Topography

Out of the five major rivers in India, one flows through the state of Maharashtra. It is the Godavari River. The other four major rivers of India are the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Narmada, and the Saraswati Rivers. River Narmada also flows through the state but is not one the major rivers of the state. These rivers form river basins in the regions towards which they drain.

The Rivers of Maharashtra are:

Godavari: the river is considered to be a holy river and is taken to be place of pilgrimage. The river travels a distance of 1450 km, originating in Trimbakeshwar in Nashik, flowing through the states of Central India. It is also called the Dakshina Ganga. Etymologically the term Godavari means the best givers of water or the best of the rivers giving cows. Traditionally, the tributaries are named after the seven rishis of Hindu mythology before it falls into the ocean. The river rises at an altitude of 1067 m and extends for over 9.5% of the total geographical area of India. The river basin has an average annual water surface potential of 110.5 cubic km. The main tributaries of the river are:

Indravati River

Wardha – Wainganga Rivers

Manjira River

KInnerasani River

Pranahita River

Parvara River

Purna River

Penganga River

Kolab River

Sabari and Sileru Rivers

The most important tourist places near the river are: Trimbakeshwar, Nasik, Nanded, Bhadrachalam and Pattiseema. Asia’s largest Lift irrigation project, the Vishnupuri Prakalp has been constructed on the river at a distance of 5km from the city of Nanded.

Krishna River: the river is one of the longest rivers in the country. The origin of this river is at Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. The length of the river is 1300 km and it flows through the city of Sangli. It flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The mythology connected with the river is that the source of the river is a fountain rising from the mouth of the statue of a cow. The statue is in a temple of Lord Shiva in the city of Mahabaleshwar. The tributaries Venna and Koyana are said to be Siva and Brahma themselves. The tributaries of the Krishna River are Ghataprabha, the Malaprabha, the Bhima, the Tungabhadra, the Musi, Koyna Rivers. The river basin of the Krishna stretches for an area of 258, 948 square km. the river has an average annual surface water potential of 78.1 cubic km and covers 8% of the total geographical area of India.

Tapi River: covering a total geographical area of 2%, and a river basin which extends to an area of 65,145 square km, the Tapi River originates from the Multai region in Madhya Pradesh. It flows into the Arabian Sea and its main tributaries are: Purna, the Girna, the Panjhra, the Vaghur, the Bori and the Aner. The Average annual surface water potential is 18 cubic km

The Lakes of Maharashtra are:
Maharashtra has a number of lakes. Out of all the cities which are famous for the lakes, Thane stands out. The city has been named the ‘city of lakes’ having a reservoir of 30 lakes. The important lakes which are situated in the state are the following:

The Talao Pali Lake, also known as the Masunda Talao, is the most beautiful lake of the state and the most crowded one too. There are facilities of boating provided in the lake.

The Upvan Lake which is located in Thane is the second most important lakes of the city. The lake belongs to a pollution free zone.

The Rankala Lake in kolhapur, is considered to be the oldest of all the lakes in Maharashtra. In Hindu mythology, it is believed that there is a golden temple submereged under the temple of Rankabhairav which lies at the centre of the lake.

The Ramkund Lake is situated in Nashik. There is a mythological belief that during their exile, Lord Rama and Shiva took bath in this lake.

Other than these the other lakes in the state re as follows: the Ambazari Lake, the Koyna Reservoir, Lonar Lake, Pashan Lake, Tansa Lake, Venna Lake and the Vihar and Powai Lake.