The important rivers of India are Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Indus, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kavery, Narmada and Tapti. A brief description of these rivers is given below:
Ganga: Ganga is holy and sacred river, according to Hindu traditions. It starts from the Gangotri in the Himalayas. It travels around 2525 kilometers in the south and south-east direction before pouring itself into the Bay of Bengal. It is ranked 3rd largest river in the world. A large number of cities developed across the banks of river Ganga includes Pataliputra, Kashi, Allahabad, Varanasi, Kolkata, etc. It has also created the World’s largest delta in West Bengal named as Sundarban delta. River Ganga has special religious significance. The Hindus consider Ganga as their mother. During religious occasions, thousands of devotees gather along the bank of the river to take holy bath.
Yamuna: Yamuna river originating from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas, travels across several states before merging into the River Ganga at Triveni, Allahabad. Its total length is 1376 km. Yamuna River passes through major cities such as Delhi, Yamuna Nagar, Agra, Mathura, Allahabad, etc. Yamuna River’s water contributes nearly 70% of Delhi’s water supply. The Taj Mahal is situated on the banks of Yamuna River. River Chambal and River Betwa are its right tributaries. Some of its important left tributaries includes River Tons, River Hindon, etc.
Brahmaputra: Brahmaputra river originates from Angsi Glacier, the northern Himalayas in Tibet. It then enters into the Arunachal Pradesh to Assam and then merges with the Padma river in Bangladesh. Its length is around 2900 km and plays an important role in the irrigation and transportation. It emptied into the Bay of Bengal. The river flows in east, south-east, west, and south-west direction. Guwahati, the most important city of Assam, is situated on the bank of River Brahmaputra.
Indus River: The Indus River is a historically famous in Asia. It originated from the Tibetan Plateau, and then flows through the Ladakh, then enteres into Pakistan and finally pours itself into the Arabian Sea after travelling a distance of 3180 km. Besides India, it also passes through China and Pakistan.
Mahanadi River: Mahanadi River is a major river in the state of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Mahanadi’s water is used in the irrigation and drinking purpose, it is also called the ruin of Orissa due its devastating floods over the years but till Hirakud Dam was constructed. It has a large basin area of around 1.42 sq. km. Its total length is 858 km. Cuttack, Sonepur, Sambalpur, etc. are the important cities on the bank of Mahanadi River. The direction of its flow is south-east.
Godavari: Godavari also known as Dakshin Ganga is the longest river in the southern India and 2nd largest in India after Ganga. It originated from Maharashtra. Flowing in south-east direction, it runs through Andhra Pradesh, then merges into the Bay of Bengal after travelling a distance of 1465 km. Rajamahendravaram, the famous city of Andhra Pradesh, is situated on the bank of River Godavari.
Krishna (also called Krishnaveni): The 3rd longest river in India after Ganga and Godavari Krishna river which is originated from Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra and flows through the state of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and finally merges into the Bay of Bengal by travelling a distance of 1400 km. Vijayawada is the most important city along the bank of River Krishna.
Kaveri: The Kaveri River is one odaf the large rivers in India which is originated from Talakaveri in the Western Ghats of Karnataka and flows through the states of Karnataka & Tamilnadu, finally merges into Bay of Bengal by travelling a distance of 765 km.
Narmada: Narmada river is the 5th Longest in the Indian sub-continent. It is also called the Life line of Madhya Pradesh due to its huge contributions. Narmada River originates from Narmada Kund, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and merges into the Arabian Sea near Gujarat after travelling a distance of 1312 km. It flows in south-west and west direction.
Tapti: Tapti river is one of the major rivers in Central India. Its total length is around 724 km which flows through the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and finally merges into the Gulf of Cambay (also called Gulf of Khambhat) of Arabian Sea near Gujarat. Some major cities such as Surat, Naski, etc. are located on the bank of River Tapti.
