Adi Badri, Haryana

Adi Badri can be reached from Jagadhri 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 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) in Yamuna Nagar District which takes its name from the corrupted form of "Vyas Puri", was the ashram of Ved Vyasa rishi where he wrote the Mahabharta on the banks of Sarasvati river near Adi Badri where Sarasvati river leaves Himalayas and enters the plains. Lohgarh was established as capital of Sikh empire of Banda Singh Bahadur in 1710. A Glass Bridge Skywalk is planned here, see also List of Glass Bridge Skywalks in India. ==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 in 2013 to notify this as the protected site. Buddhism There are remains of many Buddhist stupas and monasteries near the confluence of rivers Som and Saraswati in Adi Badari. During excavations ASI also found pottery of that era, such as bowl, lids, miniature pots, jars, cooking vessels, pitchers, storage jars and stamped wares. Buddhist monastery Adi Badri Buddhist monastery is dated to 10th-12th century. Buddhist statues from 12th century CE were discovered here. 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, Shiva and Shakti traditions, including late medieval Adi Badri-Narayana temple (Vishnu) built by Adi Shankaracharya on the banks of Somb river, Shakti-Mantra Devi temple (wife of Abhimanyu and daughter of king Virata of Matsya Kingdom during Mahabharta) and Sri Kedarnath Temple (Shiva). Several 9th century CE Hindu statues of Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha were discovered here. Archaeological finds also include lingam, which is estimated by experts to be 4,000 years old. Nearby Kathgarh village is hub of several oral traditions related to the Saraswati Civilization. ==Present-day religious significance==

According to legends, this is the place where Ved Vyasa wrote Bhagavata Purana, Adi Badri has a Sarasvati kund (pond) for the worship of Sarasvati river 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 Vaisakh around April or May. The popular week-long annual Adi Badri-Kapal Mochan Kartik Purnima 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, headed since 2014 by BJP, 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. The board has 70 partner organisations, for research on Sarasvati river, including ASI, ISRO, several IITs and Union Government ministries of India. Sarasvati revival Significance 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, and to the present Ghaggar, Sarsuti, Hakra and Nara rivers. Joint efforts by several states en route, from the origin of its initial tributaries in Uttarakhand and Himachal, to its paleodelta in Gujarat with ancient dock at Lothal (one of the southernmost sites of the ancient Indus-Saraswati Valley civilisation with trade links to Mesopotamia and Sumer), via Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, are on to map and revive the Rig Vedic flow till Gujarat and build religious tourism and irrigation-cum-flood control facilities along the way. The Sarasvati revival project of Haryana seeks to build channels and dams along the route of the lost river in Haryana, and develop it as a tourist and pilgrimage circuit. Downstream in Rajasthan, one of the paleochannel of the now-lost scared Sarasvati River, which is also the paleochannel of later-era partially-lost Ghaggar River, is now occupied by the Indira Gandhi Canal which why the canal is also known as the Saraswati Rupa Rajasthan Canal. Revival status Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board (HSHDB) established by the Government of Haryana is responsible for the revival of Sarasvati in Haryana. As of 2025, the entire length of 400 km Saraswati in Haryana has been revived in the phase-1 where water flows during the monsoon. In the next phase, dams and barrages are being constructed to make it perennial. In total, 10 small and one big dams are being constructed in the Saraswati river catchment area, and most of these are in varying stages of environmental approval. During fy 2025-26 budget, Haryana granted the administrative approval of Rs 388.16 cr for revival of Saraswati River and construction of Adi Badri Dam to be constructed by HPPCL for which Rs 34.67 cr had been already deposited with Himachal government. Adi Badri Dam has already received the environment clearance, and the forest clearance is awaited. The design of Somb Saraswati Barrage is awaiting final approval from Central Water Commission (CWC), after which it will be constructed by the Irrigation & Water Resources Department (I&WRD) of Haryana. Cost estimates will be revised after the finalisation of design and wildlife approval. By 2025, Haryana had already constructed 15 major reservoirs along Sarasvati's course, including at Bibipur (1000 acre reservoir), Rampur Haria and Rampur Kambian (350 acre), Saraswati Wildlife Sanctuary at Seonsar in Pehowa (70 acre), Sanghor (15 acre), Bohli (12 acre), Kandoli (12 acre), Rampura (7 acre), Marchehri (7 acre), etc to restore rainwater for flood control and irrigation which has raised the groundwater level. Haryana will replicate this model to other rivers also including Somb river, Chautang, Rakshi, Tangri, Markanda, Ghaggar. To revive the river, the dried up channel was dug up and dams will be built in the Sivalik Hills at Adi Badri, Haripur and Lohgarh on the Somb river (a tributary of Saraswati) It is Haryana's designated nodal agency for research on Saraswati river. A research fellowship program for the scientific research on Saraswati is established at the university. is an annual 5-day international-level festival held in the last week of January in honor of Sarasvati River, a manifestation of Hindu goddess Saraswati, 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 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. Annual pilgrimage along the Saraswati route is organised that travels through various ghats on religious tirthas and Indus Valley civilization sites along the banks of Saraswati river. ==See also==