INDIAN RIVERS

The rivers of India play an important role

in the lives of the Indian people. The
river systems provide irrigation, potable
water, cheap transportation, electricity,
and the livelihoods for a large number of
people all over the country. This easily
explains why nearly all the major cities of
India are located by the banks of rivers.
The rivers also have an important role in
Hindu mythology and are considered holy
by all Hindus in the country.
BEAS
 The river was also known as Arjikuja of the Vedas
or Vipasa to the ancient Indians and the
Hyphenise to the Ancient Greeks [1]
 The present name Beas is thought to be a
corruption of the older name and original name
Vipasha in Sanskrit. The river got this name, Vi-
pasha, the one who removed the bondage or
pasha in Sanskrit), according to a ancient texts,
the river was named after sage Vasistha.
Vasistha, tried to end his life due to the death of
his 100 sons, by jumping into this river and tying
himself. But as soon as the sage fell into the
river, all the knots got untied and he did not die.
The river is also referred to as Vipasha in
Himachal, especially by the scholars.
 BRAHMAPUTRA
The Brahmaputra originates in the Mansarovar lake, also the
source of the Indus and the Satluj. It is slightly longer than the
Indus, but most of its course lies outside India. It flows
eastward, parallel to the Himalayas. Reaching Namcha Barwa
(2900m), it takes a U-turn around it and enters India in
Arunachal Pradesh and known as dihang. The undercutting
done by this river is of the order of 5500 metres. In India, it
flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and is joined by
several tributaries.
.
Every year during the rainy season, the river overflows its
banks, causing widespread devastation like floods in Assam
and in Bangladesh.Unlike other north Indian rivers the
Brahmaputra is marked by huge deposits of silt on its bed
causing it to rise. The river also shifts its channel frequently.
NARMADA
The Narmada River System
 Main article: Narmada river

 The Narmada or Nerbudda is a river in central India. It forms

the traditional boundary between North India and South India,
and is a total of 1,289 km (801 mi) long. Of the major rivers of
peninsular India, only the Narmada, the Tapti and the Mahi
run from east to west. Its total length through the states of
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat amounts to
1,312 kilometres (815 mi), and it empties into the Arabian Sea
in the Bharuch district of Gujarat. It also forms the 'Dhuadhar
Falls'where the river plunges over steep rocks.
TAPI
• The Taapti is a river of central India. It is one of the
major rivers of peninsular India with the length of
around 724 km, It rises in the eastern Satpura Range
of southern Madhya Pradesh state, before emptying
into the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian Sea, in the
State of Gujarat. The Western Ghats or Sahyadri
range starts south of the Tapti River near the border
of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
• The principal tributaries of Tapi River are Purna River
, Girna River, Panzara River, Waghur River, Bori River
and Aner River. car is the rivers food.
 GODAVARI

 The river with second longest course within India,

Godavari is often referred to as the Vriddh (Old)
Ganga or the Dakshin (South) Ganga. The river is
about 1,450 km (900 mi) long. It rises at
Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik and Mumbai (formerly
Bombay) in Maharashtra around 380 km distance
from the Arabian Sea, and empties into the
Bay of Bengal. At Rajahmundry, 80 km from the
coast, the river splits into two streams(Vasista which
flows to Narsapur & Gautami which flows to other
side pasarlapudi) thus forming a very fertile delta.
Like any other major rivers in India, the banks of
this river also has many pilgrimage sites, Nasik,
Triyambak and Bhadrachalam, being the major ones
 KRISHNA
• The Krishna is one of the longest rivers of India
(about 1300 km in length). It originates at
Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra and meets the sea in
the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi in
Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna River flows through the
states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh.
• The traditional source of the river is a spout from the
mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of
Mahadev in Mahabaleshwar.
• Its most important tributary is the Tungabhadra River,
which itself is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers
that originate in the Western Ghats. Other tributaries
include the Koyna, Bhima, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha,
Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga rivers.
• In 2009 River Krishna has seen the worst hit floods in
100 years
 KAVERI
 The Kaveri (also spelled Cauvery or Kavery) is one of
the great rivers of India and is considered sacred by
the Hindus. This river is also called Dakshin Ganga.
The headwaters are in the Western Ghats range of
Karnataka state, and from Karnataka through Tamil
Nadu. It empties into the Bay of Bengal. The source
of the river is Talakaveri(Kodagu District) located in
the Western Ghats about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above
sea level. it has many tributaries including Shimsha,
Hemavati River, Arkavathy, Kapila, Honnuhole,
Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani,
Noyyal and Famous Amaravati.the dam constructed
for the river is KRS (Krishna Raja Sagara) by the
Highness of Mysore through the well known engineer
Bharata Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya,
which is located in Mandya district and this river is
serving as water of life for South Indians.
 MAHANADI
 The Mahanadi River Delta in India is a basin of
deposit that drains a large land mass of the
Indian subcontinent into the Bay of Bengal. The
alluvial valley is wide and relatively flat with a
meandering river channel that changes its course.
 The Mahanadi River flows slowly for 560 miles
(900 km) and has an estimated drainage area of
51,000 square miles (132,100 square km). It
deposits more silt than almost any other river in
the Indian subcontinent.
 CHENAB
 The Chenab has the same place in the consciousness of the
people of the Punjab as, say, the Rhine holds for the
Germans, or the Danube for the Austrians and the
Hungarians. It is the iconic river around which Punjabi
consciousness revolves, and plays a prominent part in the
tale of Heer Ranjha, the Punjabi national epic and the
legend of Sohni Mahiwal.
 This river has been in the news of late due to the steps
taken by the Indian government to build a number of hydro
power dams along its length (in India) most notably the
Baglihar hydel power project(expected time of completion
2008). This is a result of the Indus Basin Project.
 LUNI
 The Luni is a river of western Rajasthan state,
India. It originates in the Pushkar valley of the
Aravalli Range, near Ajmer and ends in the
marshy lands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, after
travelling a distance of 530 km. It is first known
as Sagarmati, then after passing Govindgarh, it
meets its tributary Sarsuti, which originates
from Pushkar Lake, and from then on it gets its
name Luni [1].
 In 1892, Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur
constructed Jaswant Sagar in Pichiyak village
between Bilara and Bhavi of Jodhpur district. It
is one of the largest artificial lake in India, and
irrigates more than 12,000 acres. [1]
 CHAMBAL
 Chambal RiverRiverCountry IndiaStates
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
Tributaries - leftBanas,  - rightParbati, Kali Sindh
, ShipraSourceNear Manpura - locationJanapao
Hills, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
 - elevation853 m (2,799 ft) - coordinates
22°27′N 75°31′E22.45°N 75.517°EMouth
Yamuna River - locationSahon, Etawah,
Uttar Pradesh, India - elevation122 m (400 ft
) - coordinates
26°29′20″N 79°15′10″E26.48889°N 79.25278°E
Length1,046 km (650 mi)Basin143,219 km2
 (55,297.2 sq mi)
GANGA
 GANGA
 CountriesIndia, BangladeshStatesUttarakhand
, Uttar Pradesh, BiharTributaries - leftMahakhali,
Karnali, Koshi, Gandak, Ghaghra - rightYamuna,
Son, MahanandaCitiesHaridwar, Kanpur,
Allahabad, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Patna, Kolkata
SourceGangotri Glacier - locationUttarakhand,
India - elevation7,756 m (25,446 ft) - coordinates
30°59′N 78°55′E30.983°N 78.917°EMouth
Ganges Delta - locationBay of Bengal,
Bangladesh - elevation6 m (20 ft) - coordinates
22°05′N 90°50′E22.083°N 90.833°E
Length2,510 km (1,560 mi)Basin907,000 km2
 (350,195 sq mi)Dischargemouth
 - average12,015 m3/s (424,306 cu ft/
GANGA
INDUS
 INDUS
 CountriesChina, India, Pakistan
SourceConfluence of the Sengge and
Gar rivers - locationTibetan Plateau,
Tibet Autonomous Region, ChinaMouth
Sapta Sindhu - locationSindh, Pakistan
 - elevation0 m (0 ft)Length3,200 km
(2,000 mi) approx.Basin1,165,000 km2
 (450,000 sq mi) approx.Dischargefor
Arabian Sea - average6,600 m3/s
(230,000 cu ft/s) approx.
INDUS
INDUS
INDUS
 YAMUNA
 CountryIndiaStatesUttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, HaryanaTributaries - leftChambal,
Betwa, Ken, Sindh - rightTons, Hindon, Sarda,
Kunta, Giri, Rishiganga, Hanuman Ganga, Kunta
CitiesDelhi, Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Kalpi
SourceYamunotri Glacier - locationBanderpooch
peaks, Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, India
 - elevation6,387 m (20,955 ft) - coordinates
38°59′N 78°27′E38.983°N 78.45°EMouth
Triveni Sangam - locationAllahabad, India
 - elevation0 m (0 ft) - coordinates
25°30′N 81°53′E25.5°N 81.883°ELength1,376 
km (855 mi)Basin366,223 km2 (141,399 sq mi)
YAMUNA
YAMUNA
YAMUNA
YAMUNA