It should be noted that the drying up of R. Sarasvatī was not an event; it was a continuous process that might have extended even up to the 19th century CE. According to some historians the Rann of Kutch provided a fairly deep channel allowing the ships to move up the river into Sind during the invasions of Alexander of Macedonia in the 4th century BCE and of the Arabs in the 9th century CE. According to Todd's Annals of Rajasthan, the R. Hakra (identified with the extinct Sarasvatī) in Bikaner

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... became dry for the first time about the year 1044 CE. The 1819 CE earthquake is noted to have caused considerable upliftment of the Rann, cutting it off from the sea.