Why does the Falgu River flow underground and is Asthi Visarjan still valid there?

The Falgu River’s underground flow is explained by one of Hindu scripture’s most poignant stories. When Lord Rama visited Gaya to perform Pind Daan for his father Dashrath, he asked Sita to wait at the riverbank. When the auspicious moment arrived and Rama had not returned, Dashrath’s spirit appeared before Sita asking for the offering. Sita performed the Pind Daan herself, using sand from the Falgu riverbed, and called upon the river, a nearby cow, a Tulsi plant, and a Brahmin as witnesses.

When Rama returned and doubted her account, the Falgu River — afraid of Rama’s wrath — denied witnessing the offering. Sita, hurt by the betrayal, cursed the river to flow underground forever. This is why the Falgu is called “Antahsalila” — the river that flows beneath the surface.

Despite the underground flow, Asthi Visarjan at the Falgu is fully valid. The sacred waters are present beneath the sand year-round, and during the monsoon and Pitrupaksha season (September-October), surface water is visibly present. The Vayu Purana confirms that the Falgu’s sanctity is undiminished regardless of its visible flow.