Q. Consider the following assertion:
In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.
Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion?
1. The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
2. The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
3. The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems
Select the answer using the code given below:
Exp) Option d is the correct answer.
The present drainage pattern of northern India has evolved over a long geological timescale due to processes such as tectonic movements, river capture, sediment deposition, and climatic changes. Geographers and geologists reconstruct these ancient river courses using evidence from geomorphology, palaeontology, archaeology, and biogeography.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The Nadi-Sukta in the Rigveda mentions several rivers of north-western India, including the Saraswati. It is often used in historical and cultural discussions regarding ancient river systems. However, it does not provide geological or geomorphological evidence about river capture or drainage shifts between the Indus and Ganga systems during the Pleistocene period.
Statement 2 is incorrect: Robert Bruce Foote is widely regarded as the “Father of Indian Prehistory” because of his pioneering geological and archaeological work, especially in South India. His major contributions were associated with regions such as present-day Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of western India. He is particularly known for discovering Paleolithic tools at Pallavaram near Chennai.
However, the assertion given in the question relates to the palaeo-channel shifts of the Yamuna, Sutlej, Indus, and Ganga systems during the Pleistocene period. This conclusion is derived mainly from geomorphological, tectonic, sedimentary, and faunal evidence, not from Foote’s explorations.
Statement 3 is correct: Freshwater dolphins normally remain confined to river systems and cannot migrate across seas like marine dolphins. Therefore, the presence of the same or closely related dolphin species in both the Indus and Ganga river systems suggests that these rivers were once connected. However, these 2 species are recently been considered as separate species and not the same.
South Asian river dolphin populations are now geographically separated, but their distribution is treated as important biogeographical evidence of an earlier hydrological link between the two drainage systems. This supports the theory that major rivers such as the Yamuna or Sutlej changed their courses due to river capture or tectonic shifts during the Pleistocene period.
Source:https://vedicheritage.gov.in/flipbook/Rigveda_Samhita_Eng_Vol_VI/#book/143 ; https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/robert-bruce-foote-the-geologist-who-unearthed-south-indias-pre-history/articleshow/60870068.cms?from=mdr ; https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/indus-and-ganges-river-dolphins-are-two-different-species/article34290646.ece
