Teesta River

Teesta River, is a 315 km (196 mi) long river that rises in the eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Bangladesh and enters the Bay of Bengal.[1] It drains an area of 12,370 km2 (4,780 sq mi).[2] In India, it flows through North Sikkim, East Sikkim, Kalimpong district, Darjeeling District, Jalpaiguri District, Cooch Behar districts and the cities of Rangpo, Jalpaiguri and Mekhliganj. It joins the Jamuna River at Fulchhari in Bangladesh.

The Teesta River originates from the Pahunri (or Teesta Kangse) glacier above 7,068 metres (23,189 ft), and flows southward through gorges and rapids in the Sikkim Himalaya.[3]

It is fed by rivulets arising in the Thangu, Yumthang and Donkha mountain ranges. The river then flows past the town of Rangpo where the Rangpo River joins, and where it forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal up to Teesta Bazaar. Just before the Teesta Bridge, where the roads from Kalimpong and Darjeeling join, the river is met by its main tributary, the Rangeet.[4]

Teesta River Bridge Inscription
At this point, it changes course southwards flowing into West Bengal. The river hits the plains at Sevoke, 22 kilometres (14 mi) northeast of Siliguri, where it is spanned by the Coronation Bridge linking the northeast states to the rest of India. The river then goes merging up with the Brahmaputra River after it touches the city of Jalpaiguri and flowing between Mekhliganj and Haldibari in Cooch Behar district and moves to Fulchori in Bangladesh.