Sarasvati River: Radio 4 BBC

[Guest guest]

>Kolkata (on Ma_gha Shukla Panchami day: Sarasvati janma tithi

>celebratation held in a big way on Feb. 17, 2002), Delhi, Kalibangan,

>Mohangarh (Jaisalmer Dist.) where the river is flowing again: 40 ft. >wide, 12

ft. deep channel; the huge inaugural plaque there reads: >Sarasvati mahanadi

ru_pa_ nahar. Kalyan > >India's 'miracle river' > >Scientists say new evidence

could unearth the Saraswati > >The legend of the mighty Saraswati river has

lived on in India since >time immemorial. Ancient Hindu scriptures called the

Vedas, recorded >thousands of years ago, are full of tantalising hymns about it

being >the life-stream of the people. > >In a new radio programme, Madhur

Jaffrey recounts the legend of the >Saraswati river - and explores startling

new evidence that it may not >have been a myth after all. > >Vast and awesome,

the Saraswati's holy waters are supposed to have >flowed from the Himalayas

into the sea, nourishing the land along the >way. But as the centuries passed

and no one could find it, myth, >belief and religion came together and the

Saraswati passed into the >realm of folklore. > >Now most people in India think

of it as a mythical river. Some even >believe that it is an invisible river or

that it still flows >underground. Another commonly held perception is that the

Saraswati >once flowed through the north Indian city of Allahabad, meeting

there >with two other rivers, the Ganges and the Jamuna. > >The confluence of

these three rivers - one of which is not visible to >the eye - is considered

one of India's holiest spots. > > >Saraswati, Hindu goddess of Learning > >For

most of the country, the name Saraswati is better known for its >divine

namesake - the goddess Saraswati, Hindu goddess of Learning. >Worshipped

particularly by students and school children, her festival >falls in February,

and the city of Calcutta is famous for celebrating >her in style. > >Makeshift

shrines are erected in every street and after the festival >is over, thousands

of the images are taken to the banks of the river >Hooghly and pitched into the

water where they are forever carried >away by the river. > >The goddess'

connection to water is part of the enigma that surrounds >the river. But that

mystery could be set to be dispelled forever, as >startling scientific evidence

has come to light. > >Through satellite photography, scientists have mapped the

course of >an enormous river that once flowed through the north western region

>of India. The images show that it was 8 km wide in places and that it >dried

up 4,000 years ago. > >Dr JR Sharma who heads the Remote Sensing Services

Centre in Jodhpur >which is mapping the images, believes a major earthquake may

have >played a part in the demise of the Saraswati. There was, he says, a >big

tectonic activity that stopped the water supply to the river. > >Sharma and his

team believe they have found the Saraswati and are >excited about what this

discovery could mean for India. The idea is >to tap its potential as a water

source. They are working with India¿s >leading water experts who are using the

satellite images as clues. > > >Scientists hope to find water under the desert

> >Deep in the western Rajasthan desert, not far from the security- >conscious

border with Pakistan, an extraordinary programme is >underway. Giant drilling

rigs probe deep into the dry, arid earth >pulling out undisturbed layers of

soil and sediment for scientists to >study and test. > >Water engineers are

exploring the region's ancient riverbeds for what >they call groundwater -

underground reservoirs that contain perfectly >drinkable water. If they are

successful, their discovery could >transform the lives of thousands of locals

who currently experience >harsh water shortages. > >Mr KS Sriwastawa of the

Rajasthan State Groundwater Board believes >one of these ancient buried

channels may be the Saraswati. > >He knows the stories refer to the ancient

river flowing through this >area and says excitedly that carbon dating has

revealed that the >water they are finding is 4000 years old. That would date it

to the >time of the Saraswati. > >The modern search for the Saraswati was first

sparked by an English >engineer called CF Oldham in 1893 when he was riding his

horse along >the dry bed of a seasonal Rajasthani river called the Ghaggar. >

>As he rode on, he was struck by a sudden thought. The Ghaggar when it >flowed,

was a small, puny river and there was no reason for its bed >to be up to 3km

wide in places unless it occupied the former course >of a much larger river -

the Saraswati. > >The discovery of a vast prehistoric civilisation that lived

along the >banks of a major river, has added impetus to the growing modern

>belief that the Saraswati has been found. > >Over 1000 archaeological sites

have been found on the course of this >river and they date from 3000 BC. One of

these sites is the >prehistoric town of Kalibangan in northern Rajasthan. > >The

town has proved a treasure trove of information about the Bronze >Age people who

actually lived on the banks of the Saraswati. >Archaeologists have discovered

that there were priests, farmers, >merchants and very advanced artists and

craftsmen living there. > >Highly sophisticated seals on which there is

evidence of writing have >also been found, indicating that these people were

literate, but >unfortunately the seals have never been deciphered. > >They may

well hold the clue to the mystery of what happened to the >Saraswati and

whether it has really been found again. > >The Miracle River is broadcast at

3.30pm on Saturday 29 June on BBC >Radio 4 >

>http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_2073000/20731 >59.stm

> > >

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