Ganga River
The Ganga River originates as Bhagirathi from the Gangotri Glacier near Gomukh in Uttarakhand. In fact, when the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet at Devprayag, it is known by the name Ganga. The Yamuna originates from the Ganges near Allahabad, which is called Sangam or Prayag. The Ganges river flows southeast and enters Bangladesh where it is known as Padma. Before joining the sea in Bangladesh, it meets the Brahmaputra river, then its name becomes Meghna. The total length of the Ganga river is 2525 km and its length in India is 2510 km. The Ganga river forms the world famous Sunderban Delta in West Bengal. The major tributaries of the Ganga are Yamuna, Gomati, Damodar, Ramganga, Ghaghara, Son, Kosi and Gandak.
Yamuna River
Yamuna is a major tributary of the Ganga River. The river emerges from the Yamunotri glacier in Uttarakhand which is situated on the Bandarpuch hill. Famous cities like Delhi, Mathura and Agra are situated on the banks of river Yamuna. It covers a distance of about 1375 km and meets the Ganga at Prayag near Allahabad. The major tributaries of Yamuna river include Tons, Chambal, Betwa, Ken and Kali Sindh. Yamuna river is considered to be the most polluted river in India.
Chambal River
The Chambal river originates from the Janapaw hill at an elevation of 843 m near Mhow in the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh. The river joins the Yamuna in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh after passing through Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The length of the Chambal river is about 1,024 km. The total catchment area of river is 1,44,591 sq.km. The tributaries of the Chambal river include Banas, Mej, Shipra, Parwati and Kalisindh. The Chambal river is utilised for the hydropower production at Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam and Jawahar Sagar Dam.
Ghaghara River
The Ghaghara river originates from the Mapchachung Glacier which is located in the plateau of Tibet. It flows from the middle of Nepal. While crossing the Himalayan and Shivalik ranges, it builds a deep component valley in a place called Rashipani. The Ghaghra river meets the Ganga at Chhapra near Bihar. The length of the river is about 1200 km.
Gomti River
The Gomti river originates from the 200 m high Gomat Taal of Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is situated on the bank of Gomti river. This river flows in Pilibhit, Kheri, Sitapur, Lucknow, Barabanki, Sultanpur, Jaunpur and finally merges with the Ganga river at Ghazipur.
Gandak River
The Gandak river rises from the mountain ranges bordering Nepal, Tibet. In Nepal, this river is known as Shaligrami and Narayani. Flowing through the border of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the river meets the Ganga river near Patna. The length of the Gandak river is about 425 km.
Kosi River
The Kosi River initially originated from seven streams that originate from the Nepal, Himalayas and the Kangchenjunga Mountains. The largest of these streams is called Arun which originates near the Mount Everest. The river after flowing the plains of Bihar meets the Ganga river in the Bhagalpur district. The length of the Kosi river is about 750 km. The Kosi river is known for its diversion and severe floods. It causes immense loss of life and public property in Bihar every year, hence it is called Sorrow of Bihar. Kosi river is recognised as one of the most turbulent rivers in the world.
Damodar River
The origin of this river is from the Palamu hill situated at the Chota Nagpur plateau, Jharkhand at an elevation of 609.75 m. Konar, Barakar, Jamunia, are the principal tributaries of Damodar river of which Barakar is the largest tributary. After joining Barakar, the Damodar river assumes a massive form. It flows through Jharkhand, enters West Bengal and merges with the Hooghly River. The total length of the Damodar river is 592 km. The catchment area of the river is 24,235 sq. km. The Damodar River brings great destruction due to floods in West Bengal, hence it is called the Sorrow of West Bengal. The Damodar River Valley Project is operated on this river, which is based on the Tennessee River Valley Project of America.
Betwa River
Betwa river originates from Madhya Pradesh. It rises from Vindhyachal mountain near Kumargaon in Raisen district. After flowing through the districts of Guna, Shivpuri, Jhansi and Hamirpur, it confluence with the Yamuna river in Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The length of the river from its origin till it merges with the Yamuna river is 590 km. Of the total length, the river is 232 km long in M.P. and 358 km long in U.P. Betwa River Board (BRB) was constituted under the Betwa River Board Act, 1976 aa per the agreement of 1973 between the states of U.P. and M.P. Matatila and Rajghat dams are built on this river.
Son River
The Son river originates from the Amarkantak hill located in Annupur district of Madhya Pradesh. The Amarkantak hill is situated at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level. It forms many waterfalls in its path. It enters Uttar Pradesh flowing through Rewa and Sidhi districts of Madhya Pradesh and finally merges in the Ganga river near Patna. The Son is considered unsuitable for navigation due to its seasonal flow. The length of the Son River is about 784 km. The Son river is the second largest tributary of Ganga in south next to Yamuna. The catchment area of this river is 71,900 sq.km. The Bansagar Dam Project and the Rihand Dam Project are operating on this river. Koilwar Bridge, the 1.44 km long rail-cum-road bridge is built over the Son river which connects the Arrah with the Patna. It is the India's oldest river bridge which was completed on 4 Nov, 1862. It is officially known as Abdul Bari Bridge. The main tributaries of the Son river are Rihand and North Koel.
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra river originates from the Mansarovar lake in Tibet. The origin of this river is situated at an altitude of 5150 meters above sea level. The Brahmaputra river is known as Tsangpo in Tibet and is called Dihang after entering India from Arunachal Pradesh. It is known as Brahmaputra in Assam and Jamuna in Bangladesh. After the confluence of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra, the combined stream of both is called Meghna. The total length of the Brahmaputra river is 2900 km and in India it is 916 km long. Majuli Island, the world's largest river island in the state of Assam, is situated on the bank of Brahmaputra river.
Narmada River
This river originates in the hills of Amarkantak situated in the Vindhyachal Mountains of Madhya Pradesh. It falls in the Gulf of Khambhat near Bharuch in Gujarat, traveling a distance of 1312 km towards the west from its place of origin. Narmada river does not form a delta instead it forms an estuary. The reason is that the river is not able to carry enough sediments into the sea as it flows through the hard rocks and thus it didn't form distributaries before entering into sea. The Indira Sagar Project, the Omkareshwar Project and the Sardar Sarovar Project are built on this river.
Tapti River
The origin of this river is near Multai town of Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. The Tapti river flows westwards parallel to the Narmada and falls into the Gulf of Khambhat near Surat in Gujarat. The length of this river is 724 km.
Mahanadi River
Mahanadi originates from Singhwa hill located in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. The river flows 857 km in the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa and falls into the Bay of Bengal. The famous Hirakud Dam in Orissa is built on this river.
Godavari River
This river originates from Nashik district of Maharashtra. The Godavari River is the longest river in South India with a length of 1465 km. Due to its huge size, this river is known as the Ganga of South and the Vriddha Ganga. It crosses the plateau of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and meets the Bay of Bengal.
Krishna River
Krishna river originates from a spring near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. It flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and joins the Bay of Bengal in various branches near Vijayawada. The length of Krishna river is about 1400 km. The Nagarjuna Sagar Project and the Srisailam Project are built on the Krishna River.
Kaveri River
The Kaveri river originates from the Brahmagiri hills located in the Coorg district of Karnataka state. The famous Shivasamudram Fall is situated on the Kaveri River. The river meets the Bay of Bengal after covering a distance of 800 km.
Shipra River
Shipra river originates from Kakri Bardi hill in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh. The world famous Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain is situated on the banks of this river where Kumbh Mela is held after every 12 years.
Mahi River
This river originates from the Aravalli mountain range and falls in the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat. This river crosses the Tropic of Cancer twice.
Sabarmati River
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