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Legend says that high in the Himalaya at Gosainkund the god
Shiva drove his Trident in to the ground to create the springs -
the source of the river and hence its name Trisuli.
Not for after this source the Trisuli joins the Bhote kosi that
flows from Tibet; the two rivers joining in some pretty fearsome
looking gorges that are visible on the way up to the Langtang
Trek. By Betrawati the gradient has eased and after this is
becomes a more mature and powerful river which later adds many
other major river its flow - the Buri Gandaki, the Marsyangdi
and the Seti. When the Kali Gandaki joins it, shortly before the
plains, it changes its name to the Narayani. Here, it is a truly
mighty river - peak flows in the Monsoon have been measured at
25,700 cumecs (extreme, instantaneous discharge) about 900,000
cubic feet per second or fifty times the typical flow of the
Colorado River through Grand Canyon! Normally the flow on the
main rafting section of the Trihsuli is about half that of the
Grand Canyon, and in many ways the rapids are smaller scale
versions of those on the Colorado; they are formed mainly by
boulder outwash from tributary streams and are characterized by
big green shoots, holes either side, and huge exploding waves
down the bottom. The river has carved some truly impressive
gorges in its lower part as it cut its way through the
2000-meter high Mahabharat Range. These gorges are also the
route followed by the prithvi highway is some way from the river
itself. The opposite side to the road is relatively wild and
uninhabited and you should see plenty of wildlife, a profusion
of colourful birds, including eagles and vultures -especially
ture if you continue on down in to Chitwan National Park where
you may see crocodiles and rhino by the riverside.
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