Ballia is a city with a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The eastern boundary of the city lies at the junction of two major rivers, the Ganges and the Ghaghara. The city is situated 150 km (93 mi) equidistant from Gorakhpur & Varanasi and about 380 km from the state capital Lucknow. Ballia is around 120 km (75 mi) from Patna, Bihar. It is home to a protected area, the Jai Prakash Narayan bird sanctuary.