About the Ghaghra
The Ghaghra (known as the Karnali in Nepal and the Saryu in Ayodhya) is the largest tributary of the Ganga by discharge, contributing more water to the main river than any other tributary including the Yamuna. In Hindu tradition the Saryu is deeply sacred — the Ramayana describes Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, on its banks, and the river's waters are used in ritual bathing at the ancient ghats of Ayodhya. The river descends from Tibetan glaciers through the Sub-Himalayan Siwalik hills before spreading across the Gangetic plain.
The Ghaghra's terai floodplain corridor between Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh and Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar is one of North India's most important wildlife corridors, allowing tigers and elephants to move between the two protected areas. The river's swampy margins and tall elephant grass marshes are the last habitat of the swamp deer (barasingha) and hispid hare in the region. The Ghaghra-Ganga confluence at Chhapra is one of the Ganga's most significant hydrological junctions.
Rapti · Sharda · Burhi Rapti