<ref>Asvalayana Srauta Sutra, Sankhayana Srauta Sutra; Macdonell and Keith 1912, II:55</ref> ===Yajur Veda=== The [[Vajasaneyi-Samhita]] of the Yajurveda 34.11 says: "Five rivers, with their flow, go to the Sarasvati. The Sarasvati however became a fivefold stream in the land." The medieval commentator Uvata wrote that the five tributaries of the Sarasvati were the Punjab rivers [[Drishadvati]], [[Satudri]] ([[Sutlej]]), [[Chandrabhaga]] ([[Chenab]]), [[Vipasa]] ([[Beas]]) and the [[Iravati]] ([[Ravi River|Ravi]]). According to [[V. S. Wakankar]] and Parchure, "the five mouths can be identified at Jaisalmer/Badmer. It is significant to note that dried-up remnants of the following five rivers are presently observable near the holy place called Panchabhadra..." <ref>[[V. S. Wakankar]] and C.N. Parchure: The Lost Vedic Sarasvati River, Mysore 1994, p.45)</ref> === Atharva Veda === The [[Atharva Veda]] (6.30.1) and some later texts (Taittiriya Brahmana 2.4.8.7, Sutras) say that farming of barley (yava) 'combined with honey' was practiced on the banks of the Sarasvati River. === Brahmanas === The first reference to a drying up of the Sarasvati is from the [[Brahmana]]s, texts that are composed in [[Vedic Sanskrit]], but dating to a later date than the Veda Samhitas. The Jaiminiya Brahmana (2.297) speaks of the 'diving under (upamajjana) of the Sarasvati', and the [[Tandya Brahmana]] (Pancavimsa Br.) calls this the 'disappearance' (vinasana). The same text (25.10.11-16) records that the Sarasvati is 'so to say meandering' (kubjimati) as it could not sustain heaven which it had propped up. The distance between the Plaksa Prasravana (place of appearance/source of the river)<ref>This place may refer to a spring in the Siwalik mountains in this text. It has been alleged that the source of the Rigvedic Sarasvati was not in the Siwalik Hills, but in the Himalayan mountains. {{Harvard reference | Surname=Agarwal| Given=Vishal | Authorlink= | Title=A Reply to Michael Witzel’s ‘Ein Fremdling im Rgveda’ | Journal=Journal of Indo-European Studies | Volume=31 | Issue=1-2 | Year=2003 | Page=107-185 | URL=http://www.omilosmeleton.gr/english/documents/ReplytoWitzelJIES.pdf}}</ref> and the Vinasana (place of disappearance of the river) is said to be 44 asvina (between several hundred and 1600 miles) (Tandya Br. 25.10.16; cf. Av. 6.131.3; Pancavimsa Br.<ref>40 asvins in the Pancavimsa Br. Subhash Kak. Birth and Early Development of Indian Astronomy. In Astronomy across cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy, Helaine Selin (ed), Kluwer, 2000</ref>). <ref>D.S. Chauhan in Radhakrishna, B.P. and Merh, S.S. (editors): Vedic Saraswati 1999. According to this reference, 44 asvinas may be over 2600 km</ref><ref>Vishal Agarwal points out that 44 Asvinas could be according to one calculation 880 miles (1400 km) or at least several hundred miles. {{Harvard reference | Surname=Agarwal| Given=Vishal | Authorlink= | Title=A Reply to Michael Witzel’s ‘Ein Fremdling im Rgveda’ | Journal=Journal of Indo-European Studies | Volume=31 | Issue=1-2 | Year=2003 | Page=107-185 | URL=http://www.omilosmeleton.gr/english/documents/ReplytoWitzelJIES.pdf}} </ref> In the [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] (1.4.1.10 sqq) there is a description of the god [[Agni]] burning out rivers, which may be a reference to the drying up of rivers. ===Late and Post-Vedic=== *The [[Latyayana Srautasutra]] (10.15-19) describes the Sarasvati. The Sarasvati in this text seems to be a perennial river until Vinasana, which is west of its confluence with Drshadvati (Chautang). <ref>{{Harvard reference | Surname=Agarwal| Given=Vishal | Authorlink= | Title=A Reply to Michael Witzel’s ‘Ein Fremdling im Rgveda’ | Journal=Journal of Indo-European Studies | Volume=31 | Issue=1-2 | Year=2003 | Page=107-185 | URL=http://www.omilosmeleton.gr/english/documents/ReplytoWitzelJIES.pdf}}</ref> The Drshadvati is described as a seasonal stream in this text (10.17). The Asvalayana Srautasutra and Sankhayana Srautasutra contain verses that are similar to the Latyayana Srautasutra. *In the [[Manu Smriti|Manu Samhita]] (II.17-18), the sage [[Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]], escaping from a flood, founded the Vedic culture between the Sarasvati and [[Drishadvati]] rivers. The Sarasvati River is the western boundary of [[Brahmavarta]] in Manusmriti (2.17): "the land between the Sarasvati and Drishadvati is created by God; this land is Brahmavarta." *Similarly, the [[Vasistha Dharma Sutra]] I.8-9 and 12-13 locates [[Aryavarta]] to the east of the disappearance of the Sarasvati in the desert, to the west of [[Kalakavana]], to the north of the mountains of [[Pariyatra]] and [[Vindhya]] and to the south of the [[Himalaya]]. [[Patanjali]]'s [[Mahābhāṣya]] defines Aryavarta like the Vasistha Dharma Sutra. *[[Baudhayana]] ''Dharmasutra'' gives similar definitions and declares that Aryavarta is the land that lies west of [[Kalakavana]], east of [[Adarsana]] (where the Sarasvati disappears in the desert), south of the [[Himalayas]] and north of the [[Vindhyas]]. *The [[Mahabharata]] says that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert (at a place named Vinasana or Adarsana).<ref>Mhb. 3.82.111; 3.130.3; 6.7.47; 6.37.1-4., 9.34.81; 9.37.1-2</ref> According to the Mahabharata, the river dried up in order that the [[Nishadas]] and [[Abhiras]] might not see her.<ref>Mhb 3.130.3-5; 9.37.1-2</ref> The [[Mahabharata]] also states that [[Vasishtha]] committed suicide by throwing himself into the Sutlej and that the Sutlej then broke up in a 100 channels (Yash Pal in S.P. Gupta 1995: 175). This seems to be related with the changing of the course of the Sutlej river. Recent research indicates that the Sutlej flowed into the Ghaggar-Hakra river in ancient times. **According to Hindu mythology, the Sarasvati flows in a subterranean fashion and joins the [[Yamuna]] and the [[Ganges|Ganga]] in the "Triveni Sangam" at [[Prayag]] ([[Allahabad]]). The Mahabharata also records that the Sarasvati joins the sea impetuously (Mbh. 3.88.2). **[[Balaram]], elder brother of [[Krishna]] took a journey, starting from [[Dwaraka]], along the banks of Sarasvati and visited a number of holy places during the wartime. During his pilgrimage, Balaram visited Vinasana, the place where the Sarasvati disappears in the desert (Mbh. 3.80.118; 9.36.1; 3.130.4). In Mahabharata 9.53.11, Balaram visited karapacava (where the Yamuna originates) shortly after visiting Plaska Prasravana (where the Sarasvati originates). **The Mahabharata also records that the Sarasvati, after having disappeared in the desert, reappears in some places (e.g. Mbh. 3.80.118). According to the Mahabharata (3.81.115), [[Kurukshetra]] is south of the Sarasvati and north of the Drishadvati. The Mahabharata also states that the Sarasvati is the first creation among rivers and that it flows to the ocean (Mbh. Anus’a_sana 134.15). **According to the Mahabharata, Puskara in the Sarasvati river region was during the Tretayuga period the most sacred site on earth.<ref>Subhash Kak. Birth and Early Development of Indian Astronomy. In Astronomy across cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy, Helaine Selin (ed), Kluwer, 2000</ref> **[[Oghavati]] was another name of river Sarasvati according to Mahabharata 9.38. *Several [[Purana]]s describe the Sarasvati River, and also record that the river separated into a number of lakes (''saras''). <ref>D.S. Chauhan in Radhakrishna, B.P. and Merh, S.S. (editors): Vedic Saraswati, 1999, p.35-44 </ref> In Skanda Purana, five distributaries of the Sarasvati are mentioned.<ref>compare also with Yajurveda 34.11, D.S. Chauhan in Radhakrishna, B.P. and Merh, S.S. (editors): Vedic Saraswati, 1999, p.35-44 </ref> The [[Skanda Purana]] states that the Sarasvati originates from the water pot of [[Brahma]] and flows from [[Plaksa]] on the Himalayas. It then turns west at Kedara and also flows underground. According to Vamana Purana 32.1-4, the Sarasvati was rising from the [[Plaksa tree]] ([[Pipal tree]]).<ref>D.S. Chauhan in Radhakrishna, B.P. and Merh, S.S. (editors): Vedic Saraswati, 1999, p.35-44 </ref> ==Identification== ===Ghaggar-Hakra River=== {{main|Ghaggar-Hakra River}} Both 19th and 20th century fieldwork ([[Marc Aurel Stein]] and recent satellite imagery suggest that the [[Ghaggar]]-[[Hakra]] river in the undetermined past had the [[Sutlej]] and the [[Yamuna]] as its tributaries. Geological changes diverted the Sutlej towards the Indus and the Yamuna towards the Ganga, and the formerly great river (the [[Rann of Kutch]] is likely the remains of its [[river delta|delta]]) did not have enough water to reach the sea anymore and dried up in the [[Thar desert]]. This change is estimated by geologists to have occurred between 5000 and 3000 BC,<ref>Valdiya, K. S., in Dynamic Geology, Educational monographs published by J. N. Centre for Advanced Studies, Bangalore, University Press (Hyderabad), 1998.</ref> that is, before the [[Mature Harappan]] period. It is therefore proposed that the Sarasvati of the early Rigveda corresponds to the Ghaggar-Hakra before these changes took place (the "Old Ghaggar"), and the late Vedic end Epic Sarasvati disappearing in the desert to the Ghaggar-Hakra following the diversion of Sutlej and Yamuna, but the 4th millennium date of the event far predates even high estimates of the age of the Rigveda. The identification of the Vedic Sarasvati River with the Ghaggar-Hakra River was already accepted by [[Christian Lassen]]<ref>Indische Alterthumskunde</ref> and [[Max Müller]]<ref>Sacred Books of the East, 32, 60</ref> and [[Marc Aurel Stein]]. However, left leaning historians claim the early Sarasvati River in Afghanistan. The identity of the dried-up Ghaggar-Hakra with the late Vedic and post-Vedic Sarasvati is widely accepted. === Helmand river === {{main|Helmand River}} Most Left leaning historians suggestion for the identity of the early Rigvedic Sarasvati River include the [[Helmand River]] in [[Afghanistan]], separated from the watershed of the Indus by the [[Sanglakh Range]]. This name was in turn Hellenized to [[Arachosia]]. The 1st century CE geographer [[Isidore of Charax]] referred to Arachosia, the land where the Arghandab and Helmand (Setumanta) flow, as [[White India]]. Although there is no proof that Haraxvaiti is actually referred to Helmand it is possible that Iranians are referring to Sarasvati when they talk about Haraxvaiti. Avesta (Fargard 1) mentions Haraxvaiti in connection with the 16 lands that the Iranians had wandered through before arriving at their final destination, which is their present homeland; it has also a direct reference to the Hapta Hindu which is the Vedic Saptasindhu, the land of the Seven Rivers. Thus the Iranian people remenber having been at and having left the region where Sarasvati flowed among the Seven Rivers. The Vedic Aryans have references to locations in near and distant neighbouring areas but do not mention any previous habitats or migrations. Avesta extols the Helmand in similar terms to those used in the Rigveda with respect to the Sarasvati: "the bountiful, glorious Haetumant swelling its white waves rolling down its copious flood" ([[Avesta|Yasht]] 10.67). The possibility of an inverse transfer of the name from India to Iran is proposed by several authors, who argue that "it would be just as plausible to assume that Sarasvati was a Sanskrit term indigenous to India and was later imported by the speakers of Avestan into Iran." <ref>George Erdosy (1989): cited after Bryant 2001: 133</ref> A transfer of the name from India to Iran, ought to have taken place in pre-[[Proto-Iranian]] times, since the initial ''*s'' was regularly changed to ''h-'' in proto-Iranian. <ref>e.g. Bryant (2001: 133)</ref> Criticism of the Helmand identification with early Rig Vedic Sarasvati typically points out that the Helmand flows into a swamp in the [[Iranian plateau]] (the extended [[wetland]] and lake system of [[Hamun-i-Helmand]]), which does not match the Rigvedic description of ''[[samudra]]'' meaning ocean in the Sanskrit. ==Present-day Sarasvatis== * Sarsuti is the present-day name of a river originating in a submontane region ([[Ambala]] district) and joining the Ghaggar near [[Shatrana]] in [[Haryana]]. Near [[Sadulgarh]] ([[Hanumangarh]]) the Naiwala channel, a dried out channel of the [[Sutlej]], joins the [[Ghaggar]]. Near [[Suratgarh]] the Ghaggar is then joined by the dried up [[Drishadvati]] river. * Sarasvati is the name of a river originating in the [[Aravalli]] mountain range in [[Rajasthan]], passing through [[Siddhpur]] and [[Patan]] before submerging in the [[Rann of Kutch]]. *The [[Saraswati River (Bengal)|Saraswati River]] in [[Bengal]], formerly a tributary of the [[Hooghly River]], has dried up since the 17th century. ==See also== *[[Sapta Sindhu]] *[[Saraswat Brahmins]] *[[Saraswati River (Bengal)]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * {{cite book | first=Edwin | last=Bryant | authorlink=Edwin Bryant | title=[[The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture]] | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2001 | id=ISBN 0-19-513777-9}} *Gupta, S.P. (ed.). 1995. The lost Saraswati and the Indus Civilization. Kusumanjali Prakashan, Jodhpur. *Hock, Hans (1999) Through a Glass Darkly: Modern "Racial" Interpretations vs. Textual and General Prehistoric Evidence on Arya and Dasa/Dasyu in Vedic Indo-Aryan Society." in Aryan and Non-Aryan in South Asia, ed. Bronkhorst & Deshpande, Ann Arbor. *Keith and Macdonell. 1912. Vedic Index of Names and Subjects. *Kochhar, Rajesh, 'On the identity and chronology of the {{IAST|Ṛgved}}ic river {{IAST|Sarasvatī}}' in ''Archaeology and Language III; Artefacts, languages and texts'', Routledge (1999), ISBN 0-415-10054-2. *Lal, B.B. 2002. The Saraswati Flows on: the Continuity of Indian Culture. New Delhi: Aryan Books International *Oldham, R.D. 1893. The Sarsawati and the Lost River of the Indian Desert. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 1893. 49-76. *Puri, VKM, and Verma, BC, ''Glaciological and Geological Source of Vedic Sarasvati in the Himalayas'', New Delhi, Itihas Darpan, Vol. IV, No.2, 1998 [http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/glaciology/glaciology1.htm] *Radhakrishna, B.P. and Merh, S.S. (editors): Vedic Saraswati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India (1999) Geological Society of India (Memoir 42), Bangalore. [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/feb102000/BOOKREVIEWS.PDF Review (on page 3)] [http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/VedicSaraswati1.html Review] *{{cite book | author=Shaffer, Jim G. | title=Cultural tradition and Palaeoethnicity in South Asian Archaeology | publisher=In: Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia. Ed. George Erdosy. | year=1995 | id=ISBN 3-11-014447-6}} ==External links== *[http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/oct252004/1141.pdf Is River Ghaggar, Saraswati? by Tripathi,Bock,Rajamani, Eisenhauer] *[http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/oct25/articles20.htm Saraswati – the ancient river lost in the desert by A. V. Sankaran] *[http://www.gisdevelopment.net/application/archaeology/site/archs0001.htm The Saraswati: Where lies the mystery by Saswati Paik] {{Rigveda}} {{Waters of South Asia}} [[Category:Locations in Hindu mythology]] [[Category:Mythological rivers]] [[Category:Rigvedic rivers]] [[Category:Rivers of India]] [[Category:Rivers of Rajasthan]] [[Category:Sacred rivers]] [[eo:Sarasvati (rivero)]] [[fr:Sarasvatî (fleuve)]] [[gu:સરસ્વતી નદી]] [[hi:सरस्वती नदी]] [[id:Sungai Saraswati Weda]] [[nl:Sarasvati (rivier)]] [[pl:Saraswati (rzeka)]] [[simple:Saraswati River]] [[te:సరస్వతీ నది]]