History has been full of assumptions, theories and
hypotheses. As E.H Carr has said, “History is a continuous dialogue between the
past and the present.” As newer evidence and theories arise, our perceptions of
history change accordingly. One such issue is of the exact geographical
location of the Sapta-Sindhu (abbreviated as SS). This article proposes the
theory that SS is the region of Saraswati and its six tributaries (Satluj,
Yamuna, Markanda, Ghaggar, Dangri and Chautang) in Haryana region and not the
oft repeated Punjab region of river Indus + 5 Punjab rivers + Saraswati.
The 7 rivers of Saraswati valley form the original Sapta Sindhu. (Map Courtesy- K.S Valdiya Report)
THEORIES
OF THE SAPTA SINDHU
Sapta Sindhu is not clearly defined in any of the
ancient texts. The Rigveda merely mentions the story of Indra slaying Asura
called Vritra and released the waters of the ‘Sapta Sindhu’ obstructed by
Vritra. Few verses mention the name Sapta-Saindhavah or the region of the Sapta
Sindhu but don’t define it. This ambiguity has given rise to theories regarding
the region of Sapta Sindhu.
Theory
One-
It considers the Punjab region as the zone of SS. The rivers Indus or Sindhu,
Shatadru (Satluj), Parushni (Ravi), Vipasa (Beas), Asikni (Chenab) and Vitasta
(Jhelum) and the Saraswati constitute the SS, thus placing the region of
Rigveda in the Punjab region. This is by far the most circulated theory
originating from the 19th century Indologists like Oldham, etc. This
entire theory was crystallized in the 20th century when in 1921,
John Marshall discovered the Indus Valley Civilization and now it became
pertinent to place the Aryans in the Punjab region to prove the Aryan invasion
from the north-west. More you place the SS to the northwest, the better.
Theory
Two-
Some historians, in their eagerness to prove the invasion, tried to place the
Saraswati itself outside India, into Afghanistan. The Avesta mentions the
Helmond River of southern Afghanistan as Harahvaiti, which is similar to
Saraswati (S becomes H in Avesta just like Sindhu became Hindu). Avesta also
mentions the region as Hapta-Handu, which is similar to Sapta Sindhu. Thus, the
SS is in Afghanistan and the ‘Vedic Aryans composed Rigveda in Afghanistan
before invading into India’. The discovery of Saraswati in India itself
rubbishes this theory and hence doesn’t warrant any further discussion.
It is the first theory that this article seeks to
counter. The problems in this theory are summarized as follows-
The
entire process of zeroing in on the Sapta Sindhu appears like a layman’s effort.
Given the crude methods of historical study then, the historians could have
proceeded something like this- The word Sapta-Sindhu has the word ‘Sindhu’,
which not only means a river but also the name of Indus river. Thus, Sapta
Sindhu must include Indus River. Now we must find 6 other rivers. The most
obvious candidates are the five tributaries of Indus mentioned in the Rigveda-
Shatadru (Satluj), Parushni (Ravi), Vipasa (Beas), Asikni (Chenab) and Vitasta
(Jhelum). The last remaining river was considered as Saraswati due to the fact
that it was mentioned the most in Rigveda.
A
primary reading of the Rigveda will tell you that Saraswati is the most
important river of the SS region. If we consider the pattern of human
settlement, the river having crucial significance in the lives of people will
be in the center of the settlement. The humans will seek to spread on both the
sides, keeping the river in the center due to its geographical and religious
significance.
This
theory relegates the Saraswati to the easternmost corner of the SS with the
central region occupied by the Doab of Ravi and Beas. This is completely
contrary to any pattern of human settlement. If the Vedic Aryans indeed
considered Saraswati as the most important river, their spread must be around
the Saraswati and not keeping it in one corner of the Sapta Sindhu region.
SAPTA SINDHU IN HARYANA REGION
The theory presented in this article is that it is
the Saraswati and her 6 tributaries Satluj, Yamuna, Markanda, Ghaggar, Dangri
and Chautang that form the Sapta Sindhu region. But before going to the details
of these rivers, let’s first look at why should the region around the Saraswati
be considered the fittest candidate to locate the Sapta Sindhu. The intention
is to prove that if the entire focus of Rigveda and later texts has been on the
Saraswati and its surrounding region, this has to be the most plausible
location of the Sapta Sindhu (SS)
If SS is the most holy land, the holy places
mentioned in the texts must lie in that region. For example, for Christianity, the
holiest land is of Israel wherein lies Jerusalem, Bethlehem, etc. Let
Christianity expand anywhere in the world, the holy land retains its importance.
The Crusades of Europeans to reclaim Jerusalem prove the point. Similarly, if
Vedic Aryans consider SS as their core region, the holy places mentioned in the
ancient texts must lie there.
The Rigveda chiefly mentions two holy places in the
SS region, namely Ilayaspada and Manusha. RV (3.23.4) calls Ilayaspada as the best place on earth (Vara A
Prithivya) while elsewhere, they are called the center of the earth (Nabha Prithivya). Now these two places
must be located in the core SS region.
Phenomenal study has been done by Shrikant Talageri
in his book The Rigveda-A Historical Analysis. He mentions the Tirthayatra of
Balarama from Mahabharata (3.81) where he visits chief Tirthas on the banks of
Saraswati. MBh (3.81.53) mentions Manusha, which M.L Bhargava has identified as
Manas near Kaithal in Haryana. Similarly, Ilayaspada has been identified at
Shergarh near Kaithal. A point to be noted is that Saraswati flows just to the
north of Kaithal.
If the ‘best place’ and the ‘central place’ are located
along the Saraswati river, the region surrounding these holy places must be the
SS and not the lands to its west till the river Indus that will render these
holy places to one corner.
Moreover, the Puru-Bharata clan is the most
important one in Rigveda. The Rigveda seems to be written completely in the
favour of Puru-Bharatas. The RV (7.96.2) mentions Purus living on the ‘grassy
banks of Saraswati’ showing the Purus owning the most important land of those
times. Also, the Vishnu Purana (4.10) talks of an earlier story of king Yayati,
who ruled the major sections of northern India then, giving away the ‘central’
land to Puru (i.e Saraswati valley). The Vishnu Purana calls Puru the supreme
monarch of “earth”. The surrounding regions went to his brothers- southern
region to Yadu (Yadavas), western to Turvasu, northwestern to Druhyu and
northern part to Anu. Thus, the descendents of Puru ruled the central part of
the kingdom, which the Rigveda points to be the Saraswati valley. This is
confirmed by the Mahabharata which says the Kuru-Jangala kingdom of the
Saraswati valley, ruled by the Pandavas belongs to the Puru clan.
Plus, the holiest sites of those days are around the
Kurukshetra region ruled by the Puru clan, on the banks of Saraswati and its
tributaries, as mentioned in the travels of Balarama in Mahabharata. There are
as many as 360 Tirthas in the Kurukshetra region, all near the prominent
rivers. Best example is of the ancient Pruthudaka Tirtha located on the
confluence of Saraswati and Markanda in today’s Pehowa in Haryana. (You can
check a big list of such Tirthas around Kurukshetra from here http://www.preservearticles.com/2012030825908/religious-places-and-pilgrimage-sites-of-haryana.html
)
In short, if the most-mentioned and celebrated clan
in the Rigveda (Puru) is situated around
the most important river of the Rigveda (Saraswati) and rules the holiest
places of those times (Kurukshetra region), this region has to be in the center
of Sapta Sindhu.
Even the earliest place of settlement as mentioned
by the Puranas is called Brahmavarta, set up by Swayambhuva Manu. The Manu Smriti
(2.17) records, “The land, created by the gods, which lies between the two
divine rivers Sarasvati and Drishadvati, the (sages) call it Brahmavarta.”
Thus, the divine land of the earliest settlement is also in the Saraswati valley.
Hence, wherever we search, the most sought after land is in the Saraswati valley.
Lastly, archaeology also points out to a rough trend
of better preference to the Saraswati valley than the Indus valley for human
settlement. For the moment, consider the Aryan Invasion Theory to be true. By
1900 BCE, the Saraswati has dried up in its lower course and people are moving
towards north. The late and post-Harappan settlements can be either in the
Indus Valley where water is available in plenty or in the upper reaches of
Saraswati in Haryana region where river survives a bit. In this situation, the
Aryans invade and populate northern India. The settlements in this transition
period are concentrated in the Saraswati valley, not in the Indus Valley
Late
Harappan Settlements concentrated in Saraswati Valley and parts of Ganga Valley
Even the Painted Grey Ware (after 1200 BCE),
considered to be the pottery of early Aryans, is found in the Haryana and west
UP region chiefly. Remember, it is these same Aryans who are composing Rigveda
around the Saraswati during this same time (1200 to 1000 BCE)
Painted
Grey Ware sites after 1200 BCE in Saraswati Valley
Now assume the Aryan Invasion is not true and that
the Indus Valley Civilization is indeed the Vedic civilization. Yet again,
majority of the mature Harappan sites are concentrated in the Saraswati valley including
its lower course and not in the Indus Valley. In short, archaeology points out
that the Indus Valley was never preferred much for human settlement as compared
to the Saraswati Valley.
Compare
the Harappan sites in the two boxes- One of Indus Valley, other of Saraswati
Valley. Even the dense sites around Ganweriwala are on banks of Saraswati.
Thus, all evidences tend to point out that the
Saraswati valley is preferred for geographical, religious and settlement
purposes. It is indeed the chief area where the Sapta Sindhu ought to be
located.
Now, let us see exactly which 7 rivers can possibly
constitute the Sapta Sindhu.
THE
SEVEN RIVERS OF SARASWATI VALLEY
A clarification at the start- These 7 rivers that we
will be seeing are not being found artificially to somehow add up to seven
rivers of the Sapta Sindhu or just to prove the theory. They were substantial
rivers in ancient times and their old palaeochannels have been unearthed by the
geologists recently. The information has been compiled in the report “Palaeochannels
of Northwest India: Review and Assessment” by K.S Valdiya, submitted to
Ministry of Water Resources in 2016.
Zoomed
map of the Seven Rivers of the Saraswati Valley, based on old palaeochannels
As noted earlier, the seven rivers are thus from
west to east direction-
- Satluj- Satluj originates at Rakas Sarowar near Kailas and flows through Himachal Pradesh and enters plains in Punjab. It used to flow southwards from Ropar and meet the Saraswati at a place called Shatrana, south of Patiala. The combined river was 6-8 km wide at Shatrana. Yashpal el al (1980) have found palaeochannel of Satluj from Ropar to Shatrana broadly in N-S direction, extending for 75 kms with a width of 1 to 6 km. C. F Oldham in 1873 opined that this channel shifted towards the west from Ropar and began joining the Beas thus depriving of the Saraswati of its crucial waters.
- Ghaggar- Ghaggar originates at Sirmaur in Himachal and flows through Panchkula and it demarcates the boundary between Punjab and Haryana. It used to join the Satluj in ancient times. Today it traces the old path of the Saraswati after Sirsa in Haryana, enters Rajasthan and then vanishes in the Cholistan desert near Bahawalpur.
- Tangri- Tangri or Dangri originates in Morni hills of Himachal and flows through Ambala district. It used to join the Saraswati just downstream from Pehowa. Today it joins the Ghaggar Hakra. It’s palaeochannel have been marked by the satellite images by Bhadra et al in 2009.
- Markanda- Known as Markandeya River. Markanda originates from Dharti Dhar in Himachal and enters plains at Kala Amb. Study by Bajpai and Kshetrimayum in 2011 analyzed underground sand sediments and concluded the Markanda indeed met the Saraswati near Pehowa-Thikri-Malakpur region
- Sarsuti- Sarasuti is considered the original flow of the Saraswati but with its course shifted little to the west. The river originated at Adi Badri in the Siwalik Hills and flows through sites like Mughalwali, Mustafabad, Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Fatehabad and beyond Sirsa traces the course of today’s Ghaggar-Hakra. Study by Chaudhari et all in 2008 revealed the course of Sarsuti near Bhor Saidan in Kurukshetra district to be around 2 km wide. Soil samples from Bir Pipli, Kanepla, etc in Kurukshetra district reveal a palaeochannel that flowed till 2000 BCE.
- Drishadvati- Chautang River today is a seasonal river arising out of the Siwaliks that flows through central Haryana and meets today’s Ghaggar-Hakra near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. In ancient times, this was the Drishadwati River which used to combine with Yamuna and together used to meet Saraswati. Bhadra et al in 2009 used remote sensing satellite data to delineate the channel of Drishadvati in Haryana.
- Yamuna- Yamuna originated at Yamunotri and originally joined the Tons or Tamasa river. But later on, it flowed down from Paonta Sahib and took a west turn to flow through central Haryana, joins the Drishadvati and finally meets the Saraswati near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. Clift et al (2012) did a study on the sediments at IVC site at Ganweriwala, allegedly on the banks of the Saraswati. They reveal similarity with sediments of Yamuna plains showing the Yamuna used to empty in the Saraswati in ancient times.
If these rivers are indeed considered as
Sapta-Sindhu, it will considerably narrow down the core area of Rigveda and
also explain the overbearing religious importance of the region of Kurukshetra
in later times.
On a concluding note, this article was a crude
attempt to define geography of the Rigveda in a new way. There exist strong
arguments as to why the Sapta Sindhu be located in its postulated location in
Punjab. But as I said in the start- History has been full of assumptions,
theories and hypotheses- There is no fun without them!