Padmashri Dr. Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar- A Legend who discovered River Saraswati

Flowing rivers are real and live picture of our living life. Civilizations are evolved on the bank of rivers. The rivers also play important role in Hindu religion and India is regarded as land of rivers.

Some of the main rivers of India are,

1. GANGA
2. KAVERI
3. GODAVARI
4. KSHIPRA
5. NARMADA
6. KRISHNA
7. MAHANADI
8. BRAHMPUTRA
9. YAMUNA
10. SARASVATI

From the above list of rivers, River Saraswati   is considered to be a lost river.

First time late Padmashri Dr. Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar started the research mission of expedition of Vedic Saraswati River from the archaeological point of view.

Today, on his birth centenary introducing this legend Late Padmashri Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar.

ABOUT

1. Late Padmashri Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar Popularly known as  Haribhau Wakankar 
2. Late Shri Haribhau was born on May 4, 1919 Born in a village named Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, India and breathed his last on April 3, 1988.
3. Late Padma Shri Dr. Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar was an artist by education (G. D. Art from Mumbai),M.A. form Madhya Pradesh and Ph.D from Deccan College , Pune. However, he switched over to history / prehistory, archaeology and numismatics and earned worldwide fame for his contributions in art, archaeology and social work.
4. He was Director, Excavation Department, Archaeological Museum, Vikram University, Ujjain and many more.
5. Late Haribhauji, was founder General Secretary of Sanskar Bharti ( Sanskar Bharati is an organization which promotes Bharatiya Art form and culture through various activities and events)  and laid foundation stone on the auspicious day of January 11, 1981  along with his associates.
6. Late Haribhauji was conferred with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in the year 1975.

HIS WORK

1. He established the Department of Archaeology and Museum at Vikram University, Ujjain.
2. He was leader of the team of Saraswati Shodh Abhiyan, this team was having 18 members.
3. This mission of finding River Saraswati   was a journey of total of 4000 kilometres, started from Adibadri in Haryana on November 20, 1985 and ended at Somnath, on December 14, 1985.
4. Archaeologist Mr.GB Deglurkar, former president of Deccan College, Pune quoted, “There are nearly 1400 sites mentioned in our Puranas along with the rivers Saraswati and it has always been a part of our prayers to rivers, uttered in the same line as Ganga and Yamuna. If it were not for Wakankar’s effort, there would have been no attempts to trace river”.
5. He discovered the Bhimbetka caves which is near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh,India. UNESCO declared “Bhimbetka site” as World Heritage in 2003.
6. He had written and published 6 books and over 400 research papers.

My tribute to, Padmashri Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar on his birth centenary.