Rivers of India -

The rich network of rivers plays an important role in the lives of the Indian people. The rivers provide irrigation, potable water, cheap transportation, electricity, as well as provide livelihoods for a large number of population of India. This is the reason why most of the major cities of India are located by the banks of the river. The rivers have an important role in the Hindu mythology and are considered holy.

Along with numerous tributaries, there are seven major rivers in India –

Indus
Brahmaputra
Narmada
Tapi
Godavari
Krishna
Mahanadi

Mostly all the major rivers of India originate from one of the three main watersheds-

Himalaya and Karakoram ranges
Vindhya, Satpura ranges and Chotanagpur plateau in central India
Sahyadri or the Western Ghats in western India

On the basis of origin, the rivers of India can be classified as

Himalayan Rivers– Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra river systems are the main Himalayan river systems. They form large basins. As they flow through the Himalayas, they perform intense erosional activity up the streams and carry a huge load of sand and silt. In the plains area, these rivers form large meanders, and a variety of depositional features like flood plains, river cliffs and levees. Himalayan Rivers are perennial as they get water from the rainfall as well as the melting of ice. These create huge plains and are navigable over long distances of their course. Some are also used to generate hydroelectricity in their upstream catchment area.
Peninsular Rivers– Narmada, the Tapi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri and the Mahanadi river systems are the main peninsular river systems. They flow through shallow valleys. Most of them are seasonal rivers as their flow is dependent on rainfall. The intensity of erosion activities is comparatively lower because of the gentler slope and the hard rock bed and lack of silt and sand does not allow any significant meandering in the Deccan. Deccan rivers provide huge opportunities for hydro-electric power since most have straight and linear courses.

List of major rivers in India is as follows-

1. Indus

Originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu of Tibetan region in Kailash Mountain range
Known as ‘Singi Khamban (Lion’s mouth) in Tibet
In India only flows in Leh district between Ladakh and Zaskar range
Discharges into the Arabian Sea through the east of Karachi

2. Jhelum

Jhelum is a left bank tributary of Indus river.
It originates from Verinag Spring at the foot of Pir Panjal in the southeastern part of Kashmir valley.
Three major Trans Himalayan rivers are Brahmaputra, Sutlej and Indus

3. Chenab

Chenab is the largest tributary of Indus river
It rises in the Lahaul and Spiti near Baralacha La pass

4. Ravi

Originates in Kullu hills near Rohtang pass in HP
Flows between Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges

5. Beas

It originates from Beas Khund near Rohtang pass
Flows through Kullu valley and forms George at Largi, Kati in Dhaoladhar range.

6. Sutlej

It originates in Rakas lake near Mansarovar in Tibet
In Tibet, it is known as Langchen Khambab

7. Shyok

Right bank tributary of the Indus River, flows through northern Ladakh
Originates from the Rimo Glacier near Siachen Glacier
Major face-off happened between India and China in Galwan Valley along Shyok River in June 2020

8. Nubra

Tributary of the Shyok River
Originates from Siachen Glacier

Indus Water Treaty

Brokered by the World Bank in Karachi on 19 September 1960
Treaty gives control to India over the waters of the three “eastern rivers” — the Beas, Ravi and Sutlej.
Treaty gives control to Pakistan over the waters of the three “western rivers” — the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.

9. Luni

It originates in Pushkar valley of Aravalli Range near Ajmer
Luni means “salt river” in Sanskrit
Flows south-west and enters the Thar Desert before dissipating into Rann of Kutch

10. Ganga

Originates as Bhagirathi from Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
Alaknanda river (sourced from Satopanth glacier above Badrinath) meets Bhagirathi after Panch Prayag and thereafter Bhagirathi is known as Ganga
Discharges into Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island

11. Ramganga

Originates from Doodhatoli ranges in Pauri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand
Ramganga joins Ganga River at Kanauj, UP

12. Sarda

Sarda rises in Milan glacier in Nepal as Goriganga.
Along the Indo- Nepal border it is called Kali or Chauk.

13. Ghaghara

Originates in Tibet at Mapchachungo glaciers, near Lake Manasarovar
It is the largest tributary of Ganges by volume and second longest tributary by length after the Yamuna
Rapti River is known as “Gorakhpur’s Sorrow” joins Ghaghara as a tributary

14. Gomti

Gomti is a monsoon and groundwater-fed river, originating from Gomati Taal in Pilibhit, UP
Flows by Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh
Gomti joins Ganga River at Ghazipur, UP

15. Gantak

Formed by the union of Kaligandak and Trisulganga rivers rising in Nepal Himalayas between Dhaulagiri and Mt Everest
Burhi (“Old”) Gandak flows parallel and east of Gandak

16. Koshi

Koshi River is also known as Saptakoshi in Nepal for its seven upper tributaries
Due to frequent devastating floods, it is known as ‘Sorrow of Bihar’

17. Yamuna

Originates from the Yamunotri glacier on the Bandarpunch Peak in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand
It is the second-largest tributary river of Ganga and the longest tributary of in India.
It merges with the Ganges at Prayagraj forming Triveni Sangam. Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years here

18. Chambal

Originates in Malwa plateau in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh and its tributary, the Banas rises in the Aravalli Range
It flows through Malwa Plateau
Considered pollution-free, hosts mugger and gharial, freshwater turtles, Gangetic river dolphins, sarus, etc

19. Sind

Originates on the Malwa Plateau in Vidisha district
Joins the Yamuna River in Jalaun district of UP

20. Betwa

Originates in Vindhya Range at Raisen, Madhya Pradesh
Betwa River is to be linked with the Ken River as a part of the river-linking project

21. Ken

Originates from Kaimur Range in Katni, MP
Ken and Sunar River are major rivers of the dry Bundelkhand region

22. Son

Rises in the Amarkantak region, north of Narmada
The second-largest tributary of the Ganga Rive

23. Damodar

Originates from Chota Nagpur Plateau, Jharkhand and joins Hooghly River in Howrah, West Bengal
Known as ‘Sorrow of Bengal’ due to floods
Tributaries are as Barakar, Konar, Bokaro, Haharo, Jamunia, Ghari, Guaia, etc

24. Brahmaputra

Originates in a glacier of Chemayungdung in Kailash range near Mansarovar
Known as Tsangpo in Tibet which means ‘the purifier’
It enters India by west of Sadiya, Arunachal Pradesh
Merges with Padma before falling in the Bay of Bengal

25. Mahanadi

Rises near Sihawa in Raipur, Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha before discharging into the Bay of Bengal at False Point, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha
Major cities along it are Raipur, Janjgir, Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Boudh, Anugul, Cuttack, Khanki, Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda in Odisha
Hirakud Dam is built across Mahanadi River, near Sambalpur in Odisha

26. Brahmani

Formed by the confluence of Sankh and South Koel rivers
Brahmani is second longest in Orissa after Mahanadi

27. Godavari

Originates in Brahmagiri Mt of Trimbakeshwar range in the Western Ghats, Nashik, Maharashtra
The Godavari is the longest river of peninsular India and is also called Dakshin Ganga
Runs through the states of Maharashtra (49 per cent), Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

28. Krishna

Originates in Satara district near Mahabaleshwar in Sahyadri
Flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka (44 percent), Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

29. Kaveri

Originates in Brahmagiri Hills, Kodagu, Western Ghats, Karnataka
Flows through the states of Karnataka (41 percent), Tamil Nadu (56 percent) and Kerala (3 percent)
Kaveri enters Tamil Nadu through Dharmapuri district

30. Bharathapuzha

Rises in Annamalai Hills
The longest river of Kerala
Discharges into the Lakshadweep Sea at Ponnani

31. Periyar

Rises in the Western Ghats
Power generating Idukki Dam is built on it
Flows through cities of Kochi, Neriamangalam, Kalady, and Malayattoor

32. Mandovi

Flows through the states of Karnataka Maharashtra, Goa
Mandovi and Zuari are two primary rivers of Goa and join to form the Mormugao harbour

33. Tapti

Originates from Multai, in Betul District of Madhya Pradesh and drains into the Arabian Sea
Flows through states of Madhya Pradesh (15 percent), Maharashtra (79 percent), and Gujarat (6 percent)
Ukai Dam is constructed across the Tapi River in Tapi district of Gujarat

34. Narmada

Rises from Amarkantak Plateau near Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh
Flows through rift valley between Satpura and Vindhyan Ranges
Flows through states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat

35. Sabarmati

Originates in the Aravalli Range of Udaipur District in Rajasthan
It is a seasonal river as flows are dominated by monsoon, with little or no flows post-monsoon
During India’s Freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi established Sabarmati Ashram as his home on banks of this river near Ahmedabad
Drains into the Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea

36. Mahi

Mahi river rises in western Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh and flows through Vagad region of Rajasthan, before entering Gujarat
Flows south of Sabarmati river
Finally flows into the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Khambhat
Mahi Bajaj Sagar Dam is built a dam across the Mahi River in Banswara district of Rajasthan