ABSTRACT
The origin and identification of the Vedic River Sarasvati, and the course of her flow until her disappearance have been a subject-matter of research and interpretations by several scholars, archaeologists and geologists, particularly, since the eighteenth century. As regards the disappearance of the River Sarasvati around 1900 bce, available evidence support the view that the Sarasvati River dried up in stages, but continues to flow as a subterranean channel. R. S. Sharma, an eminent Indologist, holds that there are several Sarasvatis, and the earliest Sarasvati can not be identified with the Hakra and the Ghaggar. He elucidates this point by stating that the Hakra and the Ghaggar can not match Sarasvati's description in the RV. The identification of Sarasvati with the River Ghaggar and the latter finding its way into Pakistan side under the name Hakra, finds support from the views of some scholars, such as, Aurel Stein, C. F. Oldham and Mughal.
