The Gandak river joins the Ganga at Sonpur, near which city?

The Gandak river joins the Ganga at Sonpur (Hajipur area), on the northern bank of the Ganga, opposite Patna, the capital of Bihar.

Course of the Gandak:

• It rises in the Himalayas of Nepal, near the border with Tibet.
• In Nepal, it is formed by the union of the Kali Gandaki and the Trishuli rivers.
• The Kali Gandaki cuts through one of the deepest gorges in the world, between the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountains.
• The river enters India at Valmikinagar in Bihar, on the border of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
• It flows south-east across the north Bihar plains to join the Ganga near Patna.
• It is a left-bank (northern) tributary of the Ganga.

Gandak Project:

• The Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar was built under the Gandak Agreement of 1959 between India and Nepal.
• It provides irrigation to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal through canals, and generates hydroelectricity.

Floods:

Like other Himalayan rivers of north Bihar, the Gandak carries heavy silt and frequently changes its course, causing floods.

Sonpur Mela:

Sonpur, at the confluence of the Gandak and the Ganga, hosts the famous Sonpur Mela (Harihar Kshetra Mela) every year in November-December, on Kartik Purnima. It is known as one of the largest cattle fairs in Asia.

The Harihar Nath temple at Sonpur is dedicated to both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Har).

Valmiki Tiger Reserve:

The Valmiki Tiger Reserve, the only tiger reserve in Bihar, lies along the Gandak near the Nepal border.

Patna:

• Patna, on the southern bank of the Ganga, was the ancient Pataliputra, capital of the Magadha empire under the Mauryas and the Guptas.
• The Mahatma Gandhi Setu, one of the longest river bridges in India, connects Patna with Hajipur across the Ganga.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Varanasi is in Uttar Pradesh, upstream on the Ganga.
• ✗Munger and Bhagalpur are in Bihar, downstream from Patna.