Haryana Minister Anil Vij today asserted that renaming Indus Valley Civilisation as Sarasvati River Civilisation as per the proposal of a panel headed by the state CM will not be "rewriting" but "correcting history."
Vij made the assertion while supporting Sarasvati Heritage Development Board's proposal to rename Indus Valley Civilisation as Sarasvati River Civilisation, saying the mythical river actually existed once.
"It's an appropriate recommendation made by the board, chaired by the chief minister, as the river is no more a myth and its existence was a reality," Vij told reporters outside the state assembly.
Asked if changing the name of Indus Valley Civilisation wouldn't be rewriting history, Vij said, "When historians talked about Indus Valley, they thought Sarasvati river was a myth and that's why they did not mention it. Sindhu river was flowing and they named it everywhere."
"No one should call Sarasvati a myth since it has already been proved that the river was present. Now recent research, backed by ISRO and other reputed agencies, Sarasvati's path has been deciphered. Many things are being found at Rakhigarhi (in Hisar district) or where ever the river's path has been traced to Pakistan border," said Vij.
"So, it should be renamed as Sarasvati River Civilisation," he said.
Discarding suggestions that renaming the Indus valley civilisation reeked of the BJP agenda to "saffronise" things, Vij said "We are not rewriting history, we are correcting it."
Vij also said a large number of Harappan sites have been found in Haryana over the years.
"The nomenclature of the Indus Valley Civilisation should now be changed to the Sarasvati-Indus civilisation," he said.
The largest Harappan site Rakhigarhi and the oldest Bhirrana are both in Haryana. The state government is restarting excavation at Kunal in Fatehabad district, he said.
Haryana Archaeology and Museums Department, in collaboration with the Indian Archaeological Society and National Museum, New Delhi will soon undertake excavation at Kunal in district Fatehabad, the earliest Harappan sites in Haryana.
Vij said Kunal is located in Tehsil Ratia in district Fatehabad on the banks of now dried up river course of ancient mighty river Sarasvati.
In a written reply to a question by Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal, the Haryana Assembly was earlier informed that "the scientific evidence/material relied on by the Government in respect of development of Sarasvati river and its heritage is derived from multiple sources and is substantial."
The Haryana government had earlier constituted Saraswati Heritage Development Board to take up research on river Saraswati.
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