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1. VEDIC RELIGION
B "Vedic Elements in the Ancient Iranian Religion of Zarathushtra" by Subhash Kak gives a detailed comparison between the Iranian and Vedic religions at http://www.ece.Isu.edu/kak/zoro.pdf
Vedic civilization
Vedic civilization is the earliest civilization in Indian history of which we have written records that we understand. It is named after the Vedas, the early literature of the Hindu people. The Vedic Civilization flourished along the river Saraswati, in a region that now consists of the modern Indian states of Haryana and Punjab. The Vedic texts have astronomical dates, that some have claimed, go back to the 5th millennium BC. The use of Vedic Sanskrit continued up to the 6th century BC. Vedic is synonymous with Aryans and Hinduism, which is another name for religious and spiritual thought that has evolved from the Vedas.
The early Aryans: Unfortunately, the origin of the Saraswati Valley civilization (Vedic culture) and its relation to the Indus Valley civilization remain hazy. The timeline of Vedic civilization is 4500 BC-1800 BC while that of Indus valley civilization is 3300 BC-1800 BC. The texts describe a geography that some believe to be north India. The greatest river of the Rig Veda was Saraswati, now dry and identified with Ghaggar, a seasonal river. It is believed that this river ceased to reach the Arabian Sea by about 1900 BC. Now, a dry river bed, that seems to fit the description of the Saraswati River, has been detected by satellite imagery. It begins in the modern Indian state of Uttaranchal and passing through Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, reaches the Arabian Sea in Gujarat. Our knowledge of the early Aryans comes from the Rig Veda, the earliest of the Vedas.
Les http://www.haryana-online.com/History/vedic_culture.htm
In fact Rig Veda mentions several, which is seen in the figure apart from Saraswati river. These are:
Sindhu /Susoma (Indus), Vitasta (Jhelum), Asikni (Chenab), Parusni (Airavati, Ravi), Shatadru (Sutlej), Vipas/Arjikiya (Beas).
