Kaunhara ghat
Kaunhara ghat is a river bank in Hajipur in Vaishali District. Kaunhara ghat is one of the main ghats of the Ganga-Gandak rivers. where worship and cremation have been performed side by side for centuries. Its name stems from a legend, according to which, the fight of Gaja (elephant)–Graah (crocodile), is the reason behind people asking – kaun haara. Lord Vishnu had to interfere to save his devotee Gajaraj from drowning. Both Gaja and Grah were gandharavas. Due to a curse, they became Gaja and Graah. Lord Visnu killed Graah to give him instant salvation, and saved Gajaraj. The fight is an emblem for the city, and is prominently depicted on the Hajipur railway station’s dome, entry point of Sonepur fair and other notable places.
Coordinates: 25°40’45″N 85°11’49″E
Culture: People of Hajipur on every pornima and especially during Karthik Purnima. The ghat is decorated for every Chaat puja. People believes that cremation at the confluence of the Gandak-Ganga is a holy place where soul gets salvation.
Rivers: GANGA-The river known as the Ganges is officially and popularly known by its ancient name, Ganga. It is a snow fed and major river of the Indian subcontinent. The river has its source at Gaumakh in the southern Himalayan Glaciers on the Indian side of the Tibetan border. It crosses the cities: Gangotri Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Ghazipur in UP and enter in the boundary of Bihar at Chausa, nearBuxar after its confluence with Karmanasa. It is joined by the three great effluents – the Ghaghra, the Gandak, and the Son and their tributaries in Patna district. Further Punpun joins it at Fatuha in Patna district, Koshi joins it at Khagaria district while the Harohar and the Kiul join it near Surajgarha, Distrct Lakhisarai. It passes through the cities & towns- Patna, Barh, Mokama, Begusarai, Munger, Khagaria, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon, Pirpainti, Hajipur in Bihar and exit to Sahebganj in Jharkhand and then to West Bengal, where the river begins with the branching away. One branch of the river goes on to form the River Hooghly in West Bengal. Close to the border with Bangladesh, the other enters to Bangladesh and the branch of the Ganges is known as Padma and ultimately all meet to the sea (Bay of Bengal). The Ganges river basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated in the world. There are two major dams on the Ganga. One at Haridwar in UP and the other dam is at Farakka in West Bengal. Species found in the river are mainly fish and dolphin. Fish are found in all the major rivers of the Ganges basin, and are a vital food source for many people. Many types of birds are founds throughout the basin, such as myna, parrots, crows and partridges. The Ganges River itself supports the mugger crocodile and the gharial. The river’s most famed fauna is the freshwater dolphin and the Ganges River dolphin has been recently declared by the central Govt. as India’s National Aquatic Animal.
GANDAK- The Gandak River originates from melting of snow, glaciers and from lakes of Himalayan streams in Nepal and its border with Tibet, which contribute substantially to the lean season flows of the river. It is one of the major left bank tributary of the Ganga and also known as the Narayani, especially in Nepal. It enters into Bihar at the Indo-Nepal border Triveni (in Nepal) and Valmikinagar in Bagha sub division of District West Champaran, Bihar. The Gandak flows southeast 300 km (190 mi) across the Gangetic plain of Bihar state through West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur and Vaishali districts. It joins the Ganges near Patna just downstream with one of river bank at near Kaunhara Ghat, Hajipur, District-Vaishali and the another at near Hariharnath Mandir, Sonepur, District-Saran.
District Administration Contribution: Electric incinerator ((Vidyut Savdahgrih) has been constructed, Staircases are Renovated and expansion of staircases has been done with new Constructions. Health & Medical Camps, Yoga at Ghat, Drinking Water supply with pipeline taps, Cleanliness, Public Awareness camps, Street Lights. Local & Foreign Visitors, Devotees are open to give feedback & contribute in various works & maintenances.