River Ganga is the most sacred river for all Indians. Every Indian aspires to take a holy dip in River Ganga, at least once in the lifetime. Every tributary, small or big, contributes in its own way to add to the sanctity of River Ganga. The Tamsa River is one such tributary. It flows through two states, namely Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

History

The Tamsa River finds mention in holy epic, The Ramayana. When Lord Rama was exiled for 14 years in the forest, his subjects from the city of Ayodhya, walked with him, till they arrived on the banks of the Tamsa River. Lord Rama, along with Sita and Lakshmana spent the night on the river banks. As per mythological references, the threesome left the place at midnight in disguise, so that their people would not follow them. Another important mention of River Tamsa is again seen as the birthplace of Lord Rama’s twin sons, Lav and Kush at the ashram.

Course

River Tamsa originates from a tank at an elevation of 2000 feet in Kaimur Range in Madhya Pradesh. Along the flow of the river and its tributaries, many waterfalls are formed. The Tamsa enters Uttar Pradesh at the town of Belan. The Tamsa further traverses and merges with River Ganga near the town of Sirsa. Total length of Tamsa River is 264 kms. It has a total drainage area of 16,860 square kms. Purwa falls is a major waterfall of the Tamsa River. Here the river experiences a vertical drop of 70 meters.

Tributaries

Tamsa River has many tributaries. Prominent among them are Bihad river, Mahana river and Belah river. The Odda river is tributary of Belah river. All these tributaries have waterfalls at various places along their course. Chachai falls on Bihad river has a drop of 127 meters. Similarly Keoti falls on Mahana river has a drop of 98 meters and Odda falls on Odda river has drop of 145 meters.