Tista River river, Asia

Tista River, a tributary of the Jamuna River (Brahmaputra River), flowing through India and Bangladesh. It rises in the Himalayas near Chunthang in Sikkim (India), flows to the south, cutting a deep gorge through the Siwalik Hills east of Darjiling (in West Bengal, India), and turns southeast to run through the Sivok Khola pass onto the plains of West Bengal. Originally, the river continued southward to empty directly into the upper Padma River (Ganges [Ganga] River). About 1787, however, the river changed its course to flow eastward, crossing the Rangpur region of Bangladesh to join the Jamuna River near Chilmari after a total course of about 200 miles (320 km).
The flow of the Tista is greatest during the summer (June to September), when the monsoon rains are heaviest and glaciers supply abundant meltwater. Its lower reaches are marked by flooding and frequent, violent course changes; navigation is impaired by shoals and quicksand near the junction with the Jamuna. The Tista Barrage is a dam that helps to provide irrigation for the plains between the upper Padma and the Jamuna.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen, Corrections Manager.

Learn More in these related Britannica articles:

• 
  Bangladesh: Drainage
  The Tista is the most important water carrier of northwestern Bangladesh. Rising in the Himalayas near Sikkim, India, it flows southward, turning southeast near Darjiling (Darjeeling) to enter Bangladesh, where it eventually meets the Jamuna. The shoals and quicksand that surround the junction of the two…
• 
  Brahmaputra River: Hydrology
  …the eastward diversion of the Tista River and the ensuing development of the new channel of the Jamuna, which occurred in 1787 with an exceptionally high flood in the Tista. The waters of the Tista suddenly were diverted eastward into an old abandoned course, causing the river to join the…
• 
  Brahmaputra River: Irrigation and flood control
  The Tista Barrage Project is both an irrigation and a flood-protection scheme.…
   Adopted from : Encyclopedia Britanica !!