The Burhi Gandak River is a tributary of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. It is known as Narayani in its upper reaches. The Burhi (“Old”) Gandak flows parallel to and east of the Gandak River in an old channel.

Course

The Burhi Gandak originates from Chautarwa Chaur near Bisambharpur in the district of

West Champaran West Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India, located just west of Birgunj. It is the largest district in Bihar with an area of 5,228 km²(2,019sq mi). It is a part of Tirhut Division. The district headquarte ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

. It initially flows through the

East Champaran district East Champaran is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India.The district headquarters are located at Motihari. Prior to 1st Dec 1977, there was a single district called "Champaran". On 1st Dec 1977, the district was divided into 2 ...

. After flowing for a distance of about , the river takes a southerly turn where two rivers - the Dubhara and the Tour – join it. Thereafter, the river flows in a south-easterly direction through the

Muzaffarpur district Muzaffarpur District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India. Muzaffarpur district is part of and also the headquarters of Tirhut Division Tirhut is the ancient name of all of northern Bihar. History Muzaffarpur was a p ...

for about . In this portion, the river spills over its banks and a number of spill channels take off and rejoin it later. The Burhi Gandak runs a zig-zag course through the districts of Samastipur and

Begusarai Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the ...

before covering a short distance in

Khagaria district Khagaria district is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarters are located at Khagaria. Earlier it was a part of Munger District as a sub-division that was created in 1943–44. It was upgraded to the ...

, running by the side of the town of

Khagaria Khagaria is a city in Indian state of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of Khagaria district. Khagaria is a part of Munger division. It is located at and has an average elevation of 36 metres (118 feet). The Khagaria Junc ...

, and flows into the

near Gogri and near Bairarpur in

Munger Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern ...

. It forms the western boundary of the Khagaria town and a protection embankment built along the eastern side of this river, protects Khagaria town from the floods of Burhi Gandak. The total length of the river is . The drainage area of the river is .

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Burhi Gandak are - Masan, Balor, Pandai, Sikta, Tilawe, Tiur, Dhanauti, Kohra, Anjankote, Danda and lauriya , .

References

{{Authority control Rivers of Bihar Rivers of India