The Subarnarekha river flows through Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa. It originates in the Chota Nagpur plateau of Jharkhand. After passing through bauxite-rich regions of Jharkhand, the river enters West Bengal and finally, empties into the Bay of Bengal near Talsari in Balasore District of Orissa. It is 470 km long.
Etymologically, the river derives its name from two Sanskrit/Bengali words: subarna meaning "gold" and rekha meaning "line" or "streak". Their combination has given this river its name Subarnarekha or "golden line" or "streak of gold". Hindi name of the river is Swarnarekha which is synonymous to Subarnarekha. The legend is that traces of gold were found in the river's bed near its origination point near Piska, a small village not too far from Ranchi.
Important cities lying along the river include Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, and the steel city of Jamshedpur. Near Jamshedpur, the river Kharkai merges with it.
The Subarnarekha has many waterfalls on its path. Most notable one is the Hudru Falls, where the river falls from the height of 320 feet.
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