Triveni - Confluence of river Teesta and Rangeet
The view of the river Great Rangeet meeting Teesta is an awesome treat for the nature lovers. And any such reward doesn't come easy. You will need to travel a bit from Darjeeling to experience this confluence. The river Rangeet with its deep green and crystal clear water gushes in and meets the forceful mountain stream Teesta at a point called Triveni.
The confluence takes place at a relatively flat terrain, and is surrounded by mountains in all sides. The long valley at the base of the mountains is spectacular.
Teesta originates from a lake known as Tso Lhamo lake (also called Cholamu) in north Sikkim at an altitude of 17,500 ft (i.e. 5,330m). Upstream, it is joined by several other mountain rivers. As it flows down north to south, it divides Sikkim and West Bengal until it reaches the Teesta Bazar. It has an emerald green color and the water moves downstream with mighty force.
Rangeet (also known as the Great Rangeet) originates from a glacier of Mount Kabru at the lower Kanchenjunga region. On its way down, river Ramman which originates from the Singalila region of Darjeeling district joins the Rangeet. Further down and a short distance away, another stream called the Little Rangeet which too originates from the Singalila region, joins the Great Rangeet. And some nine miles from here, Rangeet meets with river Teesta forming a huge torrent.
The confluence of Rangeet and Teesta takes place before the Teesta bridge as you approach from Darjeeling. The Bridge connects the lower plains with Kalimpong & Darjeeling. In the picture below, Rangeet is the stream which is coming straight down and meeting Teesta which is flowing horizontally.
Triveni - Confluence of River Teesta and Rangeet
You can see the two distinct colors of the two rivers. The mountain seen on the right of the picture is in Sikkim, while I have taken the picture from the base of Kalimpong hills. The view of the valley and the sceneray around are amazing.
Below is another amazing picture of Triveni. I have taken this picture from the View Point on Peshok Road (known as Lovers Meet Viewpoint). While coming from Darjeeling, you can take Peshok Road from Ghum/Jore Bungalow area. This is the usual route from Darjeeling to Kalimpong.
In the picture below, the river coming from left is Rangeet and meeting Teesta which is coming straight down. On left is the hills of Sikkim and on the right is the hills of Kalimpong.
Triveni from Lover's Meet View Point on Peshok Road
You can also see a large white sandy delta formation at the confluence. This sandy area is often used for launching white water rafting into Teesta. No picture can actually capture the mighty force of the confluence and the current that it creates on the further downhill journey of Teesta. This meeting place is known as Triveni and there is actually a roadway that can reach you up to the point of the confluence.
A part of the long lovely valley which you can see in the picture, particularly around the river Little Rangeet is known as Bijanbari valley. Little Rangeet with its bright blue color is full of trout fishes. The valley has dense forests all around and is home to many wildlife and flowering plants.
There are many apple, orange and plum orchards that have been grown on this valley. The valley offers a fertile land for growing many vegetables and other agricultural produces including paddy, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, cabbage, squash and lots more.
As you take a birds eye views looking at the majestic mountains, the beautiful landscape with lush vegetation, the meandering rivers, and hear the chirping of the birds, it's an unbelievable experience. If you happen to go down to the bank of river Rangeet from Singla Bazar, you will see bed of pebbles with different colors and hue.
How to view the confluence at Triveni
The best place is of course to visit the river bank near Triveni where the confluence of Teesta and Rangeet takes place. You need to first come up to Teesta Bazaar. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach Teesta bazaar from Darjeeling town by a taxi or shared jeep. From Teesta Bazaar, take the Triveni Road to go up to the sandy bank near Triveni... it's 2.3kms from Teesta Bazaar (will take 10 minutes). This sandy area is used by few operators for
river rafting on Teesta and river-side camping.
Road Map
Alternatively, from Teesta Bazaar area, get on to the highway NH10, go over Teesta bridge and cross the river Teesta and then get to Melli. Here you need to take the highway 710. You need to get off after about 100 meters once you cross Triveni Temple, and walk down to the bank near Triveni. This place is about 10.5 kms (25 minutes) from Teesta Bazaar by car.
You can also see Triveni from a higher elevation where the wider view of the area looks breathtaking. One such place is the view point known as Lovers Meet Viewpoint on Peshok Road that winds down from Jorebungalow area near Ghum. Peshok Road goes further down to Teesta Bazaar which is only 4kms away from the viewpoint. The second picture above was taken from Lovers Meet Viewpoint.
In about 24 kilometers, Peshok road descends from 7407 ft altitude of Ghum to about 700 ft near Lovers Meet Viewpoint. The road passes through dense forests and lovely tea gardens on the open hill slopes. From Lovers Meet Viewpoint, the view of the confluence is simply awesome. It takes about 1 hour 15 minutes (30kms) to reach the Lover Meet Viewpoint from Darjeeling by car.
Confluence of Great Rangeet and Little Rangeet
If you like to see the confluence of Little Rangeet and Great Rangeet, then take the Tukvar Road. You can reach Tukvar from Darjeeling town by hired taxi in about 45 minutes. By ropeway or cable car, it takes about 10 minutes. However, you may not get a cab from the ropeway station at Tukvar.
So better to take a cab from Darjeeling town itself. From Tukvar, go further down along Tukvar road and then from a bend you can see this beautiful confluence from about 1,000 ft above. If you carry on further, you will reach Singla Bazaar (takes about 1.5 hours from Darjeeling town). The road continues to a place called Jorethang in Sikkim.
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