India is sometimes called the “Land of Rivers” because of its extensive river system that spans the Himalayas and Peninsula. Along India’s rivers, several ancient cultures developed and flourished. Hindus in the nation revere them as deities because of their sacredness.
The rivers of the Himalayas are perennial. They flow from the melting snows of the Himalayas, whereas the rivers of the Peninsula are seasonal because they get their water from the rains that fall on the Western Ghats. The 8 largest rivers in India are listed below.
1. GANGES RIVER
The river begins as Bhagirathi in Gaumukh, flowing from the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas, but is renamed the Ganges from Devprayag till it reaches the Alaknanda.
The Ganges, with a length of 2,525 kilometres, is one of the longest rivers in India. The Ganges, or Ganga as she is more often known, is the holiest river in Hinduism.
The western Himalayan area of Uttarakhand is where the Ganges River begins its journey downstream. It then passes through the Gangetic plains of India, through Bangladesh, and finally into the Bay of Bengal.
The Yamuna is the longest of its tributaries, while the river Ghaghara is the greatest in terms of water volume.
Varanasi, Allahabad, Haridwar, Kanpur, and Patna are just a few of the well-known urban centres that may be found along the Ganges River.
2. BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER
The Brahmaputra River, which begins in India and flows through the states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, eventually enters Bangladesh and then China.
The Brahmaputra is India’s longest and most productive river, covering a total distance of 2,900 kilometres from its headwaters to its confluence with the Ganges.
Yarlung Tsangpo is the name of the river that flows from the Angsi glacier near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Tibet. Continuing its journey across southern Tibet, it eventually reaches Arunachal Pradesh.
After flowing south through Bangladesh, the Padma joins the Brahmaputra as it continues its trek through the Assam Valley. From then on, it’s known as the Meghna River, and it flows into the Bay of Bengal.
The two largest cities on the banks of the Brahmaputra are Guwahati and Dibrugarh.
3. INDUS RIVER
The Indus River is very significant since it was the site of the first settlement of the ancient Indus valley culture.
The name of this massive river is the inspiration for the name of the whole nation of India. As one of India’s “seven holy rivers,” it has a special place in the country’s religion.
The river’s 3,180-kilometer course starts on the Tibetan plateau, close to lake Mansarovar in the Kailash Mountains.
The river then makes its way through Ladakh and the Gilgit-Baltistan area, continuing south into Pakistan and eventually meeting the Arabian Sea close to Karachi.
More than 60% of the Indus basin’s catchment area is in Pakistan. According to the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan, India is entitled to utilise 20% of the river’s total water supply.
Kabul (river), Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are all essential tributaries of the Indus.
4. GODAVARI RIVER
The Godavari is the longest river in Southern India at 1,465 kilometres. The name “Dakshina Ganga,” which translates to “Southern Ganges,” describes this river as well.
Its source is the Western Ghats, namely the Nashik region of Maharashtra, close to the town of Trimbakeshwar. Several Hindu texts refer to this river, making it one of the most revered rivers in India.
It begins in the state of Maharashtra and continues through the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha until finally reaching the Bay of Bengal.
The rivers Purna, Pranhita, Indravati, and Sabari, flow into it from the left bank, while the rivers Pravara, Manjira, and Manair flow into it from the right.
After the Ganges and the Indus, the river basin formed by the Godavari is the biggest on the Indian subcontinent.
When it comes to protecting the critically endangered Olive Ridley marine turtle, the Krishna Godavari Basin is a top priority. The critically endangered fringed-lipped carp may also be found in the river (Labeo fimbriatus).
Godavari delta is home to the Coringa mangrove forests, the country’s second-largest mangrove ecosystem.
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is a swath of woodland that has been set aside due to its reptile population’s notoriety.
5. NARMADA RIVER
The Narmada, Peninsular India’s biggest west-flowing river, has its origins in the Amarkantak range of mountains in Madhya Pradesh.
Along its 1,312 km journey, the river drains Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat before it reaches the Arabian Sea.
The Narmada is one of the seven sacred rivers in Hinduism and is mentioned in Vedic texts dating back thousands of years.
Dugdhdhara, Dhardi falls, Kapildhara, and the magnificent Dhuandhar falls may all be found along this river at Bhedaghat, southwest of Jabalpur.
Jabalpur, Harda, Mandla, Bharuch, and Omkareshwar are just a few of the significant cities and towns that sit on its banks.
Bandhavgarh National Park and Kanha National Park are just two of the parks that provide safe haven for the very diverse animal species that call the Narmada Valley home.
Kanha is home to two of Narmada’s tributaries: the Hallon and the Banjar.
6. KRISHNA RIVER
The Krishna River, often spelt Krishnaveni, begins in the Western Ghats, close to Mahabaleshwar in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
It flows for around 1,400 kilometres across the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana before entering the Bay of Bengal at Koduru in Andhra Pradesh.
The Bhima River, 861 kilometres, is the longest tributary of the Krishna River, whereas the Tungabhadra River, located on the right bank, is the biggest.
Following the Ganges, Godavari, and Brahmaputra in river basin area, this river is India’s fourth-largest. One of India’s most fruitful areas is the Krishna River delta.
Many dams have been constructed across this river to harness the river’s water for agricultural and electrical production. Srisailam Dam and Nagarjuna Sagar Dam are two of the most well-known.
Major cities along the Krishna River include Sangli, in Maharashtra and Vijayawada, in Andhra Pradesh.
The Krishna basin is home to some of India’s finest wildlife reserves and lush greenery.
The Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary protects the estuary’s remaining mangrove forests.
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, and Chandoli National Park are only a few of the other prominent wildlife-protected places in the Krishna basin.
7. YAMUNA RIVER
The Yamuna river, the longest tributary of the Ganges in India, originates in the Lower Himalayas of Uttarakhand at an elevation of 6,387 metres near the Yamunotri glacier.
Along its 1,376 km length, it passes through the states of Uttarakhand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
It keeps going till it reaches Allahabad and combines with the Ganges at Sangam (Uttar Pradesh). Every 12 years, Hindus from all over the world gather at the confluence of two rivers for the world-famous Kumbh Mela festival.
In Hinduism, the river Yamuna is revered as the goddess Yamuna herself. The Tons River, which originates in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal area, is its most significant tributary.
White-water rafting and other water-based adventure activities have made Uttarakhand a popular travel destination, and not only because of the Ganges.
8. MAHANADI RIVER
It begins its journey as one of India’s main rivers at an altitude of 442 metres (1,450 ft) in the highlands of southeastern Chhattisgarh.
Mahanadi comes from the Sanskrit words for “great” and “river,” maha and Nadi, respectively.
The river begins its journey in the northern part of Chhattisgarh’s Raipur district before meeting the Senate River and making a sharp bend to the east before entering Odisha.
On the Mahanadi River, not far from Sambalpur, in the Indian state of Odisha, is the Hirakud Dam, which holds the Guinness World Record as the biggest earthen dam ever built.
One of the longest manufactured lakes in Asia, the 55-kilometre-long Hirakud reservoir is created by the dam. It flows through the districts of Cuttack and Puri before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
