Which three rivers of the following form ‘Triveni’ Sangam ?

Correct — option (1), Banas, Mainal, Bedach.

The Berach (spelt Bedach in the option) and the Menali (spelt Mainal) join the Banas together near Bigod. That meeting of three rivers is the Triveni, so Banas, Mainal, Bedach is the answer.

The Bhilwara District Gazetteer says the Menali "joins the Banas near Bigod alongwith other river Berach. This place is locally known as Triveni Sangam and held very sacred."

The same Gazetteer places the Berach's meeting with the Banas "near Bigod in Mandalgarh tahsil", and lists a one-day Triveni Mahadeo fair held at Triveni near Bigod village.

Of the two tributaries, the Berach rises in the hills north of Udaipur tahsil and joins the Banas on its right bank; the Menali is a small river rising in the hills of Mandalgarh.

The Bigod Triveni is Banas + Berach + Menali.

Why the others are wrong

• (2)
  Gambhiri, Mansi, Dhundh — None of these three is part of the Bigod confluence. The Chittaurgarh District Gazetteer describes a Gambhiri rising near Jawad in Madhya Pradesh and joining the Berach about 2 km north of Chittaurgarh town.

  The Mansi, per the Bhilwara Gazetteer, joins a different river, the Khari, at Phulia in Shahpura tahsil. The Dhundh is not one of the three rivers that Gazetteer names at Bigod.

• (3)
  Kothari, Khori, Bedach — This option keeps one Triveni river, the Berach (Bedach), and swaps in two others. The Kothari is also a Banas tributary, but the Bhilwara Gazetteer has it joining the Banas at Nandrai, a little west of Mandalgarh, not at Bigod.

  The Gazetteer's account of the Bigod meeting names only the Banas, the Berach and the Menali; Khori is not among them.

• (4)
  Som, Aahu, Bandi — The Som and the Aahu join other rivers, not the Banas. The Dungarpur District Gazetteer has the Som joined by the Jakham near Lorawal and Bilura, and then falling into the Mahi at Baneshwar, where a big fair is held every year.

  The Aahu (Ahu), per the Jhalawar District Gazetteer, joins the Kalisindh near Gagraun. The Bandi is not part of the Bigod meeting.

A sangam is a meeting of rivers, and a triveni is a meeting of three. The Bhilwara District Gazetteer gives the name Triveni Sangam to the place near Bigod where the Berach and the Menali join the Banas.

Per that Gazetteer, the Banas enters Bhilwara district near Doodiya. Near the Mandalgarh hills it is joined by the Berach on its right bank and the Kothari on its left, then flows north and north-east along the western side of Jahazpur tahsil into Tonk district.

The Banas collects several tributaries in a short stretch. The Kothari joins at Nandrai, a little west of Mandalgarh; the Berach and the Menali join together near Bigod.

Key facts

• The Berach and the Menali join the Banas near Bigod, Mandalgarh tahsil; the Bhilwara District Gazetteer says the place is locally known as Triveni Sangam.
• Per the Bhilwara Gazetteer, the Berach rises in the hills north of Udaipur tahsil and joins the Banas on its right bank.
• Per the Bhilwara Gazetteer, the Kothari rises near Deogarh and joins the Banas at Nandrai, a little west of Mandalgarh.
• The Chittaurgarh Gazetteer has the Gambhiri, rising near Jawad in Madhya Pradesh, joining the Berach about 2 km north of Chittaurgarh town.
• Per the Dungarpur Gazetteer, the Som falls into the Mahi at Baneshwar, where a big fair is held every year.

Common traps

• The Berach (Bedach) appears in options (1) and (3). One correct river does not make a correct trio; all three must meet at one place.
• The Kothari and the Berach both reach the Banas in the Mandalgarh area, but at different points: the Kothari at Nandrai, the Berach near Bigod.
• The Som–Mahi meeting at Baneshwar is a separate confluence with its own large fair. Its rivers do not belong to the Bigod Triveni.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Berach and the Menali rivers join the Banas near which place ?

  • (a)Baneshwar
  • (b)Bigod
  • (c)Gagraun
  • (d)Nandrai
  Answer(2) — The Bhilwara District Gazetteer places the meeting near Bigod, locally known as Triveni Sangam. Option (1), Baneshwar, is where the Som falls into the Mahi. Option (3), Gagraun, is near the Ahu's meeting with the Kalisindh. Option (4), Nandrai, is where the Kothari joins the Banas.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  At Baneshwar, the Som river falls into which river ?

  • (a)Mahi
  • (b)Jakham
  • (c)Anas
  • (d)Moran
  Answer(1) — The Dungarpur District Gazetteer says the Som falls into the Mahi at Baneshwar. Option (2), the Jakham, joins the Som upstream, near Lorawal and Bilura. Option (3), the Anas, is a tributary of the Mahi in Banswara district. Option (4), the Moran, is a seasonal tributary of the Mahi in Dungarpur district.