Major Rivers in India
India is the land of sacred rivers and
almost all the holy places in India like Banaras, Ujjain and Haridwar are
situated on the banks of these rivers.
The rivers in our country have a very significant role in providing means of
life such as irrigation water, drinking water, electricity, easy & cheap
transportation and even a big number of miscellaneous works are accomplished
with the help of rivers. The major rivers of India are Ganga, Yamuna,
Brahmaputra, Indus, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kauery, Narmada and Tapti. A
brief description of these rivers is being enlightened below:
River Ganga
River Ganga is not only
the longest river but also is the most sacred river of India. It has
started from the Gangotri in the Himalayas and poured into the Bay of Bengal by traveling of around 2525 km. It is ranked 3rd largest
river in the world.
There are a number of cities that had been developed
across the banks of Ganga like Pataliputra, Kashi, Allahabad, Varanasi,
Kolkata, etc. It had also created the World’s largest delta in West Bengal such
as Sundarban delta. River Ganga has special religious significance. The Hindus
consider Ganga as their mother. During religious occasions, thousands of
devotees gather along the banks of the river to take holy bath.
River Yamuna
The source of River Yamuna is Saptarishi Kund. Yamuna River had originated from Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas, then travels across several states and merges into the Ganga at Triveni, Allahabad. Its total length is 1376 km.
Yamuna River passes through major cities such as Delhi,
Yamuna Nagar, Agra, Mathura, Allahabad, etc. Yamuna River’s water contributed
nearly 70% of Delhi’s water supply. The Taj Mahal is situated on the banks of
Yamuna River. River Chambal and River Betwa are its right tributaries. Some of
its important left tributaries include River Tons, River Hindon, etc.
River
Saraswati
River Saraswati may not have a
physical existence today, but its presence is well elaborated in the ancient
Indian literature including the Vedas.
In fact, RigVeda keeps on describing
about River Saraswati and mentions the name of Ganga just once. It flowed in
the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent during the Vedic era.
River Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra River is originated from Angsi Glacier, the
northern Himalayas in Tibet, then entered into the Arunachal Pradesh to Assam
and then merges with the Padma river in Bangladesh.
Its length is around 2900 km and plays an important role
in the irrigation and transportation. It emptied into the Bay of Bengal.
Guwahati, the most important city of Assam, is situated on the banks of River
Brahmaputra.
Indus River
The Indus River is a historically famous in Asia. It
originates from the Tibetan Plateau, and then flows through the Ladakh then
enters into Pakistan and finally merges into the Arabian Sea after traveling a
distance of 3180 km.
Besides India, it also passes through China and Pakistan.
River Mahanadi
Mahanadi is a major river in the state of Chhattisgarh and
Odisha. Mahanadi’s water is used in the irrigation and drinking purposes, it is
also called the ruin of Orissa due to its devastating floods over the years but
till Hirakud Dam was constructed.
It has a large basin area of around 1.42 sq. km. Its total
length is 858 km. Cuttack, Sonepur, Sambalpur, etc. are the important cities on
the banks of Mahanadi River.
River Godavari
Godavari, also known as Dakshin Ganga, is the longest
river in the southern India and 2nd largest
in India after Ganga. It has been originated from Maharashtra and flows through
Andhra Pradesh, then merges into the Bay of Bengal after traveling a distance
of 1465 km.
Rajamahendravaram, the famous city of Andhra Pradesh, is
situated on the banks of River Godavari.
River Krishna
(also called Krishnaveni)
The 3rd longest
river in India after Ganga and Godavari, is Krishna River.
It has been originated from Mahabaleswar in
Maharashtra and flows through the state of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
finally merges into the Bay of Bengal by traveling a distance of 1400 km.
Vijayawada is the most important city along the banks of River Krishna.
River Kaveri
The Kaveri River is one of the large rivers in India which
is originated from Talakaveri in the Western Ghats of Karnataka.
It flows through the states of Karnataka & Tamilnadu
and finally merges into Bay of Bengal by traveling a distance of 765 km.
River Narmada
Narmada River is the 5th Longest
River in the Indian sub-continent. It is also called the Life line of Madhya Pradesh
due to its huge contributions.
Narmada River is originated from Narmada Kund, Amarkantak
in Madhya Pradesh and merges into the Arabian Sea near Gujarat after traveling
a distance of 1312 km.
River Tapti
The next large river is Tapti River. It is one of the major rivers in Central
India.
Its total length is around 724 km and flows through the
states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra then finally merges into the
Gulf of Cambay (also called Gulf of Khambhat) of Arabian Sea near Gujarat. Some
major cities such as Surat, Naski, etc. are located on the banks of River
Tapti.
