India, May 16 -- The discovery of a 200 kilometre-long underground palaeo-channel stretching from Prayagraj to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh has reignited debate around one of India's oldest and most enduring beliefs - the existence of the mythical Saraswati river.

For centuries, Hindu tradition has held that the Saraswati meets the Ganga and Yamuna at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, despite the river itself remaining invisible. Now, scientists say they have identified the buried course of an ancient river beneath the Ganga-Yamuna Doab, lending fresh attention to the legend.

Researchers have found a massive palaeo-river channel - the remnant of an extinct river system - buried 10 to 15 metres below the surface along a nearly 200 km stretch b...