Oghavatī (Oghavati) is an ancient, sacred river of India. Oghavatī is one of the seven manifestations of Sarasvatī (Saraswati)–
rājan saptasarasvatyo yābhirvyāptamidaṃ jagat
āhūtā valavadbhirhi tatra tatra sarasvatī.
suprabhā kāñcanākṣī ca viśālā ca manoramā
sarasvatī coghavatī sureṇurvimalodā.
People of both Ārya (Arya; Aryan)and Mleccha (Mleccha; foreigners) communities live on the water of Oghavatī. At the time of the yajña (yajna)of king Kuru, Maharṣi (Maharshi; Great Sage) Vaśiṣṭha (Vasistha) invoked Sarasvatī, in the name of Oghavatī, to come to Kurukṣetra (Kurukshetra). This river flows across that sacred place.

Oghavatī was the name of the daughter of Oghavāna, grandfather of king Nṛga (Nriga). Blessed by a Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana), Oghavatī, daughter of king Oghavāna, and wife of the knowledgeable king, got transformed into a river — to make the world sacred.
Sudarśana (Sudarsana) and his wife Oghavatī lived in Kurukṣetra. Sudarśana made his wife Oghavatī take a vow that she would serve and satisfy a guest who would come to their house, with everything she could give — even herself. One day, during Sudarśana’s absence, Oghavatī was complelled to consummate with a Brāhmaṇa, who came as a guest — to fulfill his desire. Even after knowing everything, Sudarśana also cordially treated the Brāhmaṇa, as a host should do. Moved by Sudarśana’s wise behaviour and Oghavatī’s sacrifice to keep her promise, the Brāhmaṇa gave her a boon that she would flow on earth in the form of a sacred river, manifesting the continuation of asceticism and Vedic knowledge. Since then, half of the body of princess Oghavatī flowed over the earth in the form of a river —
pāvanārthañca likasya saricchreṣhā bhaviṣyati
ardhainaughavatī nāma tvāmardvenāniyāsyati.

The Kuru warrior Bhīṣma (Bhishma), struck by arrows, lied down on the bed of arrows on the bank of Oghavatī —
tataste dadṛśurbhīṣmaṃ śaraprastaraśāyinam
svaraśmijālasaṃvītasāyaṃ sūryasamaprabham.

In Matsyapurāṇa (Matsyapurana), Oghavatī is referred to as a sacred site if pilgrimage, a suitable place for performing śrāddha(sraddha; rites dedicated to the deceased) However, Matsyapurāṇa (Matsyapurana)) refers to the river as Aughavatī (Aughavati).

In Vāmanapurāṇa (Vamanapurana) it is said that like other rivers, Oghavatī also gifted her associates to serve Skanda-Kārtikeya.


On the bank of Oghavatī, to the west of Sthāṇuvaṭa tīrtha (Sthanuvata tirtha), there is another famous tīrtha called Pṛthūdaka (Prithudaka).

According to the scholar N. L. Dey, Oghavatī is another name of the river Āpagā. Again, he has contradicted himself. He thinks that Pṛthūaka or modern Pehoya, which is said to be located on the bank of Oghavatī, contradicts the notion that Oghavatī and Āpagā are the same. In that case the river Mārtaṇḍa may be the ancient Oghavatī, because Pehoya or Pṛthūdaka is located at the conjunction of Mārkaḍa and Sarasvatī. It is also to be noted that Aruṇā was the name of Mārkaṇḍa, the sister-river of Yamunā. The place where Aruṇa gets merged with Sarasvatī, is known as Aruṇā- Sarasvatīsaṅgamatīrtha.