Rivers in India
Rivers in India

The rivers play important role in the economic development of any country. In India, rivers play an important role in irrigation, transportation, fishing. Due to this, the rivers in India are tightly bound to Indian tradition and culture. Since ancient times, rivers are worshipped as God/Goddess since they are considered very sacred. India has a rich resource of rivers and in almost every part of India, there is a nearby river.

Classification of Rivers of India

  1. Perennial and Non- Perennial River: If a river is originating from mountains or they get water throughout the year then they are considered as Perennial River. On the other hand, rivers originating from plateau region are called as Non- Perennial Rivers. Non- Perennial Rivers do not have enough waters for the whole year. Perennial rivers of India includes Ganga, Yamuna, Indus, Brahmaputra, Narmada, Mahanadi, Tapti, Ghagra(Saraswati), Sutlej and Thamiraparani(only perennial river from the south).
  2. (Peninsular Rivers ) East flowing & West Flowing Rivers: The Peninsular Rivers originate in the Western Ghats. They have a large seasonal fluc­tuation in volume as they are solely fed from rain­fall. These rivers flow in valleys with steep gradi­ents. Major rivers of the Peninsula such as Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery flow eastwards on the plateau and drain into the Bay of Bengal. The rivers which end in the Bay of Bengal are called “East flowing” rivers. If the river empties into the Arabian Sea, it is called “West Flowing” rivers. In India, all major rivers are “east-flowing” rivers. The west flowing rivers of India includes Narmada River, Tapti River, Mahi River and Sabarmati River.
  3. Inland Drainage River: The river which does not empty itself into any sea, and ends with any lake or any other water body is known as Inland Drainage River. The best example of Inland Drainage River in India is Luni River which does not fall into the Arabian Sea but ends up in Rann of Kutch.
  4. On the basis of their origin.
    1. The Himalayan mountain range.
    2. From Satpura and Vindhya range.
    3. From Western Ghats region.
    4. The Indus River System

List of Major Rivers in India

Sl. No.RiverLength (km)OriginEnd
1.Indus2,900 Originates in Tibetan plateau, Enters India in J&K Merges into Arabian sea near Sindh
2.Brahmaputra2,900 Himalayan Glacier in Tibet, but enters India in Arunachal Pradesh Merges with Ganga and ends in the Bay of Bengal
3.Ganga2,510 Gangotri Glacier (Bhagirathi), Uttarakhand Bay of Bengal
4.Godavari1,450 Starts in Maharashtra and passes through 7 Indian states Empties in the Bay of Bengal
5.Narmada1,290 Starts from Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh Drains into Arabian sea via Gulf of Cambay
6.Krishna1,290 Originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra Ends in the Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh
7.Mahanadi890 Originates from Dhamtri, Chhattisgarh Ends in the Bay of Bengal in Odisha
8.Kaveri760 Talakaveri in the Western Ghats in KarnatakaEnds in the Bay of Bengal

State-Wise Rivers

State-Wise details of Rivers Covered

 S. No.                StateRiver
1Andhra PradeshGodavari & Musi
2BiharGanga
3DelhiYamuna
4GoaMandovi
5GujaratSabarmati
6HaryanaYamuna
7JharkhandDamodar, Ganga & Subarnarekha
8KarnatakaBhadra, Tungabhadra,Cauvery, Tunga & Pennar
9KeralaPamba
10Madhya PradeshBetwa, Tapti, Wainganga, Khan, Narmada, Kshipra, Beehar, Chambal & Mandakini.
11MahrashtraKrishna, Godavari, Tapi and Panchganga
12NagalandDiphu & Dhansiri
13OrissaBrahmini & Mahanadi
14PunjabSatluj
15RajasthanChambal
16SikkimRani Chu
17Tamil NaduCauvery, Adyar, Cooum, Vennar, Vaigai & Tambarani
18Uttar PradeshYamuna, Ganga & Gomti
19UttranchalGanga
20West BengalGanga, Damodar & Mahananda

Peninsular Rivers India – Flowing East to West

RiversLength (KM)Details
Luni 
  • Also known as the Sagarmati
  • Rises from the western slopes of the Aravalli Range near Ajmer
  • Ends in the marshy lands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat
Sabarmati 
  • Rises from Dhebar lake in Aravalli Range of the Udaipur (Rajasthan)
  • Ends in the Arabian Sea via Estuary
Mahi 
  • Rises from Vindhya range (MP)
  • Drains in Gulf of Cambay
Narmada 
  • Origin: Amarkantak, Shahdol, MP
  • Ends: The Arabian Sea via Estuary
  • Flow Route: MP – Bharuch (Gujrat) – Gulf of Khambat (Gujrat) – The Arabian Sea via Estuary
  • Famous projects: S →Sardar Sarovar Dam, Maheshwar Dam, Indira Gandhi Sagar Dam
  • Important Facts:
    • Longest among all east to west flowing rivers
    • Known as Lifeline of MP
    • Forms Duandhar falls at Jabalpur
    • Only tributary → Hiran River
    • Aliabet is the Largest Island in Estuary
Tawa 
  • Rises in the Satpura Range of Betul (MP)
  • Narmada’s longest tributary
 Tapi 
  • Origin: Mahadev hills, Satpura range, Betul district, MP
  • Flow Route: MP – Maharashtra – Gulf of Khambat or Cambay – Arabian Sea via Estuary
  • Famous projects: Kakrapar Dam & Ukai Dam
 Periyar 
  • Rises from Western Ghats in Kerala
  • Flows towards west & drains in Arabian Sea via an estuary

Peninsular Rivers India – Flowing West to East

RiversLength (KM)Details
Mahanadi 
  • Origin: Dandakaranya Hills, Raipur
  • Flow Route: Chhattisgarh – Orissa – EGs – BOB
  • Famous Project: Hirakund Dam
Godavari 
  • Origin: Triambakeshwar Plateau, Nashik, WGs
    – Largest Peninsular River
    – Known as Dakshina / Vriddha Ganga
  • Flow Route: Nashik – Andhra Pradesh – BOB
  • Famous Tributaries: Penganga, Sabri, Wardha & Indravati
  • Famous Projects: Poochampad, Jayakwadi, Polavaram
Penganga 
  • Rises from Ajanta hills (Maharashtra)
  • a tributary of River Wardha which finally merges into Godavari
Krishna 
  • Origin Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, WGs
  • Flow Route: Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh BOB
  • Famous Projects Koyna, Tugrabhdra, Srisailam & Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Tungabhadra 
  • a major tributary of Krishna
  • Rises from the Western Ghats
Bhima 
  • Rises from Balaghat range (Maharashtra)
  • Tributary of Krishna
Kaveri 
  • Origin Brahamgiri hills, Karnataka, WGs
  • Flow Route: Karnataka Kaveripatnam (TN) BOB
  • Perrenial River
  • Forms Shivasundaram Waterfalls
  • Famous projects Krishnaraja Sagar & Mettur
 Penner 
  • Rises from Karnataka
  • Flows b/w Krishna & Kaveri
  • Drains into BOB
 Vaigai 
  • Rises from Palni hills (TN)
  • A seasonal river flows through TN
  • Drains in Gulf of Mannar
Peninsular Rivers India – Flowing West to East

The Ganga River System

The Ganga River System includes the following rivers (10 major rivers plus Damodar river and Hugli river):

RiversLength (KM)OriginEnd
Ganga2,525Gangotri Glacier (Bhagirathi), UttarakhandBay of Bengal
Yamuna1,376Yamunotri Glacier, UttarakhandMerges with Ganga at Allahabad (Triveni Sangam – Kumbh Mela spot
Brahmaputra1,800Himalayan Glacier in Tibet, but enters India in Arunachal PradeshMerges with Ganga and ends in Bay of Bengal
Chambal960Tributary of Yamuna river, starting at Madhya PradeshJoins Yamuna river in UP
Son784Tributary of Ganga, starting at Amarkantak, Madhya PradeshJoins Ganga just above Patna – also considered part of Vindhya river system
Gandak630Nepal; Ganges tributary at Indo-Nepal border (Triveni Sangam)Joins Ganga near Patna
Kosi720Starts from Bihar near Indo-Nepal borderJoins Ganga near Katihar district of Bihar
Betwa590Tributary of Yamuna, rises at Vindhya region, MPJoins Yamuna at Hamirpur in UP
Gomti900Tributary of Ganga, starting at Gomat Taal, UPJoins Ganga in Varanasi district
Ghaghra1080Himalayan Glacier in tibet, tributary of GangaJoins Ganga in Bihar
Hugli (Hooghly)260Tributary of Ganga near West BengalMerges with Ganga at the Bay of Bengal
Damodar592Tributary of Hugli near Chandwar, JharkhandMerges with Hugli in West Bengal
The Ganga River System

Although Hugli and Damodar rivers are not considered the most important rivers of the Ganga river system.

The Indus River System

The Indus River System includes the following 6 major rivers: 

RiversLength (KM)OriginEnd
Indus3180Originates in Tibetan plateau, Enters India in J&KMerges into Arabian sea near Sindh
Chenab960Upper Himalayas in the Spiti district of Himachal PradeshMerges with Indus
Jhelum725Tributary of Chenub river, PunjabMerges with Chenab at Jhang (Pakistan)
Ravi720Starts from Bara Bhangal, Kangra district, Himachal PradeshJoins Chenab in Pakistan
Sutlej1500Tributary of Indus river, originates at Rakshastal, TibetMeets Beas river in Pakistan and ends at Arabian sea
Beas470Rises at Himalayas in central Himachal PradeshJoins Sutlej river in Punjab, India
The Indus River System includes the following 6 major rivers

Western Ghats Rivers

Western Ghats Rivers: 

RiversLength (KM)OriginEnd
Kaveri765Talakaveri in the Western Ghats in KarnatakaEnds in the Bay of Bengal
Krishna1400Originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in MaharashtraEnds in the Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh
Godavari1465Starts in Maharashtra and passes through 7 Indian statesEmpties in the Bay of Bengal
Tungabhadra531Tributary of Krishna river staring at KarnatakaJoins Krishna river along the border of Telangana and Andhra Prades
Western Ghats Rivers

Vindhya and Satpura Ranges rivers

Vindhya and Satpura Ranges rivers:

RiversLength (KM)OriginEnd
Tapti724Rises in Eastern Satpura Ranges, Madhya PradeshEmpties into Gulf of Khambat, Gujarat
Mahi580Rises in Madhya PradeshFlows into Arabian sea from Gujarat
Narmada1315Starts from Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh
Vindhya and Satpura Ranges rivers

Other Important Notes on Indian rivers to remember:

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *