The Subansiri River; is a trans- Himalayan river and a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh. It is also known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, Luit in Assamese, and Jamuna River in Bangla. It ...

that flows through Tibet's

Lhünzê County Lhünzê County, (; , English: Lhöntse Dzong) is a county of Shannan located in the south-east of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Part of Lhünzê County is claimed by India as part of Arunachal Pradesh, which is a disputed area between People's Re ...

Shannan Prefecture ShannanThe official spelling according to (), also romanized from Tibetan as Lhoka (; ), is a prefecture-level city in the southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Shannan includes Gonggar County within its jurisdiction with Gongkar Chö Mon ...

and the Indian states of

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares int ...

and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. The Subansiri is long, with a drainage basin . It is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra contributing 7.92% of the Brahmaputra's total flow.

Name and etymology

North-East Frontier in 1954 Political Map of India

The name is derived from a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word ''svarṇa'' (), meaning 'gold'. Originally the name applied to the river only after the confluence of the Chayul Chu and Tsari Chu rivers at

Gelensiniak Gelensiniak, or ''Geling Sinyik'', is a village in the Limeking Circle of the Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh, India, close to the region's border with Tibet. The Gelen Vinayak BhatDespite Modi-Xi bonhomie, China moves into Arunac ...

. In early maps of independent India, Tsari Chu was marked as the main Subansiri river. However, over time, the name has been transferred to Chayul Chu. Within Tibet, the rivers are named after the locations they flow from such as Loro Chu, Nye Chu, Char Chu and Chayul Chu, all of which apply to the Subansirir or its tributaries.

Course

The Subansiri River originates in the

Himalayas 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 ...

near Mount Porom in the

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

. It enters India near the town of

Taksing Taksing is a village and headquarters of an eponymous Circle in the Upper Subansiri district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. The region of Taksing is populated by Tagin people. The village is on the bank of the Subansiri River, shortly after the r ...

and flows east and southeast through

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

Hills, then south to the

Valley at Dulangmukh in

Dhemaji district Dhemaji district (Pron:deɪˈmɑ:ʤi or di:ˈmɑ:ʤi) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Dhemaji and commercial headquarters being located Silapathar. The district occupies an a ...

, where it joins the Brahmaputra River at Jamurighat in

Lakhimpur district Lakhimpur district ( ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarter is located at North Lakhimpur. The district is bounded on the North by Siang and Papumpare districts of Arunachal Pradesh and on the Eas ...

. Small tributaries of the Subansiri include Rangandi, Dikrong and

Kamala Kamala refers to: People * Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name ** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States * Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...

. The Subansiri lends its name to two districts in Arunachal Pradesh: Upper Subansiri and Lower Subansiri. The observed discharge of Subansiri is a maximum of , and minimum of . It contributes 7.92% of the Brahmaputra's total flow.

Tsari Chu

Tsari Chu (, "Lo River"; known as Lensi River in Arunachal Pradesh) rises near the village of Chosam in Tibet and flows east for about 25 miles till the town of

Migyitun Migyitun (), also called Tsari or Zhari (), is a town in the Lhöntse County of Tibet's Shannan Prefecture. It is on the banks of the Tsari Chu river close to the McMahon Line, the ''de facto'' border with India's Arunachal Pradesh. It is also ...

, where it turns south. It merges with the Subansiri at

. The district of Tsari, consisting of the Tsari Chu valley and its vicinity, is considered holy ground by the Tibetans. No animals are killed and no food is grown in these areas, with the exception of Migyitun. The holiness comes from the

Dakpa Sheri Dakpa Sheri (, ), explained as "Pure Crystal Mountain" and also known as Tsari, is a mountain in the eponymously named Tsari region in Lhöntse County of Tibet's Shannan Prefecture. The mountain is considered sacred for Tibetans and the pilgrima ...

mountain peak at the centre of the Tsari district, considered the home of the Buddhist Tantric deity Demchok ( Chakrasamvara) and his consort Dorje Phagmo (

Vajravārāhī In Tibetan Buddhism, Vajravārāhī ("The Diamond Sow", Dorje Pakmo) is a wrathful form of Vajrayogini associated particularly with the ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra'', where she is paired in yab-yum with the Heruka Cakrasaṃvara. Judith Simmer-Bro ...

). The pious Tibetans used to carry out a wide circumabulation (called ''rongkor'' or "ravine circuit") around the mountain once every 12 years, during the monkey year. They traversed the valley of the Tsari Chu river until its junction with Subansiri, and returned via the Subansiri and Yume Chu valleys. The last such circumambulation took place in 1956, after which the Sino-Indian border conflict has put an end to the practice.

History

The

1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake, also known as the Assam earthquake, occurred on 15 August and had a moment magnitude of 8.6. The epicentre was located in the Mishmi Hills in India, known in Chinese as the Qilinggong Mountains (), south of the ...

caused landslides blocking the flow of Subansiri at Gerukamukh. After three days the blockade broke causing a massive flash flood. Over the years flooding of the river has caused loss to livelihood and life.

Lower Subansiri Dam

The Lower Subansiri Dam or The Lower Subansiri Hydro-Electric Project is an under construction dam

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

on the river. The dam is seen as a problem and many organisations are protesting against it. ''The River'' is a fiction book based on the issue and displays the issue as viewed by common Assamese people through its imaginary dolphins, fishes, and human characters.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Subansiri Basin Study – Another Chapter of Environment Subversion in Northeast
South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, 25 September 2013. {{India Rivers Rivers of Assam Rivers of Arunachal Pradesh Tributaries of the Brahmaputra River Rivers of India