Punpun River

Punpun River
Punpun at Obra
Location
Country	India
State	Jharkhand, Bihar
City	Obra
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Palamu district, Chota Nagpur Plateau, Jharkhand
• coordinates	24°11′N84°9′E / 24.183°N 84.150°E / 24.183; 84.150
• elevation	300 m (980 ft)
Mouth	Ganges
• location	Fatuha
• coordinates	25°30′50″N85°17′46″E / 25.51389°N 85.29611°E / 25.51389; 85.29611
Length	200 km (120 mi)
Basin size	8,530 km2 (3,290 sq mi)

The Punpun River ^[1] is a tributary of the Ganges. It originates in Palamu district of Jharkhand and flows through Chatra, Gaya, Aurangabad Jehanabad and Patna districts of the Indian states of Jharkhand and Bihar. Punpun is a place named after the Punpun river in Patna which is situated on the bank of Punpun river. On the bank of Punpun people celebrate Chhath Puja.

Course

The Punpun originates on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, at an elevation of 300 metres (980 ft). The river mostly flows in a north-east direction passes through many villages including Uphara and joins the Ganges at Fatuha, 25 kilometres (16 mi) downstream of Patna.

Many towns such as Sigori are located on the banks of the river.

Tributaries

The main tributaries of the Punpun are – the Butane, the Madar and the Mohar.

Other features

The 200 kilometres (120 mi) long river is mostly rainfed and carries little water in the dry season. However, during rains, the Punpun often causes heavy flood damages east of Patna city. The catchment area of the Punpun is 8,530 square kilometres (3,290 sq mi). Agricultural area in the Punpun basin is about 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi). The average annual rainfall for the basin is 1,181 millimetres (46.5 in).

Religious significance

The Punpun river is believed to have originated with the blessings of Brahma. ^[2]

It is said in Garuda Purana that in ancient times, sages Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan, Kapil and Panchshikh were performing severe penance in the Palamu forest of the southern part of Keekat (Magadh) state (present-day Jharkhand). Pleased with the penance, Brahma appeared. The sages searched for water to wash Brahma's feet. When they did not find water, the sages collected their sweat. When the sweat was kept in the kamandal, the kamandal would turn upside down. In this way, due to repeated turning of the kamandal, the word Punpuna(पुनः पुना) came out of Brahma's mouth involuntarily. After this, an endless stream of water came out from there. Due to this, the sages named it Punpuna(पुनः पुना), which is now famous as Punpun(पुनपुन ). At that time, Brahma had said that whoever performs Pind daan on the banks of this river will send his ancestors to heaven. Brahmaji had said about the Punpun river that ""पुनःपुना सर्व नदीषु पुण्या, सदावह स्वच्छ जला शुभ प्रदा". Since then, the tradition of offering the first pind daan on the banks of the Punpun river during Pitru Paksha has been going on for centuries.

According to the belief, before performing Shraddha Tarpan and Pind Daan of ancestors in the international religious city of Gaya, it is necessary to perform Pind Daan in Punpun river. Pind Daan in Gaya is considered complete only after performing Pind Daan in Punpun river.

There are many mythological stories of Punpun river ghat. In Garuda Purana, it is called Adi Ganga. It is said that Lord Rama had once come to this Punpun river ghat with Mata Janaki for the peace of the souls of his ancestors. He had first performed the offering of pind here. After which he went to Gaya and performed the complete offering of pind, due to which it is considered the first door of Moksha Daayini. ^[3]

However, facilities like those in Gaya are not available anywhere on the ghats of the Punpun river. This is the reason why people from outside come directly to Gaya. In Gaya, when the devotees talk to the local Pandits and priests about the first Pind Daan in the Punpun river, they get them the first Pind Daan in the Godavari Sarovar through supplementary rituals, saying that offering Pind Daan in this lake is as fruitful as in Punpun.

References

1. "Final feasibility report on detailed hydrographic survey Punpun river from Ganga confluence at Fatuha (CH 0 km), to Dudhaila Bridge NH-83 (CH 34.61 km)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2021.
2. "Bihar Pandas Are Stopping Those Offering Pind Daan At Punpun Ghat Offering First Pind To Ancestors In Godavari - Amar Ujala Hindi News Live - Bihar News:पुनपुन घाट पर पिंडदान नहीं करने दे रहे पंडे, गोदावरी सरोवर में पित्तरों को दिला रहे प्रथम पिंड". www.amarujala.com. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
3. "पिंडदान का प्रथम द्वार है पुनपुन घाट, जहां भगवान राम ने भी किया था अपने पूर्वजों का तर्पण - Pind Daan 2024". www.etvbharat.com. Retrieved 11 August 2025.