Rapti

Rapti refers to several geographic and administrative uses in South Asia. It most commonly denotes the Rapti River, a major river that forms part of the Ganges basin in Nepal and northern India. The river rises in the western hills of Nepal and flows southeast across the Terai, passing Bardiya National Park before entering India. In India, it continues through the state of Uttar Pradesh and ultimately joins the Ghaghara River, a key tributary of the Ganges.

The Rapti River supports irrigation and agriculture in the plains it traverses. It is an important watercourse for rural communities and sustains riparian ecosystems; Bardiya National Park lies along its banks and depends on seasonal floods and river dynamics for habitat and biodiversity.

Rapti is also the name of a former administrative unit in Nepal. The Rapti Zone was one of the country’s fourteen zones under the old administrative structure and was named after the Rapti River. It existed from the mid-20th century until Nepal reorganized its provinces in the early 2000s, after which the zone was dissolved and its districts were reorganized into newer provincial boundaries.