What "seasonal" really means at a Purulia waterfall

These are rain-fed falls on a plateau, not glacier-fed rivers. Flow follows recent rainfall closely: strong during and shortly after the monsoon, reducing through winter, often minimal by late spring. The photographs that circulate online are almost all taken in the few strong weeks.

The second variable is the steps. Bamni is a long stepped descent and a harder climb back. That climb, not the fall, is what people underestimate — and it is where knees, heat and low water combine into a bad afternoon. Decide at the top, honestly, and be willing not to go down.

The third is safety. Wet rock near falling water is slippery in a way that dry rock nearby is not, and water levels can rise from rain you cannot see upstream. Do not swim where flow is strong, and do not cross above a fall.

Our recommendation is unromantic: treat waterfalls as a bonus stop on an Ajodhya day, not as the reason for the trip. If the flow is good, you have had a great morning. If it is not, you have still had the plateau.