Babai River

Babai River
Country	Nepal and India
Location	Inner Terai, Siwaliks and Terai
Basin features
Main source	eastern end of Dang Valley 672 m (2,205 ft) 27°58′27″N 82°34′06″E / 27.97417°N 82.56833°E / 27.97417; 82.56833
River mouth	at Ghaghara River WNW of Bahraich 118 m (387 ft) 27°44′08″N 81°17′54″E / 27.73556°N 81.29833°E / 27.73556; 81.29833Coordinates: 27°44′08″N 81°17′54″E / 27.73556°N 81.29833°E / 27.73556; 81.29833
Progression	Nepal Mid-West Region: Dang, Salyan, Bardiya districts; India Uttar Pradesh Awadh region: Bahraich district
River system	Ganges
Basin size	3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi) in Nepal, 200 km2 (77 sq mi) in India
Tributaries	Right: Sharada Khola
Physical characteristics
Length	about 400 km (250 mi)
Discharge	Average rate: 71 m3/s (2,500 cu ft/s) (4 in April - 588 in July, at Chepang above Sharada confluence)

The Babai River (Nepali: बबई नदी) originates in and completely drains Inner Terai Dang Valley of Mid-Western Nepal. Dang is an oval valley between the Mahabharat Range and Siwalik Hills in its eponymous district. Dang was anciently home to indigenous Tharu people and came to be ruled from India by the House of Tulsipur who also counted as one of the Baise Rajya (Nepali: बाइसे राज्य)—a confederation of 22 petty kingdoms in the Karnali (Ghagra) region. About 1760 AD all these kingdoms were annexed by the Shah Dynasty during the unification of Nepal, except Tulsipur lands south of the Siwalik Hills were not taken. Since Dang Valley was somewhat higher, cooler, better-drained and therefore less malarial than most of the country's Inner Terai, it was settled to some extent by Shah and Rana courtiers and other Paharis long before DDT was introduced to control the disease-bearing Anopheles mosquito.

Exiting Dang Valley and its district, the Babai enters Salyan District and flows between sub-ranges of the Siwalik Hills along their west-northwest axis. Sharada Khola drains about half of Salyan's larger Middle HIlls region before cutting through the Mahabharat Range and joining the Babai from the right. Salyan was another Baise principality before unification. About 20 kilometres (12 mi) beyond this confluence, the Babai crosses into Bardiya District and enters Bardiya National Park. The river continues another 30 kilometres (19 mi) west-northwest until the enclosing Siwalik hills fall away and the Outer Terai begins. At this point the river crosses Nepal's main east–west Mahendra Highway and exits the national park.

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Wikipedia