Teesta River

River Teesta or Tista () is said to be the lifeline of the Indian state of Sikkim, flowing for almost the entire length of the state and carving out verdant Himalayan temperate and tropical river valleys. The emerald-coloured river then forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal before joining the Brahmaputra as a tributary in Bangladesh. The total length of the river is .

Course

The river originates from Tso Lhamo Lake in North Sikkim at an elevation of above sea level in the Himalayas. This lake lies to the north of the Donkia pass near Shetschen, where the summit of the pass is about eight kilometres north-east of Darjeeling.

The Teesta river is then fed by rivulets which arise in the Thangu, Yumthang and Donkia-La ranges. The river then flows past the town of Rangpo where it forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal up to Teesta Bazaar. Just before the Teesta Bridge, which joins Kalimpong with Darjeeling, the river is met by its main tributary, the Rangeet River. At this point, it changes course southwards flowing into West Bengal. The river hits the plains at Sevoke, at a distance of 22 Km from Siliguri, where it is spanned by the Coronation Bridge which links the north-east states to the rest of India. The river then courses its way to Jalpaiguri and then to Rangpur District of Bangladesh, before...
Read More