river in northern India and Bangladesh. It rises in the Darjiling (Darjeeling) Hills in extreme northern West Bengal state. The river flows south through a rich agricultural area in Bihar state, enters West Bengal state, flows past Ingraj Bazar, and then continues southeastward into Bangladesh to join the Ganges (Ganga) River (Ganges River) at Godagari Ghat after a 225-mile (360-km) course. The Mahananda forms in its upper course an important eastward linguistic boundary between the Bengali- and Hindi-speaking areas.