Major Rivers in India

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 3^rd 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 2^nd 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 3^rd 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 5^th 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.