List of Major Rivers In Bihar

It would be surprising for many people to know how many different rivers flow through the state of Bihar. While the information is surprising, it is also very useful for general knowledge purposes as well as other students aspiring to appear at different competitive exams in the country. You will find a list of major rivers in Bihar as you read further. Along with that, you will also get complete information about their sources, flow, and all relevant and important information about each of the major rivers in Bihar.

That being said, before we go on to talk about the major rivers in Bihar, we must discuss the location of Bihar and how it ended up having so many rivers flowing through it. 

The Location Of The State of Bihar

Bihar is a state of India which is located in the eastern part of the country. Bihar is bounded by the Himalayas in the north and the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the south. Nepal bounds the major parts and almost the entirety of the northern border of Bihar. West Bengal is on the northeastern side of Bihar while the state has Uttar Pradesh in the west. Jharkhand was also a part of Bihar until November 2000, when it was separated as a new state. It consists of Bihar’s previous southern provinces. It forms the southern and southeastern borders of the state of Bihar. The city Patna is the capital of Bihar right now.

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Why Are There So Many Major Rivers In Bihar? 

The state of Bihar has a natural division created by the Ganges (Ganga) River. The river divides the state into two regions which are: 

• North Bihar Plains

• South Bihar Plains

These two plains together form a certain part of the middle Gangetic Plain. Apart from the foothills of the Himalayas located in the extreme northwest part of Bihar, the entire North Bihar Plain is basically a flat alluvial region. It has a height of less than 75 metres (250 ft.) above sea level. The land is extremely prone to flooding. 

The Chota Nagpur Plateau in the south of the state of Bihar is considered to be the primary source of all the rivers flowing through the state. It can be said that Bihar is an entirely landlocked state, and yet it is very rich in water resources. Water resources, in this case, include both groundwaters as well as surface water.

It must also be noted that the catchment areas of rivers in Bihar are considerably large. This is primarily because of the fact that these rivers flow through regions of rich alluvial deposits with small slopes leading to the formation of wide flood plains. It also makes Bihar a vast stretch of extremely fertile land. 

List of Major Rivers In Bihar 

There is a long list of rivers that flow through the state of Bihar. Before we go on to the list of major rivers that flow through the state of Bihar, let us take a look at all the rivers and tributaries flowing through the state. 

• Ajay River

• Bagmati

• Budhi Gandak

• Bhutahi Balan

• Gandak

• Ganges

• Ghaghra

• Phalgu

• Gandaki River

• Kamala

• Karmanasha

• Koshi River

• Mahananda River

• Mohana

• Punpun

• Sapta Koshi

• Son River

Now, let us take a look at the key and major rivers flowing through the state. Before we go into the list of major rivers in Bihar, it must be said that the drainage pattern of the Bihar region is trellis and dendritic due to the topographical condition. 

It must also be said that the Ghaghara, the Gandak, the Baghmati, the Kosi, the Mahananda, and other rivers flow down from the Himalayas of Nepal into the state of Bihar. These rivers continue through the state to join the Ganges, frequently changing channels on their course. A lot of depressions and lakes can be seen that indicate the abandoned courses of streams.

Let us take a look at the list of major rivers in Bihar. 

Ganga

The Ganage is the main river of Bihar. It enters the state from Chausa. It forms the boundary of the Saran and Bhojpur districts.

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

Ghaghra / Saryu

The Ghaghra river originates from the Nampa of Nepal. It enters Bihar at Gopalganj and then joins the Ganga river at Chhapra. The river is considered to be sacred for both Hindus and Buddhists.

Gandak

The Gandak river originates from the north of Dhaulagiri in Tibet. It is very close to the Nepal region. The river then enters Indian territory from the Triveni town in Nepal. The river has a flow towards the southern direction and then forms a boundary between the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The river flows through many districts in Bihar, including West Champaran, East Champaran, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Gopalgunj, Siwan, and Vaishali.

Burhi Gandak

Another major river in the state of Bihar, the Burhi Gandak, originates at the Someshwar Hills. It then flows parallel to the Gandak River. It enters Bihar from Chautarwa Chaur, which is located near Bishambhar Pur in the West Champaran district of Bihar. This river also crosses a number of districts in Bihar, which include West Champaran, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Begusarai and Samastipur. It then joins the river Ganga at Khagaria.

Bagmati

The Bagmati river has its origin in the Shivpuri range of hills in Nepal. The river enters Bihar at Shorwatia village in the Sitamarhi district. The river flows through three major districts of Bihar, which are Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, and Samastipur.

The Bagmati River is a perennial river in the state of Bihar and has two tributaries which are Lalbakeya and Lakhendei. It finally meets the Kosi river at Badlaghat.

Kamla

The Kamla river originates from the famous Mahabharat range of Hills in Nepal near the Sindhuliagarhi region. The river enters the state of Bihar from the Jainagar town of Madhubani district. 

The river has four primary tributaries, which are: Dhauri, Balan, Soni, and Trisula. 

Fact: The Bihar State Government has constructed the Kamala Barrage near Jainagar town.

Mahananda

Mahananda is one of the most famous rivers in Bihar. It originates from the state of Sikkim and then enters the state of Bihar from Purnia. The Mahananda river also has cultural importance. Its upper course of flow creates an essential eastward linguistic boundary between the Bengali and Hindi-speaking areas of West Bengal and Bihar, respectively. The river Mahananda joins the river Ganga in the Nawabganj district, which is in Bangladesh. The main tributaries of the river are Balason, Ratwa, and Kankai. 

Son

The Son river originates in the famous Amarkantak Hills of the state of Madhya Pradesh and finally joins the river Ganga at Maner. There are two key tributaries of this river, and they are namely: Rihand and the North Koel. The river has a reputation for rampant flooding, and the Anicut at Dehri and Indrapuri Barrage have been built to prevent floods as well as check the extent of damage done by such floods.

Kosi

As mentioned earlier, the Kosi river is known as the ‘sorrow of Bihar’. It has seven upper tributaries and is known as 'Saptakoshi' for this reason. It enters the Indian Territory from Hanuman Nagar in Nepal, and finally, after its course, it joins the river Ganga near Kursela in Kathihar district.

Punpun

The Punpun river originates from Hazaribagh Plateau and then joins the River Ganga at Fatuha. There are four key tributaries of the river are namely: Dordha, Butane, Madar and Morhar. The river has its origin in the Palamu district of Jharkhand and then flows through the Chatra, Aurangabad, Gaya and Patna districts of the states of Jharkhand and Bihar.

Fun fact: The river is mentioned in the Vayu and the Padma Puranas. It has a connection with Gaya Mahatmya and is said to be the inspiration as the “punah-punah”, of which Pun-Pun is the conversational form.