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Kali River
At an amazing height of 3600 m, at a scenic location called Kalapaani that is part of the Uttarkhand states Pithoragarh district, coming down from the Greater Himalayas is the River Kali. There is a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali, the violent incarnation of Goddess Shakthi in Kalapaani and the river that originated here came to be known in the name of the Goddess. The river in a way forms a part of the east border line between the nations of India and Nepal. This can be considered to be one of the tributaries of the mighty Ganges. It is joined by many rivers like Gori Ganga at a place called Jaujibi and Darma at Tawaghat. This river is known by the name of Shrada when it starts its descent down towards the flat lands of the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The force of the river serves as a means for the hydroelectric power projects that are already constructed and are being planned – thereby this river not only provides water for irrigation, but also serves the purpose of power generation in the country. The already existing power project Tanakpur Hydro Electric Power station is seen on this river. Thanks to the current in the water of this river, the generation of Hydroelectric power is a possibility and this is very useful for the people of our country. The Government is looking at proposals to build another power generation unit and talks are on for the construction of a dam which will be known as the Pacheswar Dam. This will be in collaboration with the government of Nepal and will serve the purpose of irrigation for cultivation and for generating hydroelectric power for the two countries.
Thanks to the currents and the speed of the water in this river, there are a lot of tourists who come here and enjoy river rafting in the white waters of river Kali. Though there are a lot of rivers that flow across our country, there are very few that have sufficient water and eater current to enjoy water rafting. Even in the few rivers that have these features, the availability of water is very seasonal and is highly dependent on the monsoons. So, the amount of water that is available in these rivers is directly proportional to the amount of water received in the monsoon – so at the time of a bad monsoon, even this facility is lost. Unlike such cases, River Kali boasts of superb river rafting facilities all through the year and that is another unique feature of this river.
Course
River Kali starts from the starting point of Kalapaani and flows down from there after creating a boundary in the east with the neighbouring nation of Nepal. The river has one of its banks in India and the other in Nepal. That is why the waters and the power generated from the waters are shared between the two countries amicably. There are treaties that have been in place to the effect of water and other benefits sharing right from the year 1920. The latest of these treaties were dated 1996 and ever since the water sharing for cultivation for both countries and the hydroelectric power generation is in vogue.
There are a lot of religious spots that dot the course of this river. In fact these ancient temples and Gods are the most important reasons why pilgrims come to visit this place. There is no Hindu God who does not have an important place of worship here in this town. There are the mightier and well known ones like the Trimurthis or Goddess Shakti who have temples here, but then the intriguing places of worship are for the local Gods, who are considered to be chieftains or deities protecting the regions and the people from bad or negative forces. Some of the common temples that are found here are for Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu amongst the well-known Gods and for the local Gods like Ham, Gangnath, Golla, Airy, KailBisht etc.
Tributaries
Kutiyangti is one of the tributaries of river Kali and this has its origin in one of the glaciers that dot Lumpiyadhura Pass in the south part. River Sarju and River Panar also join this river at a point in Pancheswar, though they cannot be classified as tributaries.
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