In News: The Centre has reconstituted an advisory committee to chalk out a plan for studying the mythical Saraswati river for the next two years, after the earlier panel’s term ended in 2019.
Sarasvati River
- Originated from Kapal tirith in the Himalayas in the west of Kailash
- The river flowed through Haryana, Rajasthan and North Gujarat,It also flowed through Pakistan before meeting Western Sea through Rann of Kutch.
- The Sarasvati River is an extinct river mentioned in the Rig Veda and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts.
- As the goddess Sarasvati, the main referent for the term “Sarasvati” which developed into an independent identity in post-Vedic times.
- The Sarasvati is considered by Hindus to exist in a metaphysical form, in which it formed a confluence with the sacred rivers Ganges and Yamuna, at the Triveni Sangam.
Historical Evidence Sarasvati River
- Mentioned in the scripture Rig Veda and later Vedic and post-Vedic texts.
- Book 6 of the Rig Veda includes hymn praises of the Saraswati as being “perfect mother, unsurpassed river, supreme goddess”.
- For 2000 years, between 6000 and 4000 B.C., the Saraswati flowed as a great river.
Composition of the Panel
- The committee Chaired by the Culture Minister.
- Include officials from the Culture, Tourism, Water Resources, Environment and Forest, Housing and Urban Affairs Ministries; representatives of the Indian Space Research Organisation; officials from the governments of Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan; and an ASI official.
Source: The Hindu
