Guest guest Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 Namaste There is a book available 'New Discoveries About Vedic Sarasvati' written by Dr Ravi Prakash Arya.He is the Chief Editor of Vedic Science journal.Please reply if you need more info. Ashwini Kumar email: ashwini_kumarr >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 > _______________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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