List of Major Rivers in Bihar

Bihar is located in the eastern part of the country and is bounded by Himalaya from the north and plateau from the south which is the source of the entire river flowing here. Although an entirely landlocked state, Bihar is very rich in water resources, both the ground and the surface water resources.

Major Rivers in Bihar

The drainage pattern of Bihar is trellis and dendritic due to physical condition.

Ganga

1. It is the main river of Bihar that enters into the state from Chausa which formed the boundary of Bhojpur and Saran district.

2. Tributaries: Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi, Kali, Sone, Karmanasa and Punpun

3. Mahatama Gandhi Setu was built to connect North Bihar with the rest of Bihar and was made part of the national highway 19 (NH19).

Ghaghra / Saryu

1. It originates from Nampa of Nepal and enters Bihar at Gopalgunj and joins River Ganga at Chhapra.

2. It is a sacred river for both Hindus and Buddhists.

Gandak

1. It originates from the north of Dhaulagiri in Tibet near Nepal and enters into the Indian Territory near Triveni town in Nepal.

2. It flows in a southern direction and forms a boundary between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It drains its water in West Champaran, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Gopalgunj, Siwan, Saran, and Vaishali district of Bihar.

3. Treveni Canal gets water from Gandak River.

Burhi Gandak

1. It originates at Someshwar Hills and flow parallel to the Gandak River and enters in Bihar from Chautarwa  Chaur near Bisambharpur in the district of West Champaran.

2. It flows through West Chamaparan, East Chamapran, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Begusarai.

3. It joins River Ganga at Khagaria.

Bagmati

1. It originates from the Shivpuri range of hills in Nepal and enters Bihar at Shorwatia village in Sitamarhi.

2. It flows from Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, and Samastipur.

3. It is a perennial river of Bihar. Lalbakeya and Lakhendei are its tributaries.

4. It meets the Kosi River at Badlaghat.

Kamla

1. It originates from the Mahabharta range of Hills in Nepal near Sindhuliagarhi.

2. It enters Bihar from Jainagar town of Madhubani district. Kamala Barrage has been constructed by the State Government near Jainagar town.

3. Dhauri, Soni, Balan and Trisula is the main tributaries.

Mahananda

1. It originates from Sikkim and enters into Bihar from Purnia.

2. It forms in its upper course an important eastward linguistic boundary between the Bengali and Hindi-speaking area.

3. Balason, Ratwa, and Kankai are the main tributaries.

4. It joins the Ganga in Nawabgunj district of Bangladesh.

Son

1. It originates from Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh and joins the Ganga at Maner.

2. Rihand and the North Koel are the main tributaries.

3. Anicut at Dehri and Indrapuri Barrage is built to check the flood.

Kosi

1. It is known as ‘sorrow of Bihar’.

2. It is also known as 'Saptakoshi' for its seven upper tributaries.

3. It enters the Indian Territory near Hanuman Nagar in Nepal and joins the Ganga River near Kursela in Kathihar district.

Punpun

1. It originates from Hazaribagh Plateau and joins the River Ganga Fatuha.

2. Main tributaries: Dordha, Butane, Madar and Morhar.

3. It originates in Palamu district of Jharkhand and flows through Chatra, Aurangabad, Gaya and Patna districts of the Indian states of Jharkhand and Bihar.

4. River is mentioned in the Vayu and the Padma Puranas in connection with Gaya Mahatmya as the punah-punah of which Pun-Pun is the conversational form.

Phalgu

1. Niranjana is another name for the river.

2. It is a sacred river for Hindus and Buddhists. As per Hindu belief, pindadan or religious ceremony is performing at the bank of river to the salvation for the dead from the cycle of rebirth.

3. Mohane is the main tributary of the river.

Karmanasa

1. It originates from Rohtas Plateau and joins the river Ganga near Chausa forming Uttar Pradesh- Bihar border for a long distance.

2. Main tributaries: Durgavati, Chandraprabha, Karunuti, Nadi, and Khajuri

List of Waterfalls and Hot Springs in Bihar

The catchment areas of rivers in Bihar are large because they flow through alluvial deposits where the slope is very small, forming wide flood plains. These rivers make the water available for irrigation purposes and also used for generating hydro-electricity for the state.  It has also a non-exhaustible source of groundwater which is in use for drinking purposes, irrigation, and industries.

Modern History of Bihar