Rivers and Tributaries of India with Map

In this article, you will find the Rivers and Tributaries of India with Map. The Indian peninsular is home to a large number of rivers which flow through the continent and drain to the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. The important rivers of India include Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Sutlej and Narmada but there much more rivers which are main tributaries to above mentioned major rivers of India. It is important to know them as it constitutes general knowledge. For help on competitive exams, download the Entri App. It has tons of mock tests and Quizzes for you to attempt. Click here to see the new map of India. Read on top find out the Rivers and Tributaries of India with Map

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Major Rivers and Tributaries in India 2020

Major Rivers of India Explained

Now, I am going to highlight a few important rivers and explain them briefly. Pay close attention as it may help you to clear general knowledge sections in exams. Feel Free to refer to this whenever you want. This will highlight some of the Major Rivers and Tributaries of India and the Map has been provided above.

Ganga River

The Ganges or Ganga, is a trans-boundary river of South Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh. The 2,704 km river originates from the Gangotri which is a glacier of western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of India and Bangladesh, eventually emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Ganga River is a lifeline to millions who live along its course. It is a sacred river and worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has been important historically; many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Allahabad, Dhaka, Kashi, Kolkata, etc.) have been located on its banks.

Its two chief tributaries are the river Ghaghara, the largest in terms of water volume and the Yamuna, the longest by length. Some of the prominent cities located on the banks of the Ganges are Varanasi, Allahabad, Haridwar, Kanpur and Patna.

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Brahmaputra River

The Brahmaputra River is a trans-boundary river which flows through China, India and Bangladesh. It is the ninth largest river in the world by discharge, and the 15th longest. Brahmaputra is an important river for irrigation and transportation in the region. However, the river is prone to catastrophic flooding in the Spring when the Himalayan snow melts. It is renowned as the largest river in India (considering water flow), the Brahmaputra river travels 2,900 km from source to the union point.

Brahmaputra River originates from Angsi glacier near Mount Kailash in Burang County of Tibet, where the river is called as Yarlung Tsangpo. It flows further through southern Tibet and enters Arunachal Pradesh. Continuing its journey through the Assam Valley as Brahmaputra river and southward through Bangladesh it merges with the river Padma. Thereafter it is called as river Meghna eventually emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Guwahati and Dibrugarh are the two major cities situated on the banks of the river Brahmaputra.

Yamuna River

The Yamuna, also known as the Jumna or Jamna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganga and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of 6,387 metres on the southwestern slopes of Banderpooch peaks of the Lower Himalaya in Uttarakhand. It travels a total length of 1,376 kilometres. It merges with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj, which is a site of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival held every 12 years.

The river Yamuna is worshipped as goddess Yamuna by Hindus and is highly venerated in Hinduism. The Tons river is its largest tributary flowing through Garhwal region in Uttarakhand.

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Indus River

The Indus River is one of the longest rivers in Asia. It flows through China, India and Pakistan. Originating in the Tibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake Manasarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region, towards Gilgit-Baltistan and then flows in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh.

It is the birthplace to the ancient Indus valley civilisation, the Indus river holds immense historical significance. The country of India got its name from this great river. It is considered as one of the seven sacred rivers in India.

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Godavari River

The Godavari is India’s second longest river after the Ganga. Its source is in Triambakeshwar, Maharashtra. It flows east for 1,465 kilometres ultimately emptying into the Bay of Bengal through its extensive network of tributaries. It forms one of the largest river basins in the Indian subcontinent, with only the Ganga and Indus rivers having a larger drainage basin. Godavari River has been dubbed as the Vridha Ganga.

It flows through several states of India including Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Some of its major left bank tributaries are Purna, Pranhita, Indravati and Sabari river while the right bank tributaries include Pravara, Manjira and Manair river.

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Narmada River

The Narmada River, also called the Rewa and previously also known as Nerbudda, is a river in Central India. It is also known as “Life Line of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat” for its huge contribution to the state of Madhya pradesh and Gujarat in many ways. Narmada rises from Amarkantak Plateau near Anuppur district Madhya Pradesh. It forms the traditional boundary between North India and South India and flows westwards over a length of 1,312 km before draining into the Arabian Sea.

Some of the important cities and towns situated on its bank are Jabalpur, Harda, Mandla, Bharuch and Omkareshwar. The valley of river Narmada supports a wide variety of wildlife within its protected areas including Bandhavgarh National Park and Kanha National Park.

Krishna River

The Krishna River is the fourth-biggest river in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Godavari and Brahmaputra. The river is almost 1,288 kilometres long. The river is also called Krishnaveni. It is one of the major sources of irrigation for Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Sangli in Maharashtra and Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh are the two largest cities on the banks of the Krishna river.

The Krishna basin supports rich vegetation and hosts some of the best wildlife sanctuaries in India. The last surviving Mangrove forests in the Krishna estuary have been declared as the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary.Few other major wildlife protected areas in the Krishna basin include Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Chandoli National Park.

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Rivers of India Map

Conclusion

In this article, the list of major rivers and their tributaries of India with Map have been listed. Additionally, some major rivers have been singled out and have been explained in brief. I hope that this is of use to you. Play close attention to this and feel free to refer to this anytime. This will undoubtedly help you in preparation of general knowledge section of almost all competitive exams. Download the Entri App to help you ace competitive exams and get the dream job you have always wanted. With commitment and dedication, your success will be guaranteed. Good Luck.