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 :
A
1 only
B
2 only
C
1 and 2
D
3
Correct answer
Explanation
The same species of freshwater dolphin occurring in both the Indus and the Ganga systems, which are separate drainages today, implies the two were once connected. That is the basis for the view that during the Pleistocene the Yamuna or Sutlej, or a major tributary, switched between the Indus and Ganga systems. The Rigveda's Nadi-sukta only lists rivers, and Robert Bruce Foote worked on the prehistory of south India, not the Sutlej and Yamuna.
Ancient Indian HistoryHistorical geography: Indus–Ganga dividePleistoceneIndusGangaRiver dolphinsDrainage shift