Rivers in India

The Indian River system is made of seven major rivers along with their several tributaries. The majority of the rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal and some of the rivers flow into the Arabian Sea. On the other hand, some parts of India have inland drainage.

The rivers of India provide irrigation, transportation, electricity and livelihoods for a huge number of people in India. The river system also holds significance from a religious point of view in India.

All the major rivers of India originate from one of the three main sources:

1. The Himalaya and the Karakoram ranges
2. Sahyadri or Western Ghats in western India
3. Vindhya and Satpura ranges and Chotanagpur plateau in central India

The Indian River system is classified as Himalayan, peninsular, coastal, and inland-drainage basin rivers.

The largest river basin of India is the Ganga basin, which receives water from Himalayas in the north and the Vindhyas in the South. The Ganga, Yamuna, Ghagra, Gandak and Kosi are the main constituents of this basin.

The Brahmaputra has the greatest volume of water of all the rivers in India. It is the source of the Indus and the Satluj and flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam

The Mahanadi is an important river in the state of Orissa. This river flows slowly for 900 km and deposits more silt than any other river in the Indian subcontinent.

The Godavari River System has second longest course within India. The banks of this river have many pilgrimage sites like Nasik, Triyambak and Bhadrachalam.

The Krishna is the third longest river in India with a length of about 1300 km. It rises in the Western Ghats and flows east into the Bay of Bengal.

The source of the Kaveri is located in the Western Ghats. It has many tributaries including Shimsha, Hemavati River, Arkavathy, Kapila, Honnuhole, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyyal and famous Amaravati. Kaveri is a major source of irrigation in Tamil Nadu.

The Narmada and the Tapti are the only major rivers that flow into the Arabian Sea. The total length of Narmada through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat amounts to 1312 km. The Tapti follows a parallel course to the south of the Narmada, flowing through the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat on its way into the Gulf of Khambhat.

Last Updated on : 06/05/2013