Rivers are the veins of the Earth, the powerhouses of life, providing the means and the margins for life to develop and flourish. Water is life and the rivers bring it to us. Where do rivers get their water from?
Rivers in India: Origin, Length, Endpoint
| S.No. | Rivers | Origin | Length (km) | End-point |
| 1. | Ganga | Gangotri Glacier (Bhagirathi), Uttarakhand | 2,525 | Bay of Bengal |
| 2. | Yamuna | Yamunotri Glacier, Uttarakhand | 1,376 | Merges with Ganga at Allahabad (Triveni Sangam – Kumbh Mela spot |
| 3. | Brahmaputra | Himalayan Glacier in Tibet, but enters India in Arunachal Pradesh | 1,800 | Merges with Ganga and ends in the Bay of Bengal |
| 4. | Chambal | Tributary of Yamuna river, starting at Madhya Pradesh | 960 | Joins Yamuna river in UP |
| 5. | Son | Tributary of Ganga, starting at Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh | 784 | Joins Ganga just above Patna – also considered part of Vindhya river system |
| 6. | Gandak | Nepal; Ganges tributary at Indo-Nepal border (Triveni Sangam) | 630 | Joins Ganga near Patna |
| 7. | Kosi | Starts from Bihar near Indo-Nepal border | 720 | Joins Ganga near Katihar district of Bihar |
| 8. | Betwa | Tributary of Yamuna, rises at Vindhya region, MP | 590 | Joins Yamuna at Hamirpur in UP |
| 9. | Gomti | Tributary of Ganga, starting at Gomat Taal, UP | 900 | Joins Ganga in Varanasi district |
| 10. | Ghaghara | Himalayan Glacier in Tibet, a tributary of Ganga | 1080 | Joins Ganga in Bihar |
| 11. | Hugli (Hooghly) | Tributary of Ganga near West Bengal | 260 | Merges with Ganga at the Bay of Bengal |
| 12. | Damodar | Tributary of Hugli near Chandwara, Jharkhand | 592 | Merges with Hugli in West Bengal |
| 13. | Mahananda | Paglajhora falls, Darjeeling, West Bengal | 360 | Merge in Ganga |
| 14. | Alaknanda | Satopanth & Bhagirathi-Kharak glacier | 190 | Merge in Ganga, Devprayag, Uttarakhand |
| 15. | Bhagirathi | Gaumukh, Uttarakhand | 205 | Merge in Ganga, Devprayag, Uttarakhand |
| 16. | Indus | Originates in Tibetan plateau, Enters India in J&K | 3180 | Merges into Arabian sea near Sindh |
| 17. | Chenab | Upper Himalayas in the Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh | 960 | Merges with Indus |
| 18. | Jhelum | Tributary of Chenab river, Punjab | 725 | Merges with Chenab at Jhang (Pakistan) |
| 19. | Ravi | Starts from Bara Bhangal, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh | 720 | Joins Chenab in Pakistan |
| 20. | Sutlej | Tributary of Indus river originates at Rakshastal, Tibet | 1500 | Meets Beas river in Pakistan and ends at Arabian sea |
| 21. | Beas | Rises at the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh | 470 | Joins Sutlej river in Punjab, India |
| 22. | Parbati | Mantalai Glacier near Pin Prabati Pass | – | Mixes with Beas River at Bhuntar, near Kullu of Himachal Pradesh |
| 23. | Suru | Panzella Glacier, Pensi La Pass, Kargil | 185 | Indus, Nurla, Skardu, Pakistan |
| 24. | Dras | Machoi Glacier, Zoji La, ear Sonamarg, Jammu & Kashmir | 86 | Suru River at Kharul, Kargil |
| 25. | Zanskar | Doda River (First Branch), Kargyag and Tsarap River (Second Branch) | – | Indus River near Nimmu in Ladakh |
| 26. | Tsarap | Pankpo La, Sarchu | 182 | Zanskar River, Padum, Kargil |
| 27. | Doda | Drang-Drung Glacier, Pensi La | 79 | Zanskar River, Padum, Kargil |
| 28. | Kaveri | Talakaveri in Western Ghats in Karnataka | 765 | Ends in Bay of Bengal |
| 29. | Krishna | Originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra | 1400 | Ends in the Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh |
| 30. | Godavari | Starts in Maharashtra and passes through 7 Indian states | 1465 | Empties in Bay of Bengal |
| 31. | Tungabhadra | Tributary of Krishna river staring at Karnataka | 531 | Joins Krishna river along the border of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh |
| 32. | Tapti | Rises in Eastern Satpura Ranges, Madhya Pradesh | 724 | Empties into Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat |
| 33. | Mahi | Rises in Madhya Pradesh | 580 | Flows into Arabian sea from Gujarat |
| 34. | Narmada | Starts from Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh | 1315 | Drains into Arabian sea via Gulf of Cambay |
| 35. | Indravati | Dandakaranya range, Kalahandi district, Odisha | 535 | Godavari near border of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana |
| 36. | Pranhita | Confluence of Wardha and Wainganga, near Sirpur Kaghaznagar | 113 | Godavari, near Kaleshwaram, Telangana |
| 37. | Wardha | Satpura range, Multai, Betul district of Madhya Pradesh | 528 | Pranhita River |
| 38. | Kolab (Sabari) | Sinkaran hills, Koraput, Odisha | 200 | Godavari |
| 39. | Manjira | Balaghat hills | 724 | Godavari, near Kandakurthi, Karnataka |
| 40. | Wainganga | Satpura range, Mundara, Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh | 579 | Pranhita River |
| 41. | Painganga | Ajanta range, Aurangabad, Maharashtra | 676 | Wardha river, Chandrapur district, Maharashtra |
| 42. | Vedavathi | Confluence of Veda and Avathi | – | Tungabhadra river, near Siruguppa |
| 43. | Bhima | Bhimashankar | 861 | Krishna river, near Raichur |
| 44. | Indrayani | Lonavala, Maharashtra | Bhima river | |
| 45. | Pavana | Sahyadri range, Lonavala Maharashtra | 58 | Mula river |
| 46. | Ghataprabha | Western ghats, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra | 283 | Krishna river, Almatti |
| 47. | Venna | Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra | 130 | Krishna river, Satara, Maharashtra |
| 48. | Koyna | Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra | 130 | Krishna river, near Karad, Satara |
| 49. | Amravati | Anamalai Hills, Pambar, Chinnar rivers | 282 | Kaveri river at Karur, Tamil Nadu |
| 50. | Bhavani | Silent Valley National Park, Kerala | 135 | Kaveri river at Kongu Nadu region of Tamil Nadu |
| 51. | Hemavati | Western Ghats, Chikmagalur, Karnataka | 245 | Kaveri river near Krishna Raja Sagara, Karnataka |
| 52. | Mahanadi | Dhamtari, Dandakaranya, Chhattisgarh | 858 | Bay of Bengal, near False Point, Kendrapara, Odisha |
| 53. | Subarnarekha | Chota Nagpur plateau, near Ranchi, Jharkhand | 395 | Kirtania Port, near Talsari, Bay of Bengal |
| 54. | Kangsabati | Chota Nagpur plateau, Purulia district, West Bengal | 465 | Bay of Bengal near Haldia |
| 55. | Penner (Penna) | Nandi Hills, Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka | 597 | Bay of Bengal, near Nellore, Andhra Pradesh |
| 56. | Palar | Nandi hills, Kolar District Karnataka | 348 | Bay of Bengal, near Vayalur, Tamil Nadu |
| 57. | Vaigai | Varusanadu Hills, Tamil Nadu | 258 | Palk Strait, Tamil Nadu |
| 58. | Vellar | Shevaroy Hills | 150 | Bay of Bengal, near Parangipettai, Tamil Nadu |
| 59. | Ponnaiyar | Nandidurg, Chikkaballapur | 400 | Bay of Bengal |
| 60. | Noyyal | Velliangiri Hills, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu | 180 | Kaveri river |
| 61. | Gomai | Satpura Range | – | Tapti river, near Prakasha, Nandurbar, Maharashtra |
| 62. | Panzara | Near Pimpalaner, Dhule, Maharashtra | – | Tapti river |
| 63. | Purna | Satpura Range, Betul, Madhya Pradesh | – | Tapti river, near Changdev, Maharashtra |
| 64. | Kolar | Vindhya Range, near Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh | 101 | Narmada, near Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh |
| 65. | Tawa | Satpura Range, Betul, Madhya Pradesh | 172 | Narmada near Hoshangabad district |
| 66. | Sabarmati | Dhebar lake, Aravalli range, near Udaipur, Rajasthan | 371 | Gulf of Khambhat |
| 67. | Zuari | Hemad-Barshem in western ghats | 34 | Arabian sea |
| 68. | Ulhas | Near Rajmachi hills, Sahyadri range | 122 | Vasai Creek, Mumbai |
| 69. | Mithi | Vihar lake and Powai lake | 15 | Arabian sea, Mahim creek, Mumbai |
| 70. | Mandovi | Bhimgad, Karnataka | 77 | Arabian sea |
| 71. | Kali | Kushavali, Karnataka | 184 | Arabian sea |
| 72. | Netravati | Kudremukh, Chikmagalur, Karnataka | – | Arabian sea, near Mangalore, Karnataka |
| 73. | Sharavati | Western Ghats, Tirthahalli, Karnataka | 128 | Arabian sea, near Honnavar, Uttar Kannada district, Karnataka |
| 74. | Periyar | Sivagiri hills, Sundaramala, Tamil Nadu | 244 | Lakshadweep sea, Kerala |
| 75. | Bharathappuzha | Anamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu | 209 | Lakshadweep sea, Ponnani, Kerala |
| 76. | Pamba | Pulachimalai Hills, Western Ghats | 176 | Vembanad Lake |
| 77. | Chaliyar | Elambaleri Hills, Western Ghats, Wayanad, Kerala | 169 | Lakshadweep sea, Kerala |
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Manjor River System In India
The majority of the rivers drain into the Bay of Bengal. Some rivers flow across the western section of the country and eventually join the Arabian Sea. Inland drainage occurs in the northern Aravalli range, sections of Ladakh, and arid regions of the Thar Desert. All significant rivers in India flow from one of three major watersheds:
- The Himalaya and the Karakoram range
- The Chota Nagpur plateau and Vindhya and Satpura range
- The Western Ghats
The following are India’s major river systems:
| Indian River Systems | ||
| River System | Total length | Length in India |
| Indus River System | 3180 km | 1114 km |
| Brahmaputra River System | 2900 km | 916 km |
| Ganga River System | 2510 km | 2510 km |
| Yamuna river System | 1376 km | 1376 km |
| Narmada River System | 1312 km | 1312 km |
| Tapi River System | 724 km | 724 km |
| Godavari River System | 1465 km | 1465 km |
| Krishna River System | 1400 km | 1400 km |
| Cauvery River System | 805 km | 805 km |
| Mahanadi River System | 851 km | 851 km |
It’s always a glacier or a ghat that provides for these annual and perennial rivers. Hope that was enough for you. Keep learning and have a nice day! 🙂
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