--- John Croft <
jdcroft@...> wrote:
> Yes, the Saraswati or Sarasvati River was one which
> flowed through > what is today the Thar desert
separating India and> Pakistan. > Its course seem to
have flowed into the Indus south> of the > Punjab.
Climatic change associated some think, in> part from
> anthropogenic (human caused) action (forest clearing
> and overgrazing) > resulted in its disappearance
about 3,500 years ago.
There is a recent scientific publication titled
VEDIC SARASVATI published in Oct. 1999 by the
Geological Society of India, Bangalore. The findings
are that the tectonic causes resulted in river
migrations in NW India. Sutlej (Vedic S'utudri_) which
was a tributary of River Sarasvati joining her at
Shatrana (Punjab)took a 90-degree turn near Ropar (an
archaeological site) and shifted westwards to join the
Beas (Vitasta) and then the Sindhu. [There are no
archaeological sites on the Sindhu west of Ropar on
the Beas or Sutlej]. Yamuna which was also a tributary
of River Sarasvati joining her also at Shatrana
migrated
westwards east of the Aravalli (Arbuda) ranges which
cut through the plains right upto the Siwalik ranges.
This Yamuna migration led to the sangam (confluence)
of Yamuna, Sarasvati waters with the waters of Ganga.
There are hundreds of archaeological sites on the
Sarasvati River Banks after the Shatrana confluence.
The later date sites are on the Ganga-Yamuna doab. The
width of the river at Shatrana was 20 (twenty) kms!
and the average width of the flow right through the
Thar (Marusthali) desert was between 3 to 8 kms. right
upto the Rann of Kutch. Prof. Gregory Possehl in his
monumental work INDUS AGE--THE BEGINNINGS (Published
in Feb. 2000) has given a gazetteer of 2,600 ancient
sites; of these over 75% are on the banks of the River
Sarasvati. It appears the river was a larger river
than the Sindhu and was navigable and had supported
large number of cultural settlements between 3500 to
1200 BC.
The desiccation of the river caused by the desertion
of the Sutlej and Yamuna (Himalayan river
tributaries)led to the river being fed (after 1200 BC)
only by monsoon rains from the Siwalik ranges (and no,
molten glacier sources).
A reasonable hypothesis is that migrations (to the
Ganga-Yamuna doab, to Godavari river and to
Afghanistan--haraqvaiti area) followed the
desiccation, say between 1900 to 1000 BC.
Best regards, Dr. S. Kalyanaraman
=====
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