Saraswati was the most revered river in ancient India. From Vedic to Puranic literature, we find continuous importance of this river, which was treated as the best of mothers, the best of rivers and the best of Goddess. It has been proved by the geological and glaciological evidence, satellite images, remote sensing, geophysical survey, and the survey by ONGC. The river had been the birthplace of the Bhartiya culture. The rich cultural heritage continues till today and can be seen in various forms like archaeological sites, literary activities, centres of learning, agricultural techniques, religious beliefs, customs, rituals and practices, sculptures, paintings, dance and drama, etc. The basin of the river had been the abode of ascetics, thinkers and philosophers having their hermitages in the dense forests. They continue as pilgrimage centres today.
References of the sacred river are found in the Vedas, Upanishads, the Mahabharata, the Manu Smriti and many Puranas, etc. Some of them were composed at the banks of Saraswati. They have rich content of our history and culture. The archaeological sites found scattered in the basin of this river in Haryana outnumber the Harappan civilisation, and Rakhigadhi is the biggest of them. Bhagwaanpura, Banawali, Balu, Sisawala, Bhirdana, Kunal and Mitathal are also very important. They were big centres of learning at the banks of this river and on similar footprints, and as a result, we now have many universities in the basin of this river. The agricultural techniques and implements of the Saraswati River civilisation continued till the last century, and their traces can be seen even today. The religious beliefs, customs, rituals, and practices developed in the basin thousands of years ago are the wealth of our homes. The great gatherings at the time of the Solar eclipse at Kurukshetra have been attracting people from all walks of life and all corners of Bharat from very ancient times. It contributes to national integration and cultural diffusion, breaking the barriers of cast, language and region.
The river goddess Saraswati is taken as an incarnation of arts and wisdom not only in the basin of the river but throughout the country and in many Asian states. It is not limited to Hinduism but is worshipped in Buddhism and Jainism as well. The sculptures in different postures are found from the 2nd century B.C. to modern times. Music, dance and dramas are performed in temples and public places to get her blessings:
Early literature: In the Rig Veda, the name Saraswati is mentioned nearly 80 times. She is regarded as the best of mothers, best of rivers, best of Goddesses, and as the giver of wisdom and knowledge. There is a prayer that may the glorious Saraswati, of seven streams, the mother of Sindhu and other rivers, charged with copious volume of water, flow vigorously, coming together, gifting abundant food. Again, in the Yajurved, we find five equally celebrated rivers merged with the mighty Saraswati to meet the Sindhu Sagar. In Atharvved (6.30.10) says, God blessed the people on the bank of the Saraswati with sweet, juicy barley, where generous Maruts became farmers and Indra became the lord of agriculture. This Mantra suggests that cereal farming was practised on the fertile soil of the Saraswati during the Vedic Times. According to the Rig-Veda (3.23.4), two princesses named Devashravas and Devavaat offered sacrifices in the land watered by rivers Apayaa, Saraswati, and the Drishdwati. Bharat Dushyanti made offerings on the banks of the Jamuna, the Ganga, and the Saraswati. Indra killed Vrita at Soma Tirth, which is Vedic Saryanavat. According to the Shatpath Brahman (9.5.14), Puruva found Urvashi there. We notice in Aitareya Brahmana that Rishis once held a sacrificial session on the banks of the Saraswati, and expelled Kavasha, the son of Ilusha. Valmiki mentions Kurujangal (2.68.13) in the way of messengers from Ayodha to Kaikeya and the Saraswati river when Bharat came from Kaikeya. Manusmriti define Brahmavarta between the rivers Saraswati and Drishdwati. We have many references to Saraswati in the Mahabharata . The aśrama of Dadhici lay across the river Saraswati. Trees and creepers of various kinds surrounded it. The Kamyaka vana (forest) lay on the banks of the river Saraswati. There is a good description of the tirthas at the banks of the river in the pilgrimage of Balram. Many of them continue as such. The Salya Parva seems to suggest that the name Saraswati was given to seven rivers and probably. Kancanakst, Visala, Maas given Oghavatt, Surenu and Vimalodaka. The Surenu-Sarasvati is said to have appeared in Kurukşetra as a result of Kuru’s penance, while the behavari-Saraswati happened to come to that locality because of the severe austerities performed by sage Vasistha
The exact text refers to the boundaries of Kurukshetra, where Saraswati is also mentioned. According to the Skanda Purana, the gods beseeched Saraswati to descend upon the earth, and she agreed to appear in the fig (plaksha) tree. Severe penance done by the sage Markandey was also a reason for Saraswati to come to the earth at his ashrama in the Plaksha tree. In the Shrishtikhand of Padampuran, the event of the descent of this river is described.
In Buddhist literature, the earliest reference is found in the Swaranprabha sutra, which is ascribed to the 1st century C.E. and was first translated in Chinese in 417C.E. Saraswati became a prominent deity who retained many of her Vedic associations, such as speech, texts, knowledge, healing and protection.
Archaeological sites: According to Michel Danino (ASI 2019), there are more than 2300 sites of the Saraswati Civilisation in Haryana. Out of them, nearly 650 are early Harappan and more than 350 are mature Harappan. This number is increasing every year. Mirzapur, Rakhigadhi, Kalayat, Pehowa, Banavali, Bhirdana, Kunal, Balu, and Siswala are some of the famous sites.
According to the technical report made by RRSC Jodhpur, the clustered mature Harappan/Sothi Harappan sites are found to occur in Jind and Karnal districts, where many palaeo-channels have been demarcated. Mostly late Harappan sites have been found to lie in Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts. In contrast, the Archaeological sites of the late Harappan to the Medieval period have been discovered in Adi Badri, Sandhya, Kapal Mochan, Mustafabad, Bilaspur, Sadhaura, Thanesar and Pehowa area, which lie primarily along the course of the Saraswati Nadi.
Balu: The village Balu is situated about 20 km south of Kaithal in Haryana. It was excavated by Kurukshetra University and yielded a three-fold cultural sequence, viz. Early Harappan, Mature Harappan and Late Harappan periods. The site is significant for our agricultural history. Plant remains found here include various types of barley, wheat, rice, horse gram, green gram, various types of pea, sesame, melon, watermelon, grapes, dates, garlic, etc. The garlic specimen is the earliest evidence of garlic cloves in South & Southeast Asia, and it dates to the Mature Harappan.
Rakhigarhi: It is the biggest and most important archaeological site in Bharata discovered so far. It was the centre of the Saraswati civilisation. Rakhigarhi settlement witnessed all three phases of the early, mature, and late Indus Valley Civilisation. It has a highly developed drainage system, a fortified citadel, fire altars, and typical Harappan pottery and sculptures (Dikshit 25-26). The site also served as a production centre, and the abundance of material, including a vast number of pot shards and bangles, can be found strewn on the surface across the expanse of the site. A female skeleton from Rakhigarhi is the first to provide us with ancient Harappan DNA. The site is positioned between the paleo beds of the Ghaggar-Hakra and Chautang rivers, identified by many scholars as the Rigvedic Saraswati and Drishadvati.
Kunal: The village Kunal is located about 14 km southeast of Ratia in the Fatehabad district. This site spreads over an area of about 1.2 hectares and is about 3 metre high. It yielded remains of the pre-Harappan (Hakra pottery). Early Harappan and Mature Harappan and PGW periods, including a good number of steatite and carnelian beads; terracotta bangles, beads, toy cart, humped bull figurine and cakes.
Banawali: This village is located about 15 km west of Fatehabad. R.S. Bisht excavated the site, and the site yielded all three phases of the early mature, and late Harappan periods. (Bisht 1982). It spreads over an area of about 7 hectares and rises about 7 metre high. The Mature Harappan pottery includes a sherd of a pot with multi-branched papal leaves.
Bhiradana: Bhirrana: The village Bhirdana is located 14 km north west of Fatehabad. The archaeological site measures 2 hectares in size and is about 5.50 metre high. A continuous sequence starting from the pre-Harappan (the Hakra ware culture) to the Mature Harappan periods was revealed. A good number of antiquities were collected, including beads of semi-precious stone, terracotta, steatite and faience, and bangles of terracotta and faience and painted with multi-branched pipal leaves.
Siswal: Siswal is situated about 10 km southeast of Adampur in the Hissar district. The archaeological site is located on the left bank of the dried river Chautang. The excavations revealed remains of the early and mature Hittite periods.
Centres of learning: Spread along the course of the Saraswati River. There were many pilgrimage sites as described in Balaram’s pilgrimage, along the upstream course of the Saraswati from Samudra Samgam to Plaska prasaravana. Many kings and sages performed sacrifices and practised austerities. The famous sites in Haryana were like Kurukshetra, Faral, Kalayata, Pehowa, Kapisthala, Pindara, Ramraya, Jind and Polada.
Kurukshetra is a famous and historical aspect of pilgrimage and learning. We find in the Mahabharata and the Vamana Purana that at Brahmasara, King Kuru lived as an ascetic. Pehowa, the ancient Prithudak, is one of the most essential pilgrimage stations of the world. It is believed that the religious importance increases from the Kurukshetra to Saraswati, to its banks, and Prithudak. It is called Brahma Yoni Tirth. Kalayata is attributed to the sage Kapila, who propounded sankha darshan. Here is also the oldest temple of the State, made of bricks. Polada is also famous for the Saraswati temple and is also an archaeological site. It yielded some terracotta and copper seals having emblems of human feet, trisula, chakra, padma, bull, and fire altar. The sages Jamdagni, Vashishtha, Vishvaamita, Gautama, Kakshivana, Bhardwaja, Vamdeva, Dadhichi, etc. had their hermitages called aashrams at the banks of Saraswati and its tributaries. They were famous centres of learning. They worked as the centre of learning of various religious, social, and technical subjects and other related activities. The banks of Saraswati had hermitages of two women scholars and ascetics who gained the highest spiritual position. One was the daughter of Kunigarg, called Vriddha Kanya. These are the earliest and most substantial evidence of women’s education in this area. Nowadays, we have many universities as centres of learning at Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Hisar, and Sirsa, which are the heritage of ancient learning centres in the Saraswati basin.
Agriculture: The Saraswati basin is the oldest region where agriculture began. The Rig-Veda advises that land farming is the best means of gaining wealth. According to Atharvaveda, King Prithu, son of Vaivasvat Manu, invented cultivation and produced crops (at Pehowa). According to the Mahabharata, King Kuru decided to extend an area of five Yajnas square on the bank of the Saraswati River for cultivation and to strengthen their economic position. Terracotta articles related to agriculture are found in the Saraswati basin in Haryana. They include bulls, carts, ploughs, etc. These have been used in agriculture to this day. The techniques of agriculture detailed in the Vedas are still in use.
Religious practices: There is a continuity of religious practices, customs and beliefs from ancient to modern times in this region. Making donations at special occasions, visiting and bathing in sacred rivers and pilgrimage stations, belief in rebirth, doing homa and offering oblations to the ancestors (shraddha), etc. There is literary and historical evidence of large fairs and gatherings at religious places like Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Kapalmochan, Faral, etc. A dip in the ponds of Kurukshetra is considered a harbinger of bliss and religious merit, especially at the time of an eclipse. This tradition is continuous from ancient times to the present. It is attracting a large number of people from all corners of Bharata. The Sanskrit text and accounts of the foreign travellers attest to the holiness of the event. Yadus, including Krishana, Balarama, Nandbaba, etc., took their bath in the sacred waters, observed a fast during the eclipse, and made gifts of cows and clothes, garlands and chains of gold to the Brahmanas. Kings of Matsya, Usinara, Kosala, Vidarbha, Kuru, Srhjaya, Kamboja, Kekaya, Madra, Kunti, Anarta, Kerala, and many other principalities, who were either their allies or enemies, had assembled there. Rajatarangini of Kalhan, Vrihatsamhita of Varahamihira, accounts of Abu Rihan, Kulait plate of Somavarman and The Tabqati-Akbari attest such events.
Geeta Mahotsava: The Government of Haryana celebrated Geeta Jayanti festival in collaboration with Kurukshetra Development Board, Kurukshetra. The Geeta Jayanti Mahotsava was first celebrated in 1989. In the beginning, only cultural and religious programs were organised. Still, in 2016, the Government of Haryana decided to celebrate the festival of Geeta Jayanti at the international level, known as International Geeta Mahotsav. Since then, millions of people have participated in this festival from Bharat and abroad. Multiple cultural, social, religious and economic activities are done here. This year (2024), it was celebrated for 18 days. Haryana and Odisha were the partner states, and Tanzania was the partner country. It has become one of the most critical leading heritage preservation activities of the Saraswati basin.
River and Devi Saraswati in Archaeology: The Inscription of Mahendra Pal (885 – 910 A.D.) at Pehowa verse 3 and 4 reads as: May the beautiful water of Saraswati stream entirely cut your bonds of misery, that water which is a boat for crossing the ocean of births, a Chariot for travelling along the road of gods, a cloud such as appears on the destruction of world shedding copious showers on the fire of the virtuous and a Sun to destroy thick mud like darkness of a concatenation of Virtuous diseases. May the field of Kuru grant happiness free from all pains, which can remove the impurity of sins of many kinds. The Other inscriptions in the Garibnath temple referred to the traditional name of the place as Prithuthak. It lies to the east of the river Saraswati. Some early sculptures of the Goddess Saraswati are found in various places. The oldest Saraswati sculpture was discovered at Bharhut (2nd century B.C.) and Kankali Tila, Mathura (2nd century A.D.). In Haryana, the sculptures are found at Prithishwar temple and Shravananatha temple, Pehowa. Saraswati temples are constructed at Brahmyoni Tirtha Pehowa, Polada, Banava village, and Saraswati Nagar.
Saraswati Festival is now celebrated as an international festival at various places like Adi Badri, Kurukshetra, Pehowa, etc. Multiple programs are organised by the Government. Basant Panchmi is celebrated as the main festival of Saraswati in a wide area of Bharat.
The Saraswati was a revered river, as you find in the Vedas, the Brahman literature, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, Manu Smriti, and the Purana. There are numerous archaeological sites in the Saraswati basin in Haryana, which were predominantly urban and the byproducts of the river. There existed many centres of learning which continue as cultural heritage of Saraswati with modern changes. Agricultural practices and implements are still used as heritage. Religious practices, customs, and beliefs are practised in the region today, and are also the heritage of the river. Saraswati has been worshipped as the Goddess of learning, and this practice is continuous at least for thousands of years. Saraswati festival is celebrated in the state in reverence for the river, and it is attracting crowds from all corners of Bharat.
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