A number of recent
studies have bolstered the case that the River Ghaggar - which
has been equated with the River Saraswati described in the Rig
Veda - did not have a glacial source in historical times and
was likely always fed from the sub Himalayas (Siwaliks).
http://tinyurl.com/ycpw3g5
Why is this of any interest?
The background is the controversial question of the origin of
theAryans.
The more widely accepted theory is that proto-Sanskrit speakers
entered the northwestern parts of India after or during the latter
stages of the demise of the Harappan city states beginning around
1800 -1500 B.C. The ancestors of these proto-Sanskrit speakers
can be traced according to this theory to the central Asia steppes.
In terms of the local ecology, geological evidence shows that
by this time the River Ghaggar which was once a river with substantial
water flow and was perhaps perennial had transformed into a smaller
ephemeral stream.
The competing theory is that the Aryans are indigenous to India
- indigenous in the sense that they were present on the northwestern
plains at least since the advent of agriculture. In this scenario
the Harappan city states was an Aryan civilization. To support
this more ancient presence of the Aryans on the plains of Haryana,
Punjab and Rajasthan, one line of argument is to point to the
Rig Veda which mentions a mighty Saraswati river located between
the rivers Sutlej and the Yamuna. The argument is that the composers
of the Rig Veda must have been living on the plains of Haryana
when the Ghaggar = Saraswati was perennial which means before
1800 B.C which in one way supports the theory that they and the
Harappan people were one and the same.
The Rig Veda describes the Saraswati as originating high in the
Himalayas. It was perennial because it had a glacial source. But
today the Ghaggar / Saraswati is no doubt fed from only the Siwaliks,
nowhere near the high glaciers. To account for this, supporters
say that earlier the glacially fed Sutlej and /or Yamuna flowed
into the Saraswati. Later around 1800 B.C or so the channels shifted
and the Ghaggar was stranded as a small ephemeral Siwalik fed
river. Image below shows the Ghaggar basin flanked by the Sutlej
and Yamuna.
A virtual industry dedicated to creating geological scenarios
as to how this must have happened and to collecting "evidence"
has proliferated on the internet, in various articles
and in popular
books.
A review of the peer reviewed geological literature shows that
these scenarios are wrong and are based on exaggerations of the
size of the Ghaggar and misunderstandings of geological processes.
I have written
an explanation of much of the list belowin an article for the
magazine Pragati. A short list is given here.
1)Use
of isotopes in search of Lost River - Journal of Radioanalytical
and Nuclear Chemistry: Data on stable isotopes of water in buried
channels of ancient Ghaggar in Rajasthan shows a composition compatible
with water from Siwaliks and not glacial high Himalayas.
2) Is
River Ghaggar, Saraswati? Geochemical constraints -Current
Science: Shows based on sediment geochemistry and composition
and geomorphologic and paleo-climatic constraints that the River
Ghaggar was likely always Siwalik fed.
3) Late
quaternary geomorphic evolution of Yamuna-Sutlej interfluve:
Significance of terminal fan - Journal of the Indian Society of
Remote Sensing : Studies the stratigraphy and geomorphology of
Yamuna channels and concludes that the Yamuna has been flowing
within its channel and has not been part of the Indus system i.e.
could not have flowed into the Saraswati.
4) Saraswati
Nadi in Haryana and its Linkage with the Vedic Saraswati River
Integrated Study Based on Satellite Images and Ground Based
Information - Journal Geological Society of India: Collected
data shows that metamorphic pebbles in the upper reaches of the
River Ghaggar can be derived from Siwalik source rocks and does
not indicate a high glacial Himalayan source. Also shows based
on geomorphology that the Yamuna did not flow into the Saraswati.
5) Reconstruction
of buried channel-floodplain systems of the northwestern Haryana
Plains and their relation to the Vedic Saraswati
- Current Science: Demonstrates based on stratigraphic, sedimentologic
and geomorphologic data that the River Ghaggar in historical times
had a smaller flow regime than in the earlier Quaternary period
and derived its sediments likely from the Siwaliks.
I say it is time to abandon the theory that Ghaggar/Saraswati
had a glacial source in historical times.
That does not mean abandoning the broader theory that the Aryan
/Vedic people were present on the Haryana plains before the collapse
of the Harappan civilization. Archaeology and linguistics and
perhaps genetics are a more powerful tool to address that question.
Let me add here that most archaeologists and linguists support
the theory that the Aryans were late arrivals to the northwestern
part of India.
The funny thing is, in my opinion the theory of a glacial source
of Saraswati is not necessary in this debate. The Ghaggar was
a wetter river before 1800 B.C. because of a generally more wetter
climate. Strong summer monsoons over the Siwaliks and then spring
flow would have made human settlements along its banks sustainable.
A life sustaining river would have been holy to the people depending
on it, regardless of whether it had a glacial origin or not.
The insistence that there was a past glacial source derives from
a belief that the Rig Veda is accurate in every aspect of its
recording of geography and physical events. This literal reading
of the Rig Veda has led to the theory being proposed initially
and for sustaining it.
Unhappily for science and for those who are looking for a scientifically
accurate account, this has frustratingly meant a popularization
and easy availability through the internet of an increasingly
untenable and unsupported geological narrative which is creeping
into the public consciousness as the correct story. People who
are supporting the glacial origin theory assert that they are
approaching the problem as a scientific question and with a scientific
temperament. I would like to take them at face value.
However, that does come with a condition and this is the willingness
to give up on your pet theory if the evidence piles up against
it. This is one of the critical tests of the scientific temperament.
There is plenty to show now that the Ghaggar / Saraswati was always
a Siwalik fed river. Persisting with the glacial theory in light
of this gathering evidence and pointing to scripture as a back-up
will diminish the scientific credibility of the "early Aryan
presence" supporters and perpetuate misinformation about
the subject. I hope one of them stands up and admits that geological
data does not support this particular theory.