Haryana State PCS

• 18 Apr 2022

Recovery of Mahabharata period sand and crystals

Why In News?

Recently, during the excavation of Saraswati Sarovar in village Biholi in Kurukshetra, sand and crystals of Mahabharata have been found.

Key Points

• According to the research of ONGC and Central Water Commission, this sand is found on the course of Saraswati river.
• It is noteworthy that such sand and crystals have also been found in the course of Saraswati river in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• It is said in the Vedas and Mahabharata that the Saraswati river dried up in the desert (possibly the Thar desert). Although the Hindu opinion is that the river Saraswati still flows underground and meets the Ganges and Yamuna at Prayagraj. Some historians believe that the Helmand River in southern Afghanistan is similar to the Saraswati River.
• During the Indus Civilization, Saraswati was a large river, which received water from the Sutlej and Yamuna. But due to the geological movements in this region, Yamuna got separated from the Indus system. After this the flow of water in Saraswati decreased and its drainage area decreased and it dried up.