The Lachung River is a tributary of the

Teesta River Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows through ...

located in the East Indian state of

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...

. It is a chief tributary of the Teesta, which is an important river in Sikkim along with

Rangeet River The Rangeet or Rangit is a tributary of the Teesta river, which is the largest river in the Indian state of Sikkim. The Rangeet river originates in the Himalayan mountains in West Sikkim district. The river also forms the boundary between Sikki ...

. The village of

Lachung Lachung is a town and hill station in northeast Sikkim, India. It is located in the North Sikkim district near the border with Tibet. Lachung is at an elevation of about and at the confluence of the Lachen and Lachung Rivers, both tributaries ...

is perched on the craggy bank of the river approximately from

Chungthang Chungthang is a town in Mangan District district in the Indian state of Sikkim. It is situated at the confluence of the Lachen and Lachung rivers, which combine to form the Teesta River. Located at a distance of from the state capital Gangtok, th ...

. It is at Chungthang where the Lachung and Lachen rivers converge and give rise to the Teesta. The river is above sea level.

Course

The river has its source in a lake, deep in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

s near the Indo-China border. The ragged reaches of the mountain make the place almost inaccessible. From here, the river flows down in a south-westerly direction and joins with another unknown river at a place just above Lachung village. The tributary river is also a slender one with little water in the winter. The river continues its course downwards through the Lachung valley till it meets River Lachen near Chungthang. After the confluence, it takes the name of River Teesta and flows further down. It becomes wider while travelling to Singhik and drops from altitude of . At

Singhik Singhik is a town in Mangan subdivision, North Sikkim district of the Indian state of Sikkim, four kilometres from Mangan, the district headquarters. Location Singhik is about 70 km from the state capital, Gangtok, linked by a national h ...

another tributary river joins it, called the Talung Chug. After this point the river flows to

Dikchu Dikchu is a small town in the Gangtok District of the Indian state of Sikkim. The town lies at the confluence of the Dikchu River with the Teesta River and is the site of the 96 MW Dikchu River Hydroelectric Power Project as well as 510 MW Teest ...

through a deep ravine and drops to a height of . Then it cambers and reaches

Singtam Singtam is a town which lies mostly in Gangtok District and partly in Pakyong District in the Indian state of Sikkim about from the state capital Gangtok. The town lies on the banking of the rivers Teesta and Ranikhola, which join together just ...

, which is at a height of . After

Rangpo Rangpo is a Municipal town in Pakyong district in the Indian state of Sikkim. The town borders West Bengal's Kalimpong district and is situated along the Teesta river and Rangpo River. It is the first town of Sikkim lying on National Highway 10 ...

, the Teesta widens and meets the River Rangeet at Melli Bazaar.

Tributaries

The Lachung has one main tributary, with which it unites near Lachung village. The water of the river is crystal clear and pure. The sparkling waters are the major source of living in the surrounding villages. There are a number of waterfalls and subsidiary streams across this river. In lachung town, there's banned package drinking water and total restrictions for usage. The crystal clear lachung water is used for drinking

References

Meditation Lachung River North Sikkim.jpg, Lachung River Lachung River North Sikkim.jpg, Lachung River Sikkim {{coord, 27, 31, 10, N, 88, 31, 57, E, display=title, region:IN_type:river File:Meditation Lachung River North Sikkim.jpg, Meditation Lachung River North Sikkim File:Lachung River North Sikkim.jpg, Lachung River North Sikkim Rivers of Sikkim Rivers of India Tributaries of the Teesta River