Uttar Gaya of Betrawati is a Hindu pilgrimage that lies in Nuwakot District of Nepal. It is about 80 km north of Kathmandu.^[1]

Betrawati is the meeting place of three major rivers, the Betran Ganga, Rudra Ganga, and Trishul Ganga. Betrawati is near to the way to Lang tang Mountain and the Nepal/China border at Kerung.

Long ago, in the Satya Yuga, when the gods and demons churned the ocean, the first thing that emerged was the deadly poison called Hālāhala. To protect the world, Lord Mahadeva drank this poison. Although the world was saved, the poison caused him unbearable pain. In the intensity of that pain, he threw the betra (a cane or staff; नेपाली: वेत , संस्कृत: वेत्र) he was holding onto the ground. From the place where it struck, hot water burst forth and flowed as a river. This river, born from the blow of the betra, is today known as the Betrawati River.

Lord Mahadeva drank the hot water of the Betravati, but His pain and the heat of the poison did not subside. Then, still in great agony, He struck the hill with the rudraksha He was wearing. From the spot where the rudraksha fell, a river called Rudravati appeared, which is known today as the Falakhu River. Lord Mahadeva drank the water of the Rudravati and rested there for one night.

However, as His pain was still not completely relieved, He went toward the place now known as Gosainkund. In the force of His suffering, He thrust His trident (trishul) into the ground, and from that place the Trishuli River was born. Lord Mahadeva drank the water of the Trishuli River, and at last His pain was calmed.

The confluence of these three rivers is located here at Uttar Gaya Dham, on the border of Nuwakot and Rasuwa.

In Satyayuga: Long ago in the Satya Yuga, there was a demon named Gayasura who performed severe penance and received a boon from Bramha that anyone who sees him would attain salvation (moksha). Because salvation is meant to be earned through a righteous life, people began to attain it too easily, even without moral conduct. To prevent this, Lord Vishnu asked Gayasura to descend beneath the earth and placed his right foot on Gayasura’s head. The place where Gayasura entered the earth came to be known as Gaya Dham.

In Tretayuga: Lord Rama and Mother Sita, along with his brother Lakshmana, once arrived at Gaya Dham and performed pinda—the ritual offering of rice balls as part of śrāddha—for the departed King Dasharatha. From that time onward, Gaya Dham became renowned as a sacred place for offering pinda dāna to deceased ancestors.

Current era: Gaya at Betrawati is presently known as Uttar Gaya. It is renowned for offering pinda (rice balls) to ancestors by living sons and daughters through a sacred rite known as śrāddha. Gaya Śrāddha is regarded as a duty of every generation toward their ancestors, who are believed to reside in Pitṛloka, the ancestral realm. It is traditionally believed that each child should perform Gaya Śrāddha at least once in their lifetime. Among Nepali Hindus, there is a strong belief that before visiting Gaya near Patna, a devotee should first visit Betrawati and perform śrāddha at Uttar Gaya.

The most important place is the Triveni, the meeting place of three rivers. Nilkantha Mahadev temple was found after a search according to a divine dream to a local resident Shanta Bahadur Tamang. Sugatmuni Bihar and Ram Temple are there.