Kakolat (

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

: ककोलत जलप्रपात;

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: کاکولات جھرنا۔) is a

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

in the

Nawada district Nawada district is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. Nawada is its administrative headquarters. The district is the easternmost district of the Magadh division, one of the nine administrative divisions of Bihar. The ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Overview

Kakolat Waterfall, located in Nawada district, is situated amidst the hills of Ektara in the Govindpur block. The waterfall cascades step by step from a height of approximately 160 feet, into the Lohabar River, which flows through the Hazaribagh mountain range. The waterfall has its greatest flow after the monsoon season. Kakolat is situated on the southern border of

, 33km from

Nawada Nawada is a town and a municipality in Bihar, India. It is also the Headquarters of the Nawada district. It is situated on both sides of the Khuri River at 24º 53’ N and 85º 33’ E. The name evolved from Nau-abad, meaning the new town. ...

and 4km from Thali Bazar. Kakolat waterfall cascades approximately 160 feet (49m) and creates a natural reservoir at its base. It is located near Govindpur police station and is surrounded by forests. On May 27, 2022, during his visit to Kakolat, Honorable Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar, directed the initiation of development works for eco-tourism at the site. Previously, tourism at this location was disorganized, often leading to unfortunate incidents. Considering these inconveniences faced by tourists, a development project for Kakolat Waterfall was prepared. The Kakolat Waterfall project was carried out in two phases. Phase 1 of the project includes the construction of a pool, renovation of the water pool area, rock stabilization works, and the development of basic facilities such as changing rooms, toilets, gazebos, a viewpoint area, a water treatment plant, parking facilities, a cloakroom, electrification, construction of a natural stone pool in the lower part of the waterfall for children and the elderly, an administrative block, staff dormitory, forest rest house, and other protective structures. Phase 2 includes the reinforcement of stairs, installation of railings, development of a children's park, construction of 60 shops in the vending zone, wooden bridges, fencing work, a security wall, and other related works. On August 3, 2024, Kakolat Waterfall was inaugurated by Shri Nitish Kumar, the Honorable Chief Minister of Bihar, and was opened to visitors.

In Indian mythology

In Indian mythology, in

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'' (IAST: ''Tretā-yuga'') (Devanagari: त्रेतायुग), in Hinduism, is the second and second-best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara ...

, a king was cursed by a Hindu sage (spiritualist) to become a

python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...

and live at the Kakolat Falls. The

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

s visited the waterfall during their exile, and in doing so, liberated the king from his

curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...

. The grateful king then proclaimed that anyone who bathed in the waterfall would be spared from being reborn as a snake. As a result, devotees began to bathe in Kakolat to escape such a fate. Another version of the mythology mentions the king being cursed to become a

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

instead of a snake, and he used Kakolat as his abode. During their visit, the

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

liberated him from this curse. According to regional

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

Lord Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is wi ...

used to bathe in these waterfalls with his queens.

References

External links

* {{Rivers in Bihar Waterfalls of Bihar Nawada district Waterfalls of India

Overview

In Indian mythology

See also

References

External links