Major Rivers of India

A riveralongwithitstributariesm
ay be
calledasa ‘river system.’
Drainage refers to the riversystemof anarea.
T he area drained by a singleriver
system iscalled a ‘drainagebasin’
T he hillswhichseparate 2 drainage basins
Isknownasa ‘water divide’.
2

Major riversof India
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, as well as provide 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 river. The rivers also have an
important role in Hindu mythology and are considered
holy by all Hindus in the country.
4

* Seven major rivers along with their
numerous tributaries make up the river
system of India. Most of the rivers pour
their waters into the Bay of Bengal. Some
of the rivers whose courses take them
through the western part of the country
and towards the east of the state of
Himachal Pradesh empty into the Arabian
Sea. Parts of Ladakh, northern parts of the
Aravalli range and the arid parts of the
Thar Desert have inland drainage. All
major rivers of India originate from one of
the three main watersheds.
5

Classification
The rivers of India can be classified on
the basis of origin and on the type of
basin that they form
O nthe basisof origin
On the basis of origin, the rivers of India can be
divided into Himalayan rivers and Peninsular
rivers.
6

Himalayanrivers
7
The main Himalayan river systems are the Ganga,
the Indus and the Brahmaputra.
The Himalayan rivers form large basins. Many
rivers pass through the Himalayas. These deep
valleys with steep rock sides were formed by the
down - cutting of the river during the period of the
Himalayan uplift. They perform intense erosional
activity up the streams and carry huge load of sand
and silt. In the plains, they form
large meanders.

These rivers are perennial as they
get water from the rainfall as well
as the melting of ice. Nearly all of
them create huge plains and are
navigable over long distances of
their course. These rivers are also
harnessed in their upstream
catchment area to generate
hydroelectricity.
abdul shumz kv kanjikoed 8

Peninsular rivers
11
The main peninsular river systems include the
Narmada, the Tapi, the Godavari, the Krishna,
the Kaveri and the Mahanadi river systems.
The Peninsular rivers flow through shallow
valleys. A large number of them are seasonal
as their flow is dependent on rainfall. The
intensity of erosional activities is also
comparatively low because of the gentler
slope. The hard rock bed and lack of silt and
sand does not allow any significant
meandering.

The IndusRiverSystem
12
The Indus originates in the northern slopes
of the Kailash range in Tibet near Lake
Manasarovar. It follows a north-westerly
course through Tibet. It enters Indian
territory in Jammu and Kashmir. It forms a
picturesque gorge in this part. Several
tributaries - the Zaskar, the Shyok, the
Nubra and the Hunza join it in the Kashmir
region. The main tributaries of the Indus in
India are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and
Sutlej.

*Jhelum
13
The Jhelum originates in the south-eastern part
of Kashmir, in a spring at Verinag. It flows into
the Wular Lake, which lies to the north, and then
into Baramula. Between Baramula and
Muzaffarabad it enters a deep gorge cut by the
river in the Pir Panjal range. It has a right bank
tributary the Kishanganga which joins it at
Muzaffarabad. It follows the Indo-Pakistan
border flowing into the plains of Punjab, finally
joining the Chenab at Trimmu.

*C henab
14
The Chenab originates from the confluence of two
rivers, the Chandra and the Bhaga, which themselves
originate from either side of the Bara Lacha Pass in
Lahul. It is also known as the Chandrabhaga in
Himachal Pradesh. It runs parallel to the Pir Panjal
Range in the north-westerly direction, and cuts through
the range near Kishtwar. It enters the plains of Punjab
near Akhnur and is later joined by the Jhelum. It is
further joined by the Ravi and the Sutlej in Pakistan.

* Ravi
15
The Ravi originates near the Rotang pass in the
Kangra Himalayas and follows a north-westerly
course. It turns to the south-west, near
Dalhousie, and then cuts a gorge in the Dhaola
Dhar range entering the Punjab plain near
Madhopur. It flows as a part of the Indo-Pakistan
border for some distance before entering Pakistan
and joining the Chenab river. The total length of
the river is about 720 km.

* Beas
16
The Beas originates in Beas Kund, lying near the
Rohtang pass. It runs past Manali and Kulu,
where its beautiful valley is known as the Kulu
valley. It first follows a north-west path from the
town of Mandi and later a westerly path, before
entering the Punjab plains near Mirthal. It joins
the Sutlej river near Harika, after being joined
by a few tributaries. The total length of the river
is 615 km.

* Sutlej
18
The Sutlej originates from the Rakas Lake, which is
connected to the Manasarovar lake by a stream, in
Tibet. Its flows in a north-westerly direction and
enters Himachal Pradesh at the Shipki Pass, where
it is joined by the Spiti river. It cuts deep gorges in
the ranges of the Himalayas, and finally enters the
Punjab plain after cutting a gorge in a hill range,
the Naina Devi Dhar, where the Bhakra Dam having
a large reservoir of water, called the Gobind Sagar,
has been constructed. It turns west below Rupar
and is later joined by the Beas. It has a total length
of almost 1500 km.

•The
Bramhaputra
• River System
19
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
(7757 m), it takes a U-turn around it and
enters India in Arunachal Pradesh.

In Tibet, the river is known as the Tsangpo.
There, it receives less volume of water and has
less silt. But in India, it passes through a
region of heavy rainfall and as such, the river
carries a large amount of rainfall and
considerable amount of silt.
River BRAHMAPUTRA

The Narm
ada RiverSystem
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.. It rises on the summit
of Amarkantak Hill in Madhya Pradesh state, and
for the first 320 kilometres (200 miles) of its
course winds among the Mandla Hills, which form
the head of the Satpura Range; then at Jabalpur,
passing through the 'Marble Rocks', it enters the
Narmada Valley between the Vindhya and Satpura
ranges, and pursues a direct westerly course to
the Gulf of Cambay.

The T apiRiverSystem
22
* The Tapi 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, and flows
westward, draining Madhya Pradesh's historic
Nimar region, Maharashtra's historic Khandesh and
east Vidarbha regions in the northwest corner of
the Deccan Plateau and South Gujarat before
emptying into the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian
Sea, in the State of Gujarat.

The Tapi River Basin lies mostly in northern and
eastern districts Maharashtra state viz,
Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, Jalgaon,
Dhule, Nandurbar, Malegaon, districts but also
covers Betul, Burhanpur districts of Madhya
Pradesh and Surat district in Gujarat as well.
23

The GodavariRiverSystem
24
The river with second longest course within
India, Godavari is often referred to as the
Vriddh (Old) Ganga or the Dakshin (South)
Ganga. The name may be apt in more ways than
one, as the river follows the course of Ganga's
tragedy. The river is about 1,450 km (900
miles) long.

It rises at Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik and Mumbai
(formerly Bombay) in Maharashtra around 380 km
distance from the Arabian Sea, but flows
southeast across south-central India through the
states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and
Andhra Pradesh, and empties into the Bay of
Bengal. At Rajahmundry, 80 km from the coast,
the river splits into two streams 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.
26

It is a seasonal river, widened during the
monsoons and dried during the summers.
Godavari river water is brownish. Some of its
tributaries include Indravati River, Manjira,
Bindusara and Sarbari. Some important urban
centers on its banks include Nasik,
Bhadrachalam, Rajahmundry and Narsapur. The
Asia's largest rail-cum-road bridge on the river
Godavari linking Kovvur and Rajahmundry is
considered to be an engineering feat.
27

The K rishnaRiverSystem
28
The Krishna is one of the longest rivers of India
(about 1300 km in length). It originates at
Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra, passes through
Sangli 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.

K rishna inVijayawada in2007
29

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, Mallaprabha, Ghataprabha, Yerla,
Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga
rivers.
30

The K averiRiverSystem
31
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. Its waters have
supported irrigated agriculture for centuries,
and the Kaveri has been the lifeblood of the
ancient kingdoms and modern cities of South
India.

The source of the river is Talakaveri located in
the Western Ghats about 5,000 feet (1,500 m)
above sea level. Talakaveri is a famous
pligrimage and tourist spot set amidst
Bramahagiri Hills near Madikeri in Kodagu
district of Karnataka. Thousands of piligrims
flock to the temple at the source of the river
especially on the specified day known as Tula
sankramana when the river water has been
witnessed to gush out like a fountain at a
predetermined time.
32

The Mahanadi RiverSystem
33
The Mahanadi is a river of eastern India. The
Mahanadi rises in the Satpura Range of central
India, and flows east to the Bay of Bengal. The
Mahanadi drains most of the state of Chhattisgarh
and much of Orissa and also Jharkhand and
Maharashtra. It has a length of about 860 km.
Near the city of Sambalpur, a large dam - the
Hirakud Dam - is built on the river

Upper Bhima River Basin
(Maharashtra)
35
Waters of Upper Bhima Basin
• Pushpawati River
• Are River
• Kukadi River
• Mina River
• Ghod River
• Vel River
• Bhima River

• Bharma River
• Andhra River
• Kundali River
• Indryani River
• Pawana River
• Mula River
• Mutha River

Rivers in
Indian
Mythology

=== Ganga===
The Ganga is personified in Hinduism as a
goddess: Maa Ganga (Mother Ganga). Hindu
legend makes her the foster-mother of
Karttikeya, who was actually a son of Shiva and
Parvati. Several places sacred to Hindus lie
along the banks of the river Ganga, including
Haridwar and Varanasi. It is believed that taking
a dip in the river will wash away one's sins, and
that having one's ashes disposed of in the
Ganga after death may greatly improve one's
next life or even allow Moksha to be attained
sooner.

According to
mythological legend,
Brahma collected the
sweat of Vishnu's
feet and created
Ganga. Being touched
by two members of
the Trimurti, Ganga
became very holy.

Yamuna
According to legend the goddess of the river
is the sister of the Hindu god of death,
Yama and the daughter of Surya, the Sun
god. The river Yamuna is also connected to
the mythology surrounding the Hindu god
Krishna.

Narm
ada
In sanctity the Narmada ranks only second to
the Ganges among the rivers of India in Hindu
religion, and along its whole course are special
places of pilgrimage, including Maheshwar in
Madhya Pradesh. The most meritorious act that
a pilgrim can perform is to walk from the sea to
the source of the river and back along the
opposite bank. This pilgrimage takes from one
to two years to accomplish.

K averi
The Kaveri is known to devout Hindus as
Dakshina Ganga, or the Ganges of the south,
and the whole of its course is holy ground.
According to the legend there was once born
upon earth a girl named Vishnumaya or
Lopamudra, the daughter of Brahma; but her
divine father permitted her to be regarded as
the child of a mortal, called Kavera-muni. In
order to obtain beatitude for her adoptive
father, she resolved to become a river whose
waters should purify all sin.

Waters of South Asia
Inland Indus · Ganges · Yamuna · Chenab · Jhelum ·
Brahmaputra · Godavari · Narmada · Tapti ·
Ravi · Beas · Sutlej · Dudh Kosi · Padma ·
Sarasvati · Krishna · Kaveri · Meghna ·
Mahanadi · Son · Ghaghara · Betwa ·
Chambal · Kosi · Sapt Koshi · Tamur · Mo
Chhu · Sankosh · Drangme Chhu · Ganges
Basin · Ganges Delta · Indus Delta · Dal Lake ·
Pookode Lake · Skeleton Lake · Chilka Lake ·
Lake Powai · Borith Lake · Saiful Muluk ·
Gosaikunda · Nizam Sagar · Red Hills Lake ·
Malampuzha · Kerala Backwaters

Off
the
Coast
Indian Ocean · Arabian Sea · Laccadive Sea ·
Bay of Bengal · Gulf of Kutch · Gulf of
Khambhat · Palk Strait · Gulf of Mannar
Main Reservoirs and dams in India · Lakes of India ·
Rivers of India · Lakes of Pakistan · Rivers of
Pakistan · Rivers of Bangladesh · Rivers of
Bhutan · Lakes of Nepal · Rivers of Nepal

List of riversof
India

Rivers that flow into the sea are sorted
geographically, along the coast starting from the
Bay of Bengal in the east moving along the Indian
coast southward till Kanyakumari and moving
northward along the Arabian Sea. Rivers that flow
into other rivers are sorted by the proximity of their
points of union to the sea (the lower in the list, the
more upstream). To identify some river, names of
districts or States are also given. An alphabetical
list of rivers in India is given at the end.

The major rivers of India flow into the Bay of
Bengal and Arabian Sea. The major rivers of
India are:
 flowing into the Bay of Bengal:
Bramhaputra, Ganges ( with its tributaries
Yamuna, Gomti, Chambal), Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri (and their main
tributaries)
flowing into the Arabian Sea: Indus,
Narmada, Tapti (and their main tributaries )

Riversflowinginto Bay of Bengal
 Karnaphuli River from Mizoram and Banglades
 Meghna River from India and Bangladesh
 Titas River in Tripura
 Haora River in Agartala

BrahmaputraRiverBasin
Brahmaputra River
Lohit River
Burhidihing River
Dihing River
Kameng River
Manas River
Sankosh
Yamuna

Teesta River
Rangeet River
Lachen River
Lachung River
Darla River in
Bangladesh
Jaldhaka in Sikkim
and West Bengal

GangaRiverBasin
Ganges River
Hooghly River (distributary)
Damodar River
Barakar River
Rupnarayan River
Ajay River
Mayurakshi river
Dwarakeswar river
Mundeswari river
Meghna River (distributary)
Padma River (distributary)
Budhi Gandak

Rihand River
Ghaghara River (Gogra)
Yamuna River
Ban Ganga River
Betwa River
Dhasan River
Halali River
Kaliasote River
Sindh River
Kosi River
Gandak at Patna

Ahar River
Kali Sindh River
Parbati River
(Madhya Pradesh)
Shipra River in Ujjain
Parbati River
(Rajasthan)
Mahananda River
Mahakali River
Bhagirathi River
Alaknanda River
Gomti River
Gambhir River

Kwari River
Pahuj River in Bhind
District Madhya
Pradesh
Chambal River
Banas River
Berach River
Son River
Koel River

West Bengal C oastal Rivers
• Kangsabati River
• Subarnarekha river
• Kharkai River

M ahanadi River Basin
• Mahanadi River
• Brahmani River
• Sankh River
• South Koel River near Rourkela

Godavari River Basin

 Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Maharashtra states
Kolab River in Orissa State
Indravati River in Gadchiroli district of
Maharashtra State and also in Chhattisgarh state
 Bandiya River in Gadchiroli
 Pranhita River in Gadchiroli district of
Maharashtra State and also in Andhra Pradesh state

 Dina River in Gadchiroli
 Wainganga River in Gadchiroli,
Chandrapur, Nagpur, Bhandara,
Gondiya districts of Maharashtra
state and Balaghat District of Madhya
Pradesh State


Sati River in Gadchiroli
Khobragadi River in Gadchiroli
 Teepa River in Gadchiroli




 Chulband River in Bhandara, Gondiya
districts of Maharashtra state
Kanhan River in Nagpur
Nag River in Nagpur
Pench River in Nagpur
 Kolhar River in Nagpur
 Sur River in Bhandara, Nagpur districts of
Maharashtra state


Bawanthadi River in Bhandara
Wagh River in Gondiya

 Yashoda River in Wardha
 Dham River in Wardha
 Bhakalee River in Wardha
 Ramganga River in Yavatmal
 Bembala River in Yavatmal, Amravati,
Washim districts of Maharashtra state
 Vidarbha River, Amravati in Amravati
 Charghad River in Amravati and Madhya
Pradesh State
 Maad River in Amravati and Madhya
Pradesh State




 Manhaad River in Nanded, Latur
 Lendi River in Nanded, Latur
 Terna River in Osmanabad, Latur
Tavarja River In Latur
Karanja River in Bidar, Latur
Devani River in Latur, Bidar

K rishnaRiver Basin
 Krishna River
 Tungabhadra River
 Vedavathi River
 Tunga River
 Bhadra River
 Malaprabha River
 Ghataprabha River
 Bhima River


 Indrayani River
 Bhama River
 Dudhganga River
 Panchganga River in Kolhapur
district of Maharashtra state
Warna River
 Yerla River
 Koyna River in Satara district of
Maharashtra state

Andhra PradeshC oastal Rivers
Rivers like vamsadhara and nagavalli are thetwo
coastal rivers in srikakulam district of Andhra
Pradesh

Penner RiverBasin
 Penner River

Kaveri River Basin








Kaveri River (Kaveri)
Kollidam (distributary)
Amaravati River
Arkavathy River
Mettur Dam
Bhavani River
Hemavati River
Kabini River

Cauveri River at S angam,inS rirangapatna
near Bangalore

T amilNaduC oastal Rivers
 Cauvery River
Thamirabarani River
Palar River
Vaigai River
Vellar





Vasishta Nadi
Sweta Nadi

Rivers flowinginto
Arabian Sea

K erala C oastal Rivers


Chaliyar River
Periyar River
 Chalakkudy River
Bharathapuzha River
 Thuthapuzha
 Gayathripuzha
 Kalpathipuzha
Kadalundipuzha River
 Kannadipuzha
 Tirur River
 Pamba River
 Achankovil River
 Payaswini
 Meenachil River
 Kodoor River
 Kallada river
 Ithikkara river

K arnataka C oastal Rivers


 The rivers flowing through three coastal
districts of Karnataka join Arabian sea.
Netravati River
Sharavathi River
 Aghanashini River
List of rivers of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi
districts

Goa C oastal Rivers
 Zuari River
 Mandovi River

Narm
ada River Basin
 Narmada River
Kolar River in Sehore
Barna River in Raisen



Hiren River
Tawa River
Burhner River

M ahiRiver Basin
 M ahiRiver
 S omRiver
 G omatiRiver

Sabarmati River Basin
 Sabarmati River


Wakal River
Sei River

IndusRiver Basin








Indus River
Panjnad River
Sutlej River
Beas River
Parbati River
Chenab River
Ravi River
Jhelum River

Pl.m
ailyour suggestionsto:
abdulshumz@hotmail.com
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abdul shumz kv kanjikoed

Major Rivers of India

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