The Shilabati River originates in the terrain of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the Purulia district

Purulia District

Purulia district is one of the nineteen districts of West Bengal state in eastern India. The town of Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district.-History:...

 of the state

States and territories of India

India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

 in eastern India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It flows in an almost southeasterly direction through the districts of Bankura

Bankura District

Bankura district is one of the seven districts of Burdwan Division in the Indian state of West Bengal. The district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial...

 and West Midnapore. The Shilabati joins the Dwarakeswar

Dwarakeswar River

Dwarakeswar River is a major river in the western part of West Bengal.-Course:It originates from Tilboni hill in Purulia district and enters Bankura district near Chhatna. It cuts across the district flowing past the district head quarters and enters the south-eastern tip of Bardhaman District...

 near Ghatal

Ghatal

Ghatal is head quarters of Ghatal subdivision in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. It also has a community development block. Ghatal is flood-prone area and in many years is flooded by the Rupnarayan River. This town is old one. The river Shilabati divided the town into two parts....

 and afterwards is known as Rupnarayan

Rupnarayan River

The Rupnarayan River is a river in India. It begins as the Dhaleswari in the Chhota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of the town of Purulia. It then follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the town of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarakeswar river. Near the town of Ghatal it is...

. It finally joins the Hooghly River and empties into the Bay of Bengal

Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...

.

Almost every year the Shilabati causes flooding, particularly in Banka, Khirpai and Ghatal area. There is a small reservoir on the Shilabati near Khatra

Khatra

Khatra is headquarters of a sub-division of Bankura District, in the state of West Bengal, India.-Geography:Khatra is in the south-west of Bankura District, which is itself to the west of the southern part of West Bengal...

 known as Kadam Deuli Dam where a canal from Mukutmanipur

Mukutmanipur

Mukutmanipur is a town in Bankura district of West Bengal, India. It is located at the confluence of the Kangsabati and Kumari rivers close to the Jharkhand border.- Kangsabati project :...

 Kangsabati dam meets.