5 Rivers of India

There are many major rivers in India which serve as a lifeline for millions of Indians. The five major rivers of India are Ganga, Yamuna, Indus, Godavari and Brahmaputra. This article will dive deep into some of the important facts about the major rivers of India.

Rivers of India – Ganga

• The river Ganga originates from the Gangotri glacier.
• Gangotri Glacier is in the Himalayas.
• It is located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Uttarkashi district.
• Gangotri glacier has a width of 2 km to 4 km, and it is about 30 km long.
• Gangotri glacier is also known as Gomukh or Gaumukh as it resembles the shape of a cow’s mouth.
• The total length of the Ganges river is 2,525 km.
• River Bhagirathi and River Alaknanda join at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand to form the river Ganges. River Ganga emerges from the mountains and moves on to the plains at Haridwar.
• The major tributaries of the river Ganga are Yamuna, Kosi, Gandak, and Ghaghara.
• The Ganga and Yamuna meet at Prayagraj. It was formerly known as Allahabad.
• The other main tributaries of the Ganga are Son, Betwa, and Chambal. These rivers originate from the peninsular uplands.

Rivers of India – Brahmaputra

• The other names of the Brahmaputra river are the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and Jamuna in Bangladesh.
• The Brahmaputra traverses through four countries — China, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh — before entering the Bay of Bengal.
• The total length of the Brahmaputra river is 3848 km.
• The Brahmaputra river originates from Mansarovar Lake.
• The Dhubri-Phulbari bridge over the Brahmaputra, when completed, will become India’s longest bridge. The 19.8-km-long bridge will replace the 9.1-km-long Bhupen Hazarika Setu, also known as the Dhola-Sadiya Bridge in eastern Assam, as India’s longest bridge. Dhubri and Phulbari lie on either bank of the extremely wide Brahmaputra just before it flows into Bangladesh.
• The Brahmaputra-Jamuna is a classic example of a braided river.

Rivers of India – Godavari

• The length of the Godavari river is 1,465 km.
• River Godavari is a seasonal river. The Godavari widens during the monsoons and gets dried up during the summer season.
• The Godavari river is often referred to as the Dakshin (South) Ganga.
• River Godavari passes through important pilgrimage sites of Hinduism.
• River Godavari originates from the holy place of Trimbakeshwar, located near Nashik in Maharashtra.
• Some of the major tributaries of river Godavari are Banganga, Kadva, Shivana, Purna, Kadam, Pranahita, Nasardi, Pravara, Sindphana, Manjira, Manair, etc.
• The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari river in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally District, Telangana, India.
• It is the world’s largest irrigation and drinking water system.

Rivers of India – Narmada

• The total length of the river Narmada is 1312 km.
• The Narmada river drains into the Arabian Sea in the Bharuch district of Gujarat.
• One of the very few major rivers in Peninsular India flows in the Western direction and drains into the Arabian sea.
• The longest west-flowing river in India is the river Narmada.
• The river Narmada is the 5th longest river in India.
• The Narmada flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
• The Narmada originates at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh.

Rivers of India – Krishna

• The Krishna is one of India’s longest rivers, originating from Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra.
• The Tungabhadra river is the main tributary of the Krishna river.
• Koyna, Panchganga, Dudhaganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, etc. are the major tributaries of the Krishna river.
• The Krishna river flows through the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
• The length of the river Krishna is 1400 km.

In addition, please find below, information related to two major rivers flowing in North India and South India. These two rivers are a source of livelihood for millions of people, and they have a huge significance from a cultural and religious perspective to many people in India.

River Yamuna

• The length of the Yamuna river is 1,376 km.
• River Yamuna is the longest tributary river in India and the second largest tributary of the Ganges river by discharge.
• The river Yamuna originates from Yamunotri glacier, located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
• The Yamuna merges with the holy river Ganges at the Triveni Sangam located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
• This is the place where the Kumbh Mela is conducted once every 12 years.
• Both the Yamuna and the Ganges are considered to be very holy rivers in Hinduism.
• The Yamuna river flows through the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and the union territory of Delhi.
• The longest tributary of the river Yamuna is river Chambal.
• Tons river is the largest tributary of the Yamuna river.
• The other tributaries of the Yamuna river are the Hindon river, Ken river, Betwa river, etc.

River Cauvery

• The source of the Cauvery river is Talakaveri, located in the Kodagu district of Karnataka.
• The Cauvery river flows through the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• The Cauvery river is a very sacred river in South India.
• Harangi, Hemavati, Kabini, Bhavani, Lakshmana Tirtha, Noyyal and Arkavati are the tributaries of the river Cauvery.
• The length of the Cauvery river is 805 km.