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New Light On Saraswati
Mythical river flowed off Pehowa
Vishal Joshi
Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 13
Archaeologists led by Mr Rajesh Purohit has claimed having discovered the riverbed of the lost Saraswati river at a site known as Bhor Saidan village, 13 km from here on the Pehowa road.

Geologists and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists working to track the water channel termed the reported traces as “important turn” to understand the river once considered “a mythical water channel.”

Mr Purohit, curator of Srikrishna Museum at Kurukshetra said the discovered site was located on a mound and painted gray ware or the pottery associated with the Mahabharata age could be spotted here.

Bhor Saidan village was named after Kaurava hero Bhurisrava, son of Somadutta, whose name also figures in the Bhagavad Gita, he informs.

A crocodile park is still there along with the Bhurisrava ‘tirth’, here that confirms a water source around the mound where the village is located.

Excavation of the site and the riverbed of the lost river is considered ideal site for the study of Saraswati as the palaeo channels can be seen by naked eyes, informs Mr Rajender Singh Rana, guide lecturer at Srikrishna Museum.

Dr A K.Gupta, senior scientist at the Jodhpur Regional Centre of ISRO, confirmed the discovery. He said the new findings would add new dimension to the Saraswati work.

He said this discovery would throw light on human habitation and their culture on the bank of Saraswati.

Associated with the project, Dr Gupta here clarified it was yet to be ascertained if the Saraswati flowing from Haryana was similar to that of the Vedic Age.

It may also unravel the mystery of the lost Saraswati, mound encompasses a multicultural deposit of human habitation starting from the Painted Grey Ware culture dating back to 11th or 12th century BC up to the Mughal period, said Mr Purohit.

“It has been confirmed from the palaeo channel (a buried channel) beneath here which is evident from the official map of Survey of India,” he added.

Dr A.R. Chaudhri, reader in the Department of Geology, KU and working to track Saraswati on behalf of the ONGC sees the site as “path breaking” in locating the track of the lost river.

Mr Purohit said a satellite images taken of the palaeo channels, buried rivers, old alluvial soils etc which shows the channel below the village here from where for the first time in the history river beds containing huge amount of sand with mica have been found at a depth of 30 feet in a rain gulley.

The riverbed has seven layers alternatively, carrying sand and alluvial clay deposits.