| Bagmati | |
|---|---|
 Bagmati River atPashupatinath Temple | |
 Interactive Map | |
| Native name | |
| Location | |
| Country | Nepal, India |
| State | Bagmati,Madhesh |
| Cities | Kathmandu,Patan |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Bāghdwār Falls, Bāghdwār (Nepali:बाघद्वार, "Tiger Gate") |
| • location | Shivapuri,Sundarijal,Kathmandu,Nepal |
| • coordinates | 27°46′16″N85°25′38″E / 27.77111°N 85.42722°E /27.77111; 85.42722 |
| • elevation | 2,740 m (8,990 ft) |
| Mouth | Confluence withKamala River |
• location | Jagmohra,Bihar,India |
• coordinates | 25°43′56.1″N86°21′53.0″E / 25.732250°N 86.364722°E /25.732250; 86.364722 |
| Length | 586.3 kilometres (364.3 mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Pandhera Dovan,Makawanpur |
| • maximum | 16,000 m3/s (570,000 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Manohara, Marin Khola,Lakhandei, Adhwara,Kamala |
| • right | Lalbakaiya,Bishnumati |
TheBagmati River[n 1] flows through theKathmandu valley ofNepal, separating the cities ofKathmandu andPatan, before flowing throughMadesh Province of southern Nepal and joining theKamla River in theIndian state ofBihar. It is considered holy by bothHindus andBuddhists. A number ofHindu temples are located on its banks.
The importance of the Bagmati also lies in the fact that Hindus are cremated on the banks of thisholy river, andKirants are buried in the hills by its side. According to the Nepalese Hindu tradition, the dead body must be dipped three times into the Bagmati before cremation, so that the reincarnation cycle may be ended. The chief mourner (usually the first son) who lights the funeral pyre must take a holy river-water bath immediately after cremation. Many relatives who join the funeral procession also take a bath in the river or sprinkle holy water on their bodies at the end of the cremation. It is believed that the Bagmati River purifies people spiritually.
The Bagmati River is considered the source of Nepalese civilization and urbanization.[2] The river has been mentioned asVaggumuda (Nepali:वग्गुमुदा) inVinaya Pitaka andNandabagga.[2] It has also been mentioned asBahumati (Nepali:बाहुमति) inBattha Suttanta ofMajjhima Nikaya.[2] An inscription dated AD 477 describes the river asBagvati parpradeshe (Nepali:वाग्वति पारप्रदेशे) and subsequently also in theGopalraj Vanshavali.[2]
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The basin of the Bagmati river, including the Kathmandu valley, lies between the much largerGandaki basin to the west and theKoshi basin to the east. These adjacent basins extend north of the main Himalayan range and cross it in tremendous gorges, in fact, theArun tributary of the Koshi extends far intoTibet. The smaller Bagmati rises some distance south of the Himalayas. Without glacial sources, its flow is more dependent on rainfall, becoming very low during the hot season (April to early June), then peaking during the monsoon season (mid-June to mid-August). In these respects, the Bagmati system resembles the(West) Rapti system lying between the Gandaki basin and theKarnali basin in the far west of Nepal.
The Bagmati originates where three headwater streams converge at Bāghdwār Falls (Nepali:बाघद्वार,lit. 'Tiger Gate'), where the water flows out through agargoyle shaped like atiger's mouth, situated inShivpuri Nagarjun National Park nearSundarijal inNepal .[3][4] This lies above the southern edge of the Shivapuri Hills, about 15 kilometers (9 mi) northeast of Kathmandu. Here the Bagmati is wide and swift with a high load ofsuspended solids, giving it a grey appearance.[4] The river flows southwest about 10 km (6 mi) through terraced rice fields in the Kathmandu Valley.[4]
Resistant rock strata interrupt the flow in places, including atPashupatinath Temple.[4] Beyond the temple, the river flows south until joined by the larger west-flowing Monahara River, then turns west itself. After entering Kathmandu's urban area, more tributaries enter: relatively unpolluted[4] Dhobī Kholā[5][6] and sewage-ladenTukucha Khola.[4][7][n 2] Then the river bends south and the Bishnumati enters from the right at Teku Dovan. The Bishnumati also rises in the Shivapuri Hills, some 6 kilometers (4 mi) west of the Bagmati's source. It flows south past the Nagarjun Hill,Swayambhu Stupa andDurbar Square in Kathmandu. As it passes the centre of Kathmandu, this tributary becomes heavily polluted and choked with trash.
Flowing generally south although with many curves, the Bagmati reaches the edge of the Kathmandu valley and entersChobhar gorge near theDakshinkali temple complex. The Chobhar gorge cuts through theMahabharat range, also called the Lesser Himalaya. This 2,000-to-3,000-meter (6,600 to 9,800 ft) range is the southern limit of the "middle hills" across Nepal, an important cultural boundary between distinctive Nepali and more Indian cultures and languages, as well as a major geological feature. The Bagmati also crosses the lowerSivalik Hills before reaching theTerai, then crosses into India atBairgania. It flows across the districtsDarbhanga,Sitamarhi,Sheohar,Muzaffarpur andKhagaria in Bihar. It meetsRiver Kamala at Jagmohra Village ofSamastipur. However, in past the river had a different course and used to drain directly into the Ganges. InSwasthani Bratakatha of theSkanda Purana, Bagmati's present northern tributary was regarded as main channel called Sāli river which was a tributary of Gandaki and it is obvious since Manohara river, the present day Sali river, is larger than Bagmati at their confluence.
The Bagmati River contains large amounts of untreated sewage, and large levels of pollution of the river exist due primarily to the region's large population. Many residents in Kathmandu empty their personal garbage and waste into the river.[8] In particular the Hanumante Khola, Dhobī Kholā, Tukucha Khola and Bishnumati are the most polluted.[7] Attempts are being made to monitor the Bagmati river system and restore its cleanliness. These include "pollution loads modification, flow augmentation and placement of weirs at critical locations".[9]
On 18 May 2013, under the initiative of then chief secretaryLeela Mani Poudyal, the Bagmati Mega Clean-Up Campaign was started.[10] Every Saturday, personnels of theNepal Army andNepal Police, along with the general public, gather to clean the waste and sewage from the river.
There is no effect of flood in most of the areas that it touches, but it has caused widespread sufferings to the people in Terai and northern districts of Bihar. The worst destruction by the river were seen in 1993. Poor water management, lack of proper weather forecasting and awareness were the main cause of mass destruction.[11]
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