Rivers of Bihar | Geography of Bihar Notes

The Ganga River System

• Bihar is divided into two parts by the Ganga river, which passes through almost the middle of Bihar. 
• The Ganga originates from Gangotri glacier in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand 
• Enters Bihar at Chausa (Buxar district)
• forms the boundary of Bhojpur and Saran districts
• Mahatma Gandhi Setu is built on the Ganga river.
• The area lying north of Ganga is called North Bihar whereas the area lying south of Ganga river is called south Bihar.

Rivers in Bihar can be classified into two major categories which are as following:

• Rivers in North Bihar
• Rivers in South Bihar

Let’s study the rivers of Bihar in detail.

Rivers in North-Bihar:

• Rivers in North Bihar are generally perennial which flows all year.
• Rivers of North Bihar originate in Himalayas and flow south and South-East direction and finally merge with Ganga.
• Important rivers of North Bihar are:

• • Ghagra (Saryu):

• • • Originates in Nampa region of Nepal. 
    • After flowing in UP, enters Bihar in Siwan
    • Merges into the Ganga near Chhapra (Bihar). 

• • Gandak:

• • • Originates from the central Himalayan region in Nepal, where it is also known as Narayani.
    • Enters into Bihar at Valmiki Nagar.
    • Passes through West & East Champaran , Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Saran and Vaishali 
    • Merges with Ganga at Pahleja Ghat (near Patna).
    • After the construction of Triveni Canal, Gandak has become an important source of irrigation in Bihar.

• • Burhi Gandak:

• • • Originates at Someshwar Hills
    • Enters in Bihar from Chautarwa Chaur in West Champaran
    • Merges with Ganga at Khagaria.

• • Bagmati:

• • • Originates in the Shivpuri hills in Nepal 
    • Enters Bihar in Sitamarhi.
    • Pass through Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, and Samastipur.
    • Merges with the Kosi River at Badlaghat.
    • Main tributaries → Lalbakeya and Lakhendei

• • Kamla:

• • • Originates from the Mahabharata range in Nepal
    • Enters Bihar in Madhubani district. 
    • Kamala Barrage has been constructed on this river near Jainagar town.
    • Main tributaries → Dhauri, Soni, Balan and Trisula

• • Kosi:

• • • Originates from the Tibet region in the form of multiple channels.
    • Enters Bihar in Supaul
    • Merges into Ganga in Khagaria and Purnea
    • Main tributaries → Kamala, Bagmati and Burhi Gandak
    • Major cause of flood in Bihar, also known as ‘Sorrow of Bihar’.

• • Mahananda:

• • • Originates in Sikkim
    • Enters into Bihar in Purnia.
    • Main tributaries → Balason, Ratwa, and Kankai
    • Merges with Ganga in Bangladesh

Rivers in South Bihar: 

• Rivers in South Bihar are non-perennial which flows during rainy season mainly and remain almost dry in summer season.
• Rivers in South Bihar mainly originate from the plateau region of Jharkhand (Chotanagpur and Rajmahal Hills) and Madhya Pradesh. 
• These rivers also merge with Ganga flowing generally in North and North-East direction.
• Important rivers in South Bihar are given below:-

• • Son:

• • • Most important river of South Bihar.
    • Originates from Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh and passes through Jharkhand and enters into Bihar between Rohtas and Aurangabad districts
    • Merges with Ganga near Danapur (Patna). 
    • It is the biggest and longest South Bank tributary of the Ganga river. 
    • Main tributaries → Rihand and the North Koel

• • Punpun:

• • • Second most important river of South Bihar.
    • Originates from Chota Nagpur Plateau region of Palamu district in Jharkhand and enters into Bihar in Aurangabad
    • Merges with Ganga at Fatuah near Patna.

• • Phalgu:

• • • Originates from Chota Nagpur Plateau region in Jharkhand
    • Enters into Bihar in Gaya and at Bodhgaya
    • Passes through Jehanabad, and Nalanda
    • Merges with Ganga in Tal region (Patna).
    • Major tributary → Mohana 
    • Has religious significance for both Hindus and Buddhists. 
    • Famous Mahabodhi Temple and Vishnupad Mandir are located near the bank of Phalgu river. 
    • In Hindu sacred texts, it has been called Niranjana.

• • Karmanasa:

• • • Originates from Kaimur Range in Kaimur district (Bihar).
    • Passes through Varanasi and Ghazipur districts of Uttar Pradesh and again enters Bihar at Chausa Buxar.
    • Merges with Ganga at Buxar.
    • Forms a boundary between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar 
    • According to Hindu mythology, it is considered as an unholy river.

• • Kiul:

• • • Originates from Tisri Hill range in Giridih district of Jharkhand.
    • Enters into Bihar through a gorge in Saptahari hill in Jamui district.
    • Major tributary → Harohar river
    • Merges with Ganga near Surajgarh (Lakhisarai)

• • Ajay:

• • • Originates from Chakai block of Jamui (Bihar)
    • Flows through Jharkhand and West Bengal
    • Merges with Bhagirathi river near Katwa Town (West Bengal)