Ghaghara घाघरा | |
Karnali कर्णाली नदी | |
Karnali river in Nepal
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Countries | China, Nepal, India |
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Tributaries | |
- left | Bheri, Sarju, Kuwana, Rapti, Chhoti Gandak |
- right | Seti, Dahawar, Sarda, Budhi Ganga |
Source | Mapchachungo Glacier |
- location | Tibet, China |
- elevation | 3,962 m (12,999 ft) |
Mouth | Ganges |
- location | Doriganj, India |
- coordinates | 25°45′11″N 84°39′59″E / 25.75306°N 84.66639°ECoordinates: 25°45′11″N 84°39′59″E / 25.75306°N 84.66639°E |
Length | 1,080 km (671 mi) |
Basin | 127,950 km2 (49,402 sq mi) |
Discharge | |
- average | 2,990 m3/s (105,591 cu ft/s) |
Map showing the Ghaghara and Gandaki tributaries of the Ganges
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Ghaghara, also called Karnali (Hindi: घाघरा; Ghāghrā [ˈɡʱɑːɡrɑː]; Nepali: कर्णाली; Karṇālī [kʌrˈnɑːliː]; Chinese: 加格拉河; Jiāgélāhé [t͡ɕi̯ákɤ̌láxɤ̌]) is a perennial trans-boundary river originating on the Tibetan Plateau near Lake Mansarovar. It cuts through the Himalayas in Nepal and joins the Sharda River at Brahmaghat in India. Together they form the Ghaghara River, a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. With a length of 507 kilometres (315 mi) it is the longest river in Nepal. The total length of Ghaghara River up to its confluence with the Ganges at Doriganj in Bihar is 1,080 kilometres (670 mi). It is the largest tributary of the Ganges by volume and the second longest tributary of the Ganges by length after Yamuna.
Lower Ghaghara is also known as Sarayu river and finds mention in Ramayana. Ayodhya is situated on its right bank.
It rises in the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet, in the glaciers of Mapchachungo, at an elevation of about 3,962 metres (12,999 ft) above sea level. The river flows south through one of the most remote and least explored areas of Nepal as the Karnali River. The 202-kilometre (126 mi) Seti River drains the western part of the catchment and joins the Karnali River in Doti District north of Dundras hill. Another tributary, the 264-kilometre (164 mi) long Bheri, rises in the western part of Dhaulagiri Himalaya and drains the eastern part of the catchment, meeting the Karnali near Kuineghat in Surkhet.