Refugees from Mohenjo-Daro Occupied Saurashtra

From Saraswati to Ganga

Saraswati flowing through the Thar Desert

Because of this dramatic turn of events, the denizens of the Indus-Saraswati had to relocate Northwards, Westwards and Eastwards. The eastward movement formed the major chunk of migration and the attributes of Saraswati were gradually transferred to the other major river of the sub-continent, the Ganga.Most Early Harappan sites are located in the middle Ghaggar-Hakra river valley, and some on the Indus and the Saurashtra area of Gujarat. However, in the later period, the number of sites in the Ghaggar-Hakra and Indus diminish, while increasing in the Ganges plain and Saurashtra.

Supporting data is present in the literary evidence where the earliest texts like the Rig-Veda mention Ganga only twice, but later literature like the Upanishads, mention the river repeatedly!

As the senior Indian Archaeologist, SR Rao observes -

In circa 1900 BCE most of the mature Harappa sites were wiped out forcing the inhabitants to seek new lands for settlement...

They seem to have left in great hurry and in small groups, seeking shelter initially on the eastern flank of the Sutlej and the Ghaggar and gradually moving towards the Yamuna. The refugees from Mohenjo-Daro and southern sites in Sind fled to Saurashtra and later occupied interior of the Peninsula.

Indeed, the Saraswat Brahmins still trace their origin from the banks of Saraswati and are today spread all over the country right from Kashmir to Kutch to Konkan!!