Rebirth of River Sarasvati: a moment to cherish in the history of human civilization

[Guest guest]

I met Dr. VMK Puri, glaciologist of 33 years' experience, last week.

He has inventoried the 1500 Himalayan glaciers as part of the World

Glacial Inventory based in Zurich, Switzerland. He explained the

differences between a glacial flow in the Himalayas and a river

run-off in the plains. The former cuts a U-shaped channel; the latter

a V-shaped channel forming terraces on the river banks.

 

At Adi Badri, while archaeological work was proceeding on 3 sites, he

requested for a deep trench to be dug on the terrace close to Adi

Narayan temple, on the banks of River Sarasvati and close to River

Somb. To his surprise, he found that the river sediments in the

Terrace 1 layer (earliest layers) contained metamorphic rocks drawn

from the Central Himalayas as distinct from the typical riverine

rounded pebbles found in Terrace 2 and Terrace 3 layers (later

layers). According to him, this establishes that a Himalayan glacial

flow had entered the plains through this channel attested by the

embankment before the flow got choked up because of the lateral shift

of the Shiwalik ranges creating a Yamuna-tear at Paonta Saheb. This

is

confirmed by the Himalayan river sediments found in Ghaggar

downstream, dated to between 10,000 and 12,500 years BP. So, he says

Adi Badri is the Hardwar of River Sarasvati. Geomorphological and

dating work is ongoing.

 

This is history.

 

Now, let us talk of history in the making. A Sarasvati Sarovar

(80mX80m square and 11 ft. deep -- a Pushkarini with gentle sloping

steps as bathing ghats) which dominates the entire Adi Badri valley

abutting the Somb river, is now ready for dedication to the nation

and

to world civilization. About 8 lakh pilgrims who reach Kapalamochan

for Rinamochan mela, will also have a punyasnanam at this Sarovar, on

Karthik Purnima day immediately after Deepavali on Nov. 22, 2004, in

Sarasvati glacial waters (through a perennial spring trickling

through

the Shivalik slopes) augmented by water harvesting during monsoon

with

11 check-dams built for the purpose of afforestation and build-up of

a

Vedic herbal garden nearby. We are living through historic times; a

new tirthasthana has emerged. All are welcome to celebrate the

rebirth

of River Sarasvati as a perennial flow, along the old channel shown

in

Survey of India toposheets and village revenue records of

Kapalamochan, Bilaspur, Ajatashram, Bibipur lake, Pehoa -- a stretch

of 200 kms.

 

The day is not far off when Balarama's pariyatra will be re-enacted

by

the children of the world along the reborn River Sarasvati from

Dholavira to Ropar, since the Sarasvati Mahanadi Rupa Nahar (800 kms.

from Harike reservoir off the Bhakra-Nangal dam and Pong dam on

Rivers

S'utudri and Vipasa -- Sutlej and Beas, arterial streams of Vedic

River Sarasvati) is now flowing beyond zero-point Mohangarh (55 kms.

west of Jaisalmer, near Pakistan border) through Danan into Gedra

Road

in Barmer Dist. Another 100 kms. the waters of the 40 ft. wide, 12

ft.

deep torrential channel will reach Rann of Kutch, close to Surkotada,

another archaeological site of Sarasvati Civilization. This will

provide an impetus to create a National Water Grid to bring

Brahmaputra glacial waters to Kanyakumari.

 

Adi Badri can be reached from Kurukshetra (2 hours drive through

Jagadhri and Bilaspur) or from Hardwar (2 hours drive through Dehra

Dun, Paonta Saheb, and Bilaspur). Bilaspur is Vyasapura, close to Som

Sarovar where the Rinamochan mela is held annually on Karthik Purnima

day.

 

This is anubhu_ti in a quest (veda, root: vid- 'to know') sequence

following s'ruti and yukti.

 

Dhanyavaadah.

 

Kalyanaraman

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