RAS question
The Ghaggar River originates from which region?
Correct answer: (C) Shivalik Hills, Himachal Pradesh.
The Ghaggar River originates in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh.
Explanation
The Ghaggar is not a Rajasthan-origin river; its source lies in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh. The Central Pollution Control Board describes it as an intermittent river that begins there and then flows through Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. After entering Rajasthan, the seasonal river eventually disappears into the Thar Desert near Hanumangarh. This is why option C is precise. The question is testing the source region, not the state where the river becomes prominent in Rajasthan geography or the later cultural association some scholars make with the ancient Saraswati system.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Aravalli Hills are in Rajasthan, but the Ghaggar's origin is in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh, with Rajasthan only later on its course.
- (B) The Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh is not part of the Ghaggar's stated origin or route; the river is described as starting in Himachal Pradesh and then passing through Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
- (D) The Zaskar Range in Jammu and Kashmir does not match either the source region or the listed course of the Ghaggar, which begins in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh.
Concept
This tests Indian physical geography through river-origin mapping, especially the difference between a river's source and the states it later crosses. It recurs in RAS because Rajasthan rivers are often seasonal and their Rajasthan relevance can obscure their actual origin.