Adi Badri, also Sri Sarasvati Udgam Tirath,Haryana Samvad
, Jan 2018. is a tourist site of archaeological, religious and ecological significance in a forest area in the foothills of the

Sivalik Hills The Sivalik Hills, also known as the Shivalik Hills and Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas that stretches over about from the Indus River eastwards close to the Brahmaputra River, spanning the northern parts of the India ...

in Bhabar area, situated in northern part of

Yamunanagar district Yamunanagar district is one of the 22 districts of the Indian state of Haryana. The district came into existence on 1November 1989 and occupies an area of . Yamunanagar town is the district headquarters. Yamunanagar's average rainfall in Mon ...

, of the north Indian state of

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...

. There are remains of many Buddhist stupas and monasteries,Haryana misses the buddha moment
, The Tribune. which are about 1500–2000 years old,
Daily Pioneer. and there is also a group of Hindu temples from the 9th century. Based on the multiple archaeological excavations undertaken here, archaeologists have sent the proposal to

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

(ASI) to include this site in the list of protected heritage site. Several popular annual festivals are held here, including the five day long National Saraswati Festival in January, Adi Badri Akha Teej Mela in

Vaisakh Vaisakh ( pa, ਵਿਸਾਖ, ) is the second month in the Nanakshahi calendar. This month coincides with April and May in the Gregorian calendar and to Vaisakha in the Hindu calendar and the Indian national calendar; it comprises the time of c ...

around April–May, week-long Adi Badri-Kapal Mochan Kartik Purnima religious mela around November.Famous Adi Badi - Kapal Mochan mela to be held in November
Uni India, Nov 2018 Adi Badri, often related to the

Saraswati River The Sarasvati River () is a deified Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth bo ...

,Haryana Rivers Profile: (Part-II – Ganga Basin)
South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. is one of the most ancient Vedic religious site in Haryana, along with

48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra The 48 kos parikrama is a parikrama (a circumbabulatory pilgrimage) of various ''Mahabharata''-related and other Vedic-era tirthas (Hindu sacred sites) around the holy city of Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana, India. Associated with Kri ...

, Dhosi Hill and Kapal Mochan. The

Somb river The Somb river, also spelled Som river (Hindi: सोम नदी) is a tributary of Yamuna in Haryana state of India.Kalesar National Park Kalesar National Park () and adjacent Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary ( are protected areas in Yamunanagar district of Haryana state in India, from Chandigarh. Kalesar National Park was established in 2003. Kalesar National Park and Kalesar Wildl ...

. Adi Badri Vatika herbal park developed by the state's forests department also lies here.Overview of State Forests
Haryana Forests, page 18. Adi Badri Heritage Board was formed by the state govt to develop the area and to revive the sacred

Sarasvati river The Sarasvati River () is a deified river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a physical river, i ...

, and also owing to its religious, ecological and tourism significance and potential.Course correction of Saraswati ‘revival’
The Tribune, 31 Jan 2017.

Location and nearby attractions

Adi Badri can be reached from

Jagadhri Jagadhri is a city and a municipal council in the Yamunanagar district of the Indian state of Haryana. This town lies adjacent to the city of Yamunanagar. The demarcation line between the two is difficult to discern. Jagadhri is around 90 &nb ...

by a 40 km long all-weather road via Bilaspur, Haryana. The nearest village is Kathgarh, which is situated 2 km southwest from Adi Badri. Kapal Mochan on Jagadhari road is an ancient place of pilgrimage for both

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

and Sikhs, 17 km north-east of Jagadhari town, on the Bilaspur road in Yamuna Nagar district. Nearby Bilaspur, Haryana (not to be confused with

Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh Bilaspur is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. History Bilaspur was the capital of a state of the same name founded in the 7th century, also known as Kahlur. The ruling dynasty wer ...

) in

Yamuna Nagar District Yamunanagar district is one of the 22 districts of the Indian state of Haryana. The district came into existence on 1November 1989 and occupies an area of . Yamunanagar town is the district headquarters. Yamunanagar's average rainfall in Monso ...

which takes its name from the corrupted form of "Vyas Puri", was the ashram of

Ved Vyasa Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...

rishi where he wrote the Mahabharta on the banks of

near Adi Badri where Sarasvati river leaves

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

and enters the plains.Sarasvati Sodh Sansthan Publications 2015
/ref>

Lohgarh Lohgarh is a village in Notified Area Committee of Zirakpur in district Mohali in state of Punjab in India. This is not to be confused with another namesake Lohgarh (Bilaspur) in Haryana which was capital of first Sikh state under Banda Singh ...

was established as capital of Sikh empire of

Banda Singh Bahadur Banda Singh Bahadur (born Lachman Dev) (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a commander of Khalsa army. At age 15, he left home to become an ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Bairagi. He established a monastery ...

in 1710.

Archaeological significance

ASI has carried out excavations of 3 mounds over 9 years on this 13.5 acres site, with plans for further excavations. ASI has sent the proposal to

Ministry of culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

in 2013 to notify this as the protected site.Adi Badri

Haryana Tourism Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC) was constituted as a Public Limited Company under the Companies Act, 1956 on 1 May 1974. As an agent of the Government of Haryana, ''Haryana Tourism Corporation'' runs and maintains 44 Tourist Complexes spre ...

Buddhism

There are remains of many Buddhist stupas and monasteries near the confluence of rivers Som and Saraswati in Adi Badari. These stupas and monasteries, built of hard bricks, are about 1500–2000 years old.

Buddhist Sharirika stupa

The Buddhist Sharirika Stupa, made of burnt bricks, is dated to 3rd century Kushana.Adi Badri to get heritage tag for treasure trove
Daily Pioneer, 2013. During excavations ASI also found pottery of that era, such as bowl, lids, miniature pots, jars, cooking vessels, pitchers, storage jars and stamped wares. Phase I of Period I had bricks measuring (35x20x6 cm, 33x20x5 cm, 30x22x6 cm and 23x25x6 cm) organised in tapering circular manner, and the bottom 23 layers of bricks were unearthed during the 2002-03 excavation.Adesh Katariya, 2007
Ancient History of Central Asia: Yuezhi origin Royal Peoples: Kushana, Huna, Gurjar and Khazar Kingdoms
pp128-.

Buddhist monastery

Adi Badri Buddhist monastery is dated to 10th-12th century. Few cells, big enough to accommodate one person, and a Buddha statue suggest that this rare ancient monastery was meant for meditation. Buddhist statues from 12th century CE were discovered here.Yamunanagar History
Gazatteer of Haryana: Yamunanagar.

Hindu temples and sculptures

''Yamuna Nagar Adi Badri'' is a group of Hindu temples from the 9th century. Excavations by ASI unearthed several ancient sculpture and monuments pertaining to the

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and

Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and r ...

traditions, including late medieval Adi Badri-Narayana temple (Vishnu) built by

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

charya on the banks of

Somb river The Somb river, also spelled Som river (Hindi: सोम नदी) is a tributary of Yamuna in Haryana state of India.Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and r ...

Mantra Devi temple A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...

(wife of Abhimanyu and daughter of king

Virata Virata ( sa, विराट, IAST ''virāṭa''), was the king of the Matsya Kingdom, in whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. Virata was married to Queen Sudeshna and was the father of Prince Uttara and Pr ...

of Matsya Kingdom during Mahabharta) and Sri Kedarnath Temple (Shiva). Several 9th century CE Hindu statues of

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

and

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

were discovered here. Archaeological finds also include

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devotional ...

, which is estimated by experts to be 4,000 years old. Nearby ''Kathgarh'' village is hub of several

oral traditions Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985) ...

related to the Saraswati Civilization.

Present-day religious significance

According to legends, this is the place where

wrote

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

, and

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

stayed her during the last year of their exile.Adi Badri, Yamuna Nagar, Haryana
Apni Sanskriti. Adi Badri has a Sarasvati kund (pond) for the worship of

where evening aarti is held every day. ''Adi Badri Akha Teej Mela'' is a large fair that takes place at the Hindu temple complex on the Akshaya Tritiya (Akha Teej) in

around April or May. The popular week-long annual Adi Badri- Kapal Mochan

Kartik Purnima Kartika Purnima is a Hindu, Sikh and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on Purnima (full moon day), the 15th (or 30th) lunar day of the month of Kartika. It falls in November or December of the Gregorian calendar and is also known as ...

religious mela is usually held around November. All the main Hindu festivals are also celebrated at the ancient temple complex.

Sarasvati river revival

Adi Badri Heritage Board

The

Government of Haryana The Government of Haryana, also known as the State Government of Haryana, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Haryana and its 22 districts. It consists of an executive, ceremonially led ...

, headed since 2014 by Hindu nationalist party

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mo ...

, announced setting up of the Adi Badri Heritage Board and its plans to revive the sacred Sarasvati river by creating a new water channel along the supposed path of the river.R.U.S. Prasad, 2017
River and Goddess Worship in India: Changing Perceptions and Manifestations of Sarasvati

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

, Annexure-I. The board has 70 partner organisations, for research on Sarasvati river, including ASI, ISRO, several IITs and Union Government ministries of India.Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board affiliated organizations
Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board, accessed 20 July 2021.

Sarasvati revival

According to a government-constituted expert committee, Saraswati river did exist, originating in the Himalayas, and passing through Haryana. According to committee-member Khadg Singh Valdiya, the committee identified a paleo-channel which is related to the

Indus Valley civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...

, and to the present Ghaggar, Sarsuti, Hakra and Nara rivers. Economic Times (15 Oct 2016)
Government constituted expert committee finds Saraswati river did exist
/ref> 212 km channel is being revived, including 55 km section fro
Adi Badri to Uncha Chandna
153 km section fro
Uncha Chandna to Kaithal
and 4 km section from Kaithal to confluence with

Ghaggar River The Ghaggar-Hakra River is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. The river is known as Ghaggar in India, before the Ottu barrage, and as the Hakra in Pakistan, downstream of the barrage, ending ...

in Punjab, from there Ghaggar reenters Haryana and courses through Fatehabad and

Sirsa Sirsa is a city and a municipal council in Sirsa district in the westernmost region of the Indian state of Haryana, bordering Punjab and Rajasthan. It is located in Thar desert. It is located 250 kilometres north-west of New Delhi and 260 kilome ...

districts up to Ottu barrage.‘It's a religious issue. If you could, then give it (land) voluntarily

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...

, 15 Aug 2016. All but 12 km section needs to be dug up. To revive the river, the dried up channel is being dug up and 3 dams will be built in the

at Adi Badri, Haripur and

on the

Somb river The Somb river, also spelled Som river (Hindi: सोम नदी) is a tributary of Yamuna in Haryana state of India.Haryana government revives ‘Saraswati’ river by pumping 100 cusec water through dug channels in Yamuna
, India Today, Aug 2016. This will help in controlling floods from Somb river, harvesting and conservation of water for irrigation and lake tourism. Pilgrimage sites, ghats, and tourist facilities will be developed along the channel to be revived.Saraswati international conference now after geeta jubileeRajasthan Patrika
17 Jan 2018. Revenue department has acquired 1,900 acre of land from the farmers on the paleochannel of the river to revive it.After History, It's The Turn Of Geography
, Tehalka, 11 July 2015. Land for the entire channel of Saraswati river passing through Haryana is in the ownership and possession of

, except few patches totaling 12 km which need to be cleared of encroachment or need to be acquired (c. Aug 2016). A 55 km long channel fro
Adi Badri to Uncha Chandna
(up to west of Yamuna Nagar) is being dug up under MNREGA, of which 37 km is already revived and 12 km in patches is encroached which will be freed up and/or acquired. Downstream 153 km channel fro
Uncha Chandna to Kaithal
is already unhindered and ready to receive the water. In 2021, Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board initiated projects to develop 5 river fronts on the rejuvenated Sarasvati river at Pipli, Pehowa, Bilaspur, Dosarka (on Panchkula-Yamunanagar NH-344 near Sirsgarh) and the Theh Polar (near Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilisation archaeological site on Kaithal-Guhla SH-11). Pipli riverfront will be on the pattern Sabarmati Riverfront.Haryana's Saraswati heritage board to develop 5 riverfronts
The Tribune, 19 Jul 2021. Adi Badri is one of the important tirtha in the

Related revival activities

Research nodal agency and research committee

The UGC has granted several crore research grant in 2018 to the Centre of excellence for research on Saraswati river at Kurukshetra University.
KU Gets 100 crore for CoE
The Tribune, 2018. It is Haryana's designated nodal agency for research on Saraswati river.Haryana govt pumps 100 cusec water to revive ‘lost’ Saraswati

, 6 Aug 2016. A research fellowship program for the scientific research on Saraswati is established at the university. In 2016,

government constituted a committee of scientists initially for a duration of two 2 years (2016-2018) to conduct the scientific studies. Another interstate co-ordination committee will be formed with Himachal, Uttrakhanda, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujrat states that fall in the paleochannel of Saraswati.

National Saraswati Festival

''National Saraswati Festival'', also called ''Saraswati Mahotsav'', is an annual 5-day national-level festival held in the last week of January in honor of

Sarasvati River The Sarasvati River () is a deified river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a physical river, i ...

, a manifestation of Hindu goddess

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...

, believed to enter the plains from the Shivalik hills here at Adi Badri. It is simultaneously celebrated at multiple locations, including by bringing water from hundreds of rivers across India, hosting events at all government and government-aided schools and colleges as well as several district headquarters across Haryana. Activities include prayers, poetry on Saraswati, and essay writing on scientific and archaeological, geological and ideological aspects of Saraswati heritage. Pilgrimage and river awareness marches are organised from various parts of the state that culminate at Adi Badri. A two-day scientific seminar on Saraswati is also held with participation of scientists of from over 20 nations. It is organised by the Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB), which is also making efforts since 2015 to restore the Saraswati river channel from Adi Badri to Mustafabad.Haryana to celebrate Saraswati Mahotsav on Jan 28
Daily Pioneer, 7 Jan 2018.
The Tribune, 13 Jan 2018. Annual pilgrimage along the Saraswati route is organised that travels through various

ghat Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped hills with valleys (ghati in Hindi), such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of ...

s on religious tirthas and Indus Valley civilization sites along the banks of

Saraswati river The Sarasvati River () is a deified Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth bo ...

.Today Saraswati pilgrimage will enter the district
19 Jan 2018

References

External links

Palaeochannels of North West India: Expert Committee Report
Central Ground Water Board (India) {{Haryana Archaeological sites in Haryana Yamunanagar district Sarasvati River Hindu holy cities Hindu temples in Haryana Shaivism Cities and towns in Yamunanagar district Tourism in Haryana Tourist attractions in Haryana Religious buildings and structures in Haryana Mahabharata Buddhist archaeological sites Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India Buddhist sites in India