Trishuli River

The Trishuli River is one of the major tributaries of the Narayani River basin in central Nepal. The river is formed by the merger of Kyirong Tsangpo and Lende Khola originating in Gyirong County of Tibet, which join together near the Rasuwa Gadhi on the Nepal–Tibet border. The valley of the river provided the traditional trade route between the Kathmandu Valley and Tibet. Etymology The Trishuli is named after the trishula or trident of Shiva, the most powerful god in the Hindu pantheon, There is a legend that says high in the Himalayas at Gosaikunda, Shiva drove his trident into the ground to create three springs – the source of the river and hence its name Trisuli. Course The sources of the Trishuli River lie in the Pekhu Kangri range (called Langtang Himal in Nepal) in the Kyirong County in Tibet. Two major rivers Kyirong Tsangpo (or Kerung Khola) and Lende Khola merge near the Rasuwa Fort at the Nepal border to form the Trishuli river. Kyirong Tsangpo has a large basin extending beyond the town of Dzongka and numerous streams forming it: Zarong chu, Gyang chu, Prongda chu, Ublung chu, Tsalung chu, Ragma chu etc. After Ragma, it passes through a lush green alpine "Kyirong Valley" (elevation 2700 m) with several villages and the Kyirong Town. Afterwards it enters a deep gorge before reaching the Rasuwa Fort. The last stretch of the river is used as part of the Nepal–China border. Lende Khola has two further tributaries originating in Langtang Himal, viz., Richong Chu and Chusumdo Tsangpo, the latter again forming part of the Nepal–China border.