Rucsy at 12:04, 24 February 2026

2026-02-24T12:04:30Z

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{{short description|River in Bangladesh and India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Mahananda River {{native_name|bn|Môhānôndā Nôdi}}
| native_name =
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| image = File:Mahananda from Tetulia.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption =People collecting stone at Mahananda River in Tetulia, Panchagarh District, Bangladesh with Kangchenjunga in the background
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| subdivision_type1 = Countries
| subdivision_name1 = [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[States of India|States]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[West Bengal]] (India) [[Bihar]] (India)
| subdivision_type3 = [[Divisions of Bangladesh|Divisions]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Rangpur Division|Rangpur]] (Bangladesh) [[Rajshahi Division|Rajshahi]] (Bangladesh)
| subdivision_type4 = Districts
| subdivision_name4 = [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]] (India), [[Jalpaiguri district|Jalpaiguri]] (India) [[Uttar Dinajpur]] (India) [[Kishanganj district|Kishanganj]] (India) [[Purnia district|Purnia]] (India) [[Katihar district|Katihar]] (India) [[Malda district|Malda]] (India) [[Panchagarh District|Panchagarh]] (Bangladesh) [[Nawabganj district|Nawabganj]] (Bangladesh)
| subdivision_type5 = Cities
| subdivision_name5 = [[Kurseong]] (India) [[Siliguri]] (India) [[English Bazar]](India) Godagiri (Bangladesh)

| length_km = 360
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| source1 = Paglajhora Falls, [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling hills]] in the [[Himalayas]]
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| mouth = [[Ganges]]
| mouth_location = Godagari, [[Rajshahi District]], [[Bangladesh]]
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|24|29|24|N|88|18|14|E|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation =
| progression =
| river_system =
| basin_size_km2 = 20600
| tributaries_left = [[Tangon River]], [[Nagar River (Rangpur)]]
| tributaries_right = [[Mechi River]], [[Kankai River]], [[Balason River]], [[Kalindi River]]
}}
The '''Mahananda''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˌ|h|ɑː|ˈ|n|ʌ|n|d|ə|,_|ˌ|m|ɑː|h|ə|-}} {{respell|mə|HAH|NUN|də|,_|MAH|hə|-}}) is a [[trans-boundary river]] that flows through the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|states]] of [[Bihar]] and [[West Bengal]] before crossing into [[Bangladesh]]. It is an important [[tributary]] of the [[Ganges]].

==Course==
[[File:MahanandaRiver.jpg|thumb|Mahananda River, view from captain Mohiudding Jahangir (Bir Shreshtha) bridge at [[Nawabganj district]] ]]
The Mahananda River system consists of two streams- one is locally known as Fulahar River and the other Mahananda.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Momin |first=Hassan |last2=Biswas |first2=Rubia |last3=Tamang |first3=Chandrakala |date=2022-02-01 |title=Morphological analysis and channel shifting of the Fulahar river in Malda district, West Bengal, India using remote sensing and GIS techniques |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-020-10248-7 |journal=GeoJournal |language=en |volume=87 |issue=1 |pages=197–213 |doi=10.1007/s10708-020-10248-7 |issn=1572-9893|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Fulahar originates in the [[Himalayas]] in [[Nepal]] and traverses through the Indian state of Bihar and merges with the Ganges in left opposite to [[Rajmahal]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mahananda Basin|url=https://indiawris.gov.in/wiki/doku.php?id=mahananda_basin|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814120925/https://indiawris.gov.in/wiki/doku.php?id=mahananda_basin|archive-date=14 August 2021}}</ref> The Mahananda originates in the Himalayas: Paglajhora Falls on Mahaldiram Hill near Chimli, east of [[Kurseong]] in [[Darjeeling district]] at an elevation of {{convert|2100|m}}.<ref name=jain>{{cite book |author1=Sharad K. Jain |author2=Pushpendra K. Agarwal |author3=Vijay P. Singh |year=2007 |title=Hydrology and Water Resources of India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKs1gBhJSWIC&pg=PA360 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |page=360 |isbn=978-1-4020-5180-7}}</ref><ref name=siliguri>{{cite web |url=http://www.siligurionline.com/info/rivers.htm |title=Rivers in Siliguri |work=Mahananda River |publisher=Siliguri on line |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104203849/http://www.siligurionline.com/info/rivers.htm |archive-date=4 January 2013 |access-date=14 May 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://darjeelingnews.net/rivers.html
| title = Rivers| publisher = Darjeeling News.Net |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref> It flows through [[Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary]] and descends to the plains near [[Siliguri]]. It touches [[Jalpaiguri district]].<ref name=siliguri/><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.himalayan-adventure.com/jungle/mahananda.htm |title = Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary |publisher = nature beyond |access-date = 14 May 2010 |archive-date = 17 March 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090317101106/http://www.himalayan-adventure.com/jungle/mahananda.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref>

It enters Bangladesh near [[Tetulia Upazila|Tentulia]] in [[Panchagarh District]], flows for {{convert|3|km}} after Tentulia and returns to India.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view1.php?hidRecord=16858 | title =News from Bangladesh |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref> After flowing through [[Uttar Dinajpur district]] in West Bengal and [[Kishanganj district|Kishanganj]], [[Purnia district|Purnia]] and [[Katihar district|Katihar]] districts in Bihar, it enters [[Malda district]] in West Bengal.<ref>{{cite web|url =http://uttardinajpur.gov.in/ | title = Uttar Dinajpur district |publisher = Uttar Dinajpur district administration |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url =http://kishanganj.bih.nic.in/river.htm |url-status=dead |title =Kishanganj district |publisher =Kishanganj district administration |access-date =14 May 2010 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100408074040/http://kishanganj.bih.nic.in/river.htm |archive-date =8 April 2010}}</ref> The Mahananda divides the district into two regions — the eastern region, consisting mainly of old alluvial and relatively infertile soil is commonly known as [[Barind]] (Barendrabhumi), and the western region, which is further subdivided by the river Kalindri into two areas, the northern area is known as "Tal". It is low-lying and vulnerable to inundation during rainy season; the southern area consists of very fertile land and is thickly populated, being commonly known as "Diara".<ref>{{cite web|url =http://malda.gov.in/ | title =Malda district |publisher =Malda district administration |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref>

It joins the [[Ganges]] at Godagari in [[Nawabganj district|Rajshahi district]] in Bangladesh.<ref name=jain/>

===Basin data===
The total length of the Mahananda is {{convert|360|km}},<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/357914/Mahananda-River | title = Mahananda River | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref> out of which {{convert|324|km}} are in India and {{convert|36|km}} are in Bangladesh.

The total drainage area of the Mahananda is {{convert|20600|km2}} out of which {{convert|11530|km2}} are in India.<ref name=jain/>

===Tributaries===
The main tributaries of the Mahananda are [[Balason River|Balason]], [[Mechi River|Mechi]], [[Kankai River|Kankai]]<ref name=jain/> and River Kalindri. At the East of the confluence of the Kalindri and the Mahananda lies the [[Old Malda]] town. In the Siliguri area it has three tributaries called the Trinai, Ranochondi and the pair of Chokor and Dauk taken as a single tributary.<ref name=siliguri/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{citation
|author=Sultana Nasrin Baby
|chapter=Mahananda River
|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mahananda_River
|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |editor1=Sirajul Islam |editor2=Ahmed A. Jamal |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |year=2012 |edition=Second}}

{{Commons category|Mahananda River}}

{{Rivers in and around Bengal}}
{{Rivers in Bihar}}

[[Category:Siliguri]]
[[Category:Rivers of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Rivers of Bihar]]
[[Category:Rivers of West Bengal]]
[[Category:International rivers of Asia]]
[[Category:Rivers of Rangpur Division]]

Mahananda River - Revision history

Rucsy at 12:04, 24 February 2026