The Siang at Ranighat where it becomes the Brahmaputra
The Making of the Brahmaputra
So this year I finally saw for myself the only “Male” River of the Indian sub-continent the mighty Brahmaputra named after the God Brahma and it name means the Son of Brahma. In November though it presented its most benign form to me but it still was an awesome sight. For people used to Rivers in Northern India the Brahmaputra is almost a revelation because of its sheer size. Irs almost like an Ocean and you cant see the other end. I can only start to imagine how it looks after the Snow melt in the Summers and more so when the Monsoon hits and the River floods large areas of the surrounding country.
So we started off from Dibrugarh and made our way to the year old Bogibeel Bridge, which is a double decker Bridge for both Road and Rail and which has been in the making for over 200 months now. The work has been slow on the Bridge as it could only be done between the months of November to March when the rains are away and the water level was low. And it was from this Bridge that I had my first sighting of the mighty Brahmaputra and it looked awesome. In the far background I could see the silhouettes of the Himalayan foothills. And we couldn't help but stop our Cars in the middle of the Bridge and have a look at the magnificent Brahmaputra and its vast Flood plains. The River looked as serene as any body of water could and it was easy to forget that its the same River which wrecks destruction on a massive scale every year.
The Siang
Now understanding the origin of the Brahmaputra was always a complex task for the explorers of these parts which were few and far between. Unlike the Western Himalayas which had a whole lot of Explorers and Spies prying around, this was literally impossible in the Eastern Himalayas due to the dense Jungles which were a result of a lower Latitude (read this as warmer) and three times the amount of Rainfall that falls in the Western Himalayas. And then the thing was that there were three contenders who met at almost at the same location in the Assam plains near Sadiya where the Siang (also called the Dihang), the Dihang or Sikang which came from a more Northwesterly direction and then there was the mighty Lohit which came from an Easterly direction. All these carried enough water to be the Tsangpo. Finally the mystery was solved around 1885 and the Siang or the Dihang was finally established as the Tsang Po from the Tibetan Plateau.
The Tsang Po on the Tibetan Plateau
Starting from the beginning or the Yarlung Tsangpo as its known in Tibet originates from the vicinity of the Mansrover in Western Tibet and flows in an Easterly direction. It has thousands of small tributaries in Tibet with the first main one being the Raga Tsangpo. And then its the Nang Chu, Shang Chu and Rang Chu. Further ahead its joined by the Lhasa River or the Kyi Chu as its also called. And then a couple of other Rivers till the point its reaches the Eastern anchor of the Great Himalayan Range, the Namcha Barwa, at 7782 m, does justice to the Himalayan Range. At this point Yarlun pivots and runs through one of the deepest River Gorges in the World, the Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge and emerges as the Dihang or the Siang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Out of the other two, which along with the Siang form what is called the Brahmaputra once it reaches Assam, the Dibang River rises in the Mishmi Hills which are located where the Himalayan Ranges meets the Indo Burma Hill Ranges. The source of the River is near the Keya Pass somewhere close to the border with China. The third River, the mighty Lohit rises in the Tibetan Plateau and is known there as the Zayu. Its origin lies in the Kangri Garpo Range and it enters Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet and finally emerges into the plains at what is known as the Parshuram Kund. Many people in Assam used to consider the Lohit as the main Brahmaputra and many still do.
The Siyom River meets the Siang
And of course as it moves on through the Plains of Assam its joined by a number of Himalayan Rivers such as the Subansiri, Kameng, Bhareli, Dhansiri, Manas, Champamati, Saralbhanga, and Sankosh rivers. As well as Rivers rising in the Hills on the like the Burhi Dihing, the Disang, the Dikhu, and the Kopili. And then it enters Bangladesh and out of our realm.
Having experienced it now I know why its the only “Male” River in India. I wish to witness its angry avatar. I will return someday.
And below is a picture of the place where the Dihang or the Siang becomes the mighty Brahmaputra and the Eastern Himalayas give in to Plains of Assam and vice versa. In Geographical context this is a place where all your dreams come true. You understand how infinite Nature is and how insignificant we humans are. Yes we did build a Bridge there though.
Pic from November 2019. Above Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh