The Gandak river, a left-bank tributary of the Ganga, is also known by which name?

In Nepal, the lower part of the Gandak river is called the Narayani (or Sapt Gandaki), and its upper course is known as the Kali Gandaki. In India, the river is called the Gandak.

Course of the Gandak:

• It rises in the Himalayas near the Nepal-Tibet border, in the Mustang region of Nepal, as the Kali Gandaki.
• The Kali Gandaki flows through one of the deepest gorges in the world, between the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna massifs.
• After it is joined by the Trishuli and other streams, it becomes the Narayani, which flows through the Chitwan region of Nepal.
• It enters India at Valmikinagar in Bihar, near the border of Uttar Pradesh.
• It flows south-east across Bihar and joins the Ganga at Hajipur, opposite Patna.
• Its length is about 630 km.

Important facts:

• The Gandak Project, an Indo-Nepal joint project, has a barrage at Valmikinagar for irrigation and power.
• The Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar and the Chitwan National Park in Nepal lie along the river.
• The Sonepur cattle fair (Harihar Kshetra Mela), one of Asia's largest animal fairs, is held near the Gandak-Ganga confluence.
• Shaligram stones, worshipped as a form of Vishnu, are found in the Kali Gandaki.

Left-bank tributaries of the Ganga (west to east):

Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi and Mahananda.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Karnali is the Nepali name of the Ghaghara.
• ✗The Bagmati flows through Kathmandu and north Bihar.
• ✗Saptakoshi (seven Kosis) is the Nepali name of the Kosi, which is formed by seven streams.