Vedic River Sarasvati and Hindu Civilization
Contents: Foreword. Preface. List of contributors. I. Earth and life-sciences: 1. River piracy: Sarasvati that disappeared/K.S. Valdiya. 2. Vedic Sarasvati: scientific signatures on its origins from the Himalaya/V.M.K. Puri. 3. Peopling of India: Genetics markers speak out!/Gyaneshwer Chaubey. 4. Sarasvati drainage system of Haryana--satellite based study/A.K. Gupta, B.K. Bhadra and J.R. Sharma. 5. Ecological issues in the end of the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization/Michel Danino. 6. The saga of the quest for the River Sarasvati/M.A. Jayashree, M.A. Narasimhan and Haribhau Vaze. 7. Use of Sarasvati Palaeo-Channels in Reclamation of water-logged areas of Punjab and Haryana--a concept note/R.N. Athavale. II. Culture and archaeology: 8. The Sarasvati: The mother of Indian Civilization/B.B. Lal. 9. Where lived the Rgvedic Rishis, Rulers, and artisans, the founders of Bharatiya Sanskriti?/Shivaji Singh. 10. Sarasvati River and chronology: simulations using Planetarium Software/B.N. Narahari Achar. 11. Chronology of Bharata: reckoning time/B.N. Narahari Achar. 12. A new aspect of Sarasvati Civilization/T.P. Verma. 13. Mother Divinity: River Sarasvati, Hindu Civilization traditions and metaphors created by Rsis and Artisans/S. Kalyanaraman. 14. Sarasvati Civilization: past, present and future/Gauri Mahulikar. 15. Vedic rites flourished on the banks of Sarasvati/A.K. Sharma. 16. GVC to IVC to SVC (Ganges Valley Civilization to Indus Valley Civilization to Sarasvati Valley Civilization)/K.V. Ramakrishna Rao. 17. Indus-Sarasvati Civilization: in search of the truth/Bhu Dev Sharma. 18. Sarasvati and Her Vedic symbolism/Sampada Savardekar. 19. Democratic assemblies in the Vedic era/Shashi Tiwari. 20. The Incredible River, Sarasvati--a journey from Myth to Reality/Rajesh Purohit. 21. Search for Himalayan antecedents of the River Sarasvati/C.R.B. Lalit. 22. A search for lost cities, a lost civilization and a lost river: a letter to the Prime Minister of India/Jagmohan. 23. Sindhu-Sarasvati traditions, still living with us?/Adiga S. Sundara. 24. Legacy of Sarasvati Sindhu Civilization/Ravindra Ramdas and Arun Nigudkar. 25. Civilization along the Sarasvati River--a scientific approach/A.R. Chaudhri. Abstracts: 1. The lost river Sarasvati: geological evidence/K.S. Valdiya. 2. Sarasvati River--no more a debatable issues/Darshan Lal Jain. Bibliography. Index.
"This book is a compilation of papers presented at a Conference on "Vedic River Sarasvati and Hindu Civilization" held at India International Centre, New Delhi from Oct. 24 to 26, 2008. Participants included scholars from many disciplines including ancient Indian history, archaeology, space imaging, hydrology, meteorology, glaciology, seismology, ice-age geodynamics, sea-level changes, metallurgy and other earth- and life- science. The Conference explores the validation of a consensus that the ancient civilization that emerged and proposed on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati is the precursor to the civilization that is known and exists today as Hindu civilization, establishing a continuum of human society and achievement. As a result of archaeological explorations since 1947, it became clear that over 80% of about 2600 archaeological sites were not on the banks of River Sindhu but on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati mentioned in Rigveda in 72 rica-s. Underscoring the indigenous evolution of Hindu Civilization on this river Basin, theories propounded earlier about Aryan invasions/migrations stand negated. Projects are ongoing to revive the river which provides an impetus for establishing a National Water Grid." (jacket)
