<P> According to an article in the International Journal of Current Research, the river is in part the remnants of an artificial canal ordered dug by a 17th - century maharajah (king). Changes to a nearby distributary of the Jalangi River resulted partly from water diversion down the canal . Sedimentation eventually dried up the upper part of the distributary, called the Anjana, while the canal and the lower Anjana formed the Churni . Another name for the Churni is Kata Kal or "dug river". </P> <P> As recently as the 1930s, the river was an important route for water travel and trade . However, in the 21st century it has partly filled with silt, including many small islands, visible or submerged, and is no longer navigable . </P>

Which river is known as churni in ancient times