The Gaula (Gola) River flows right past Kathgodam–Haldwani and is the city’s lifeline for drinking water and irrigation. At Kathgodam, the Gaula Barrage creates a wide expanse of water against the backdrop of hills, turning the area into a popular picnic and photography spot. Families come to sit on the riverbank, watch the sunset, and enjoy the cool breeze while trucks and trains cross nearby bridges. Downstream near Ranibagh and Chitrashila Ghat, the same river stretch doubles as a cremation ghat and religious tirtha where fairs and snan take place on Makar Sankranti, giving the river both a scenic and sacred identity.
About this place
History & highlights
The Gaula River rises in the Lesser Himalaya and flows past Kathgodam and Haldwani before joining the Ramganga. A barrage was built at Kathgodam as part of the Bhābhār irrigation system, turning the river into a planned source of water for fields and towns of the Terai. Over years, locals started using the barrage area as a picnic ground; travel sites now promote it as an ideal spot for camping, sightseeing and day trips. Eight kilometres north of Haldwani, Chitrashila Ghat at Ranibagh on the Gaula became a venerable Hindu cremation ground and venue for the Uttarayani/Ghughutiya fair held around Makar Sankranti, where people take holy dips and offer pind daan. Thus, Gaula Barrage today is both a modern engineering structure and a traditional riverfront woven into Haldwani’s cultural memory.
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