Ramganga, West
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Ramganga, West
(also known as Ruhut or Ruput in its upper courses). River of the United Provinces, which rises in Garhwal Dis- trict (30 5' N., 79 12' E.) in the hills some distance south of the snowy range of the Himalayas. It flows for about 90 miles with a very rapid fall, first through Garhwal, then through Kumaun, and after again entering Garhwal debouches on the plains near the Kalagarh fort, south of the peak of the same name, in Bijnor District. It is now a large river, and 15 miles lower down receives on its right bank the Khoh, which also rises in Garhwal. Both these streams are liable to sudden floods owing to heavy rain in their upper courses. Their beds abound in quicksands, and their channels are shifting. The Ramganga passes south-east, through Moradabad District and the Rampur State, into Bareilly, after which it flows south between Budaun and Shah- jahanpur, and then, crossing the last-mentioned District, flows through the eastern tahsil of Farrukhabad and part of Hardol, falling into the Ganges a little above Kanauj, after a total course of about 370 miles. Throughout its course in the plains it receives many small streams from the Tarai, and a few larger tributaries whose sources are in the Himalayas. The Kosi in Moradabad, the Dojora, formed by the Kichha or West Bahgul, Dhakra, and Bhakra rivers in Bareilly, and the Deoha or Garra in Shahjahanpur are the most important of these. During its whole course in the plains the Ramganga flows in a shifting and uncertain bed. It changed its channel m the middle of the nineteenth century, so as to run into the Dojora and pass Bareilly city; in the rains of 1871 it returned to its former course ten miles distant, but has once more begun to approach the city. During floods it spreads out widely on either side, and carves out new channels for itself, often destroying the fertility of the land with a layer of sand. It is little used for irrigation.
