In Gujarat, there is a river called Saraswati that originates in the Aravalli mountains, and runs for 350 km. In Uttarakhand, there is another Saraswati river that is a tributary of the Alakananda that joins the river near Badrinath. There is another Saraswati river that flows through the city of Indore, in Madhya Pradesh. 

Rivers do not give themselves names. People give them names. People identified these rivers as Saraswati, perhaps in memory of the great river that is mentioned in the Rig Veda. In pilgrim lore, this river disappeared at Prayag, where Ganga and Yamuna meet. In caste lore, many Brahmin communities in South and West India believe their ancestors lived on the banks of this river. As per another folk belief, a great drought forced many Brahmins to leave the region watered by the river Saraswati. Those who remained forgot the Vedas in starvation. But a sage called Saraswat ate river fish, survived, and remembered everything.