Kankai River
| Kankai River | |
 |
|
| Country | Nepal |
|---|---|
| Tributaries | |
| - right | Ratua Khola |
| Source | Mahabharat Lekh |
| Mouth | Maipokhari Ilam Nepal |
| - location | Ilam district Nepal, Ilam Nepal, Eastern development region Nepal, Eastern Development Region, Nepal, Nepal |
| - coordinates | 25°52′59″N 87°47′53″E / 25.88306°N 87.79806°ECoordinates: 25°52′59″N 87°47′53″E / 25.88306°N 87.79806°E |
The Kankai River (also referred to as Kankai Mai) (Nepali: कन्काई नदी, is a trans-boundary river flowing through Ilam and Jhapa in north to south direction of Nepal. Holy river of millions of Hindu Devotees living throughout Nepal. Passes through the hills of Ilam and plains of Jhapa District. Kotihom river Bank is the centre for Death rituals of millions of Hindus living in Jhapa and Ilam. Kankai Irrigation Project launched by Nepal government irrigates the southern Jhapa like Shivganj, Pachgachi, Mahavara etc. Kanki Mai or Mai khola has the several points of tourism like Domukha, Dhanuskoti, Chuli, Chepti and Maipokhari. The river overfloods during the monsoon and has possibility to overflow through the thousands of hector of fertile plains of Jhapa. It is really beautiful to view the local fisherman fishing in the river and the children taking bath in heat of sun. Kotihom Surunga Municipality holds annual Mai Mela Fair where Millions of people from Jhapa, Morang, Ilam and various parts of India come to enjoy and perform the religious activity on the Day of Magh 1st. Kankai Aryaghat for death rituals in Kotihom bank of the river built recently by the public investment is used for death rituals each day by the people.
This river name Kankai is taken from Sanskrit language word ‘KANAKA’, that means gold. One saying is such about Kankai name. So many year ago when some saint used to live in hill region beside Kankai river for meditation, at that time some golden stone were appeared in water. So they called to Kankai river as ‘Kanakawati Mai’ or ‘Goddess with gold’. Gradually, People start to call ‘Kankai’ to this river.
The Kankai originates in the Mahabharat Range in Nepal. It flows through Nepal and then flows through the Indian state of Bihar to join the Mahananda in Kishanganj district.
The Kankai is a rainfed perennial river of eastern Nepal. The area has warm temperate rainy climates with mild winters. Upper part of the basin basically consists of granitic gneiss of Cambro-Ordovician age and the lower part consists of Quaternary rocks. The Kankai is gravelly river with more than 60% gravel of gneiss and remaining other are of different metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. The sediment yield of the river is estimated to be 0.148 million ton/year.
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