Sarasvati river basin

Also called: Ghaggar-Hakra basin, Saraswati basin · Topic: Harappan (Sindhu-Sarasvati) Civilisation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Bricks, Beads and Bones"

Meaning

The Sarasvati river basin is the land drained by the Ghaggar-Hakra, a river that is now dry or flows only in the rainy season. NCERT identifies this river with the Sarasvatī of the Ṛig Veda. It matters because, according to NCERT, nearly two-thirds of all known Harappan settlements lie in this basin, not in the Indus basin proper. This is why many scholars also call the civilisation the "Sindhu-Sarasvatī Civilisation".

Explanation

One river, two names

• The Ghaggar in India and the Hakra in Pakistan are the same channel. The India–Pakistan border cuts across it.
• Today the channel is dry for most of the year. It flows only in some seasons.
• NCERTs identify this channel with the Ṛig Vedic Sarasvatī.
• The Ṛig Veda praises the Sarasvatī as a goddess-river. It says the river flows "from the mountain to the sea" (giribhyaḥ samudrāt).

How the river changed over time

• Later Vedic and post-Vedic texts describe the river slowly drying up and then disappearing.
• Archaeology tells a similar story.

• Towards the end of the Mature Harappan phase, the river seems to have stopped flowing all year round. It became a seasonal river (one that flows only in the rainy season).

• Some ASI and other material says a strong Ghaggar-Hakra river existed long before the Harappans, possibly from c. 5,600 years ago or earlier. This is extra detail, not a settled fact. It does not go against the NCERT account of the river drying up during the Harappan period.

Settlements in the basin

• Nearly two-thirds of all known Harappan settlements lie in this basin, even though the civilisation is named after the Indus.
• Two of the five known Harappan "cities" are in the basin:
• Rakhigarhi (Haryana). It is only partly excavated, but it is judged to be about as large as Harappa, Mohenjodaro and Ganweriwala [3].

• Ganweriwala (Cholistan, Pakistan). It was identified in the late 1980s and is thought to cover more than 80 hectares, which makes it one of the largest Indus sites [3].

• The other three cities, Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Dholavira, lie outside the basin.

• Smaller cities or towns in the basin include Kalibangan and Farmana. Smaller settlements include Bhirrana and Banawali [3].

Results and importance

• The large number of sites shows the civilisation was not limited to the Indus valley.

• Its heartland stretched east into present-day Haryana and Rajasthan.

• Many scholars link the drying of the river to the Late Harappan decline.

• As the river lost water, settlements moved east towards the Ganga-Yamuna doab (the land between the two rivers).

Time, place and evidence

• Period: Harappan Civilisation, c. 3500–1300 BCE. The Mature phase was c. 2600–1900 BCE.
• Region: The Ghaggar-Hakra channel across Haryana and Rajasthan in India, and Cholistan in Pakistan.
• Key sites and evidence:
• Kalibangan lies on the left bank of the Ghaggar, which local people believe was the ancient Sarasvatī. It is in Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan. The ASI excavated it over nine field seasons (1960–69). Its mound has a lower Early Harappan layer (Kalibangan-I, from the phase before the cities). Above this lies a Mature Harappan town (Kalibangan-II) built on a grid plan, where streets cross at right angles [2]. It is famous for a ploughed field and fire altars.
• Banawali lies on the left bank of the dried-up Sarasvatī in Fatehabad district, Haryana. It was built inside a single enclosure wall and has winding streets, not a grid. This makes it different from Kalibangan's planned layout [3].
• Ganweriwala in Cholistan was discovered in the late 1980s by Rafique Mughal.

• Rakhigarhi in Haryana is a city-sized site that is only partly excavated [3].

• Textual evidence: The Ṛig Veda praises the Sarasvatī. Later Vedic and post-Vedic texts record it drying up.

• Main textbook source: NCERT Class 12, Ch 1 "Bricks, Beads and Bones".

Don't confuse with

• Indus basin proper: Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Dholavira lie outside the Sarasvatī basin. Only Rakhigarhi and Ganweriwala, among the five big cities, lie inside it.
• Ghaggar vs Hakra: These are not two rivers. They are one channel. It is called Ghaggar in India and Hakra in Pakistan.
• Kalibangan vs Banawali: Both are on the Sarasvatī. Kalibangan (Rajasthan) has a grid-planned Mature town. Banawali (Haryana) has one enclosure wall and winding streets.
• Ganweriwala vs Rakhigarhi: Both are basin cities. Ganweriwala is in Cholistan, Pakistan. Rakhigarhi is in Haryana, India.

Prelims Hooks

• Ghaggar (India) = Hakra (Pakistan) = one dried or seasonal channel, identified with the Ṛig Vedic Sarasvatī.
• About 2/3 of known Harappan settlements are in the Sarasvatī (Ghaggar-Hakra) basin, not the Indus basin.
• Of the 5 major Harappan cities, only Rakhigarhi and Ganweriwala are in the Sarasvatī basin. Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Dholavira are not.
• Kalibangan: Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan, on the Ghaggar's left bank. Excavated by the ASI in 1960–69. Has Early and Mature Harappan layers, a ploughed field and fire altars.
• Banawali: Fatehabad district, Haryana. Single enclosure wall and winding streets, not a grid plan.
• Ganweriwala: discovered in the late 1980s by Rafique Mughal. Covers about 80+ hectares.

Mains Points

• Naming debate: The basin holds nearly two-thirds of the settlements, so the name "Indus" tells only part of the story. This supports the other name, "Sindhu-Sarasvatī Civilisation". It also shows the civilisation spread well beyond the Indus valley, to sites such as Kalibangan, Banawali, Rakhigarhi, Ganweriwala, Farmana and Bhirrana.
• Ecology and decline: The Ghaggar-Hakra lost its year-round flow. This is cited as one of the climate and environment causes of the Late Harappan decline, and of the shift of settlements east towards the Ganga-Yamuna doab.
• Linking archaeology and texts: Identifying a real river channel with the Ṛig Vedic Sarasvatī is a rare case where geography supports a literary reference. It is used in debates on Harappan-Vedic continuity and dating, though these debates are not settled.

Related concepts

• Sarasvati river
• Rakhigarhi
• Ganweriwala
• Kalibangan
• Banawali

Read more

• The Sarasvatī / Ghaggar-Hakra question