Saturday, 12 December 2015 - 5:27pm Archana Venkatraman

Rivers in India do not just play a big role in the agriculture and economy of the country. They are also culturally important with many considering some rivers such as the Ganges very holy. All the major rivers of India begin their journeys at one of the three main watersheds – The Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges (Northern India); the Sahyadri or the Western Ghats (Western India); or the Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges (Central India). Most of the major rivers of India end up joining the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea.

River Ganga near its origin

Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons (Atarax42 - Own work)

The Himalaya and Karakoram Glacier Rivers include:

Ganga (Ganges)
Brahmaputra
Indus (Sindhu)

Ganga is the most sacred river of India and is known around the world for its significance of purity in the Hindu culture. The Ganga and Indus Basin are themselves major river systems featuring 16 important Indian rivers (10 rivers in Ganga basin and 6 major rivers in the Indus basin).

The Ganga River System includes the following rivers (10 major rivers plus Damodar river and Hugli river):

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Ganga	2,525	Gangotri Glacier (Bhagirathi), Uttarakhand	Bay of Bengal
Yamuna	1,376	Yamunotri Glacier, Uttarakhand	Merges with Ganga at Allahabad (Triveni Sangam - Kumbh Mela spot
Brahmaputra	1,800	Himalayan Glacier in Tibet, but enters India in Arunachal Pradesh	Merges with Ganga and ends in Bay of Bengal
Chambal	960	Tributary of Yamuna river, starting at Madhya Pradesh	Joins Yamuna river in UP
Son	784	Tributary of Ganga, starting at Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh	Joins Ganga just above Patna - also considered part of Vindhya river system
Gandak	630	Nepal; Ganges tributary at Indo-Nepal border (Triveni Sangam)	Joins Ganga near Patna
Kosi	720	Starts from Bihar near Indo-Nepal border	Joins Ganga near Katihar district of Bihar
Betwa	590	Tributary of Yamuna, rises at Vindhya region, MP	Joins Yamuna at Hamirpur in UP
Gomti	900	Tributary of Ganga, starting at Gomat Taal, UP	Joins Ganga in Varanasi district
Ghaghra	1080	Himalayan Glacier in tibet, tributary of Ganga	Joins Ganga in Bihar
Hugli (Hooghly)	260	Tributary of Ganga near West Bengal	Merges with Ganga at Bay of Bengal
Damodar	592	Tributary of Hugli near Chandwar, Jharkhand	Merges with Hugli in West Bengal

Although Hugli and Damodar rivers play a very important role in shaping the local civilisation and local economy, they are not considered as the most important rivers of the Ganga river river system.

The Indus River System includes the following 6 major rivers:

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Indus	3180	Originates in Tibetan plateau, Enters India in J&K	Merges into Arabina sea near Sindh
Chenab	960	Upper Himalayas in the Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh	Merges with Indus
Jhelum	725	Tributary of Chenub river, Punjab	Merges with Chenab at Jhang (Pakistan)
Ravi	720	Starts from Bara Bhangal, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh	Joins Chenab in Pakistan
Sutlej	1500	Tributary of Indus river, originates at Rakshastal, Tibet	Meets Beas river in Pakistan and ends at Arabian sea
Beas	470	Rises at Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh	Joins Sutlej river in Punjab, India

Western Ghats Rivers:

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Kaveri	765	Talakaveri in Western Ghats in Karnataka	Ends in Bay of Bengal
Krishna	1400	Originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra	Ends in Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh
Godavari	1465	Starts in Maharashtra and passes through 7 Indian states	Empties in Bay of Bengal
Tungabhadra	531	Tributary of Krishna river staring at Karnataka	Joins Krishna river along the border of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Vindhya and Satpura Ranges rivers:

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Tapti	724	Rises in Eastern Satpura Ranges, Madhya Pradesh	Empties into Gulf of Khambat, Gujarat
Mahi	580	Rises in Madhya Pradesh	Flows into Arabian sea from Gujarat
Narmada	1315	Starts from Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh	Drains into Arabian sea via Gulf of Cambay

Other Important notes on Indian rivers to remember:

River Saraswati is a mythical river and is part of the Hindu triveni Sangam mythology of the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. Saraswati river is thought to be flowing under the ground and meeting Ganga and Yamuna at the Kumbh mela spot.
Meghna a major river in Bangladesh is a tributary if Indian Brahmaptura river and also empties in Bay of Bengal.
River Tapi is a river in Thailand and is not to be confused with Indian river Tapti (Tapati).