[1] The Lilājan begins its journey north of Simaria in Chatra district on the Hazaribagh plateau, the western portion of which constitutes a broad watershed between the Damodar drainage on the south and the Lilājan and Mohana rivers on the north.

There the hills begin to recede and the stream flows sluggishly over a wide sandy bed.

It is 11 kilometres (7 mi) west of Chatra – about half the distance is motorable, while the rest is only able to be traversed on foot.

[5] Before attaining Enlightenment, the prince Siddhārtha Gautama practiced asceticism for six years (ten or twelve years according to some accounts) on the banks of the river, residing in a forest near the village of Uruvilvā.

After realizing that strict asceticism would not lead to Enlightenment, he recuperated after bathing in the river and receiving a bowl of milk-rice from the milkmaid Sujātā.