RIVERS IN INDIA

Rivers hold a sacred place in the hearts of Indian, specially people of Hindu faith. They pray to the rivers because they consider rivers as God. They are the giver of life.

Rivers facilitate agricultural practices and promote trade. It is the reason why several cities are situated on the bank of rivers. Not only in India, but also worldwide rivers have been a lifeline of civilizations since ages.

According to the geography, rivers of India can be classified as

Himalayan rivers :-

Brahmaputra river, Ganga and Yamuna.

Peninsular rivers:-

Mahanadi, Cauvery, Godavari and Krishna.

Himalayan river systems :-

The Himalayan river systems include three major rivers viz., Brahmaputra, Ganga and Yamuna. They originate from the mountains at great height.

They cause extensive erosional activity as they descend. On plains, they have the potential to create natural disasters like flood.

These rivers seldom dries as they receive their water from rainfall as well as from melting of ice. This is the reason why several dams are constructed in their upstream area to harness hydroelectricity.

Peninsular river systems :-

The Peninsular river systems include Mahanadi, Cauvery, Godavari and Krishna. These rivers does not cause high intensity of erosional activity as they descend down from shallow valleys. They are totally dependent on rainfall.

Brahmaputra river:-

Brahmaputra originates from the Mansarovar lake, which is also the source of Indus and Satluj rivers. In Tibet, it is named as Tsangpo. There it receives less water, hence less damage is done.

Upon reaching Namcha Barwa, it takes a U-turn and enters India through Arunachal Pradesh. In Assam, the volume of water increases manifold due to heavy rainfall. In Assam, it forms braided channel, with quite a few islands. The world’s largest river island, Majuli is located on Brahmaputra.

It attracts several tourists every year for it’s unique geographical location and wildlife found there.

Ganga river:-

Undoubtedly, Ganga is the most famous and holy river in India. People from all over the country offers prayer and homage to this river once in their lifetime. The religious importance of the river will surely exceed that of any other river in the world.

It originates from Gangotri glacier, on the Himalayan range. Draining into the Bay of Bengal, it has been the cradle of many civilizations in the past. Even now, it’s basin supports several livelihoods.

Ganga has supported many cities like Varanasi, Meerut, Agra, Mathura, Kolkata, Dhaka(in Bangladesh) and many more.

Yamuna river :-

Yamuna arises from the slopes of Himalayan range near Yamnotri, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It flows along the border of two states , Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

It passes through Delhi, to submerge with Ganga. The point of intermixing provides for a sacred place. A holy festival, Kumbh mela is organized on the banks of these rivers every 12 years.

Mahanadi river :-

This river originates from the Satpura range in the Indian state of Chattisgarh. However, the exact location of it’s origin is not known since it is a seasonal river.

Kaveri river :-

Kaveri originates from the Brahmagiri hill in the Indian state of Karnataka. Just as the Ganga in the north, ot is the holiest river in the southern part of the country. Sometimes, it is also known as the Ganga of the south.

This river has been the lifeline of many kingdoms and it’s water supports several agricultural areas for centuries. It flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before pouring into the Bay of Bengal through 2 different mouths.

Godavari river :-

After the Ganga, Godavari has the longest course in India. It has several tributaries like Sabari, Indravati, Pravara, etc. Its source is in Nashik, Maharashtra; flows south-east draining the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh , Chattisgarh and Odisha.

Basara is an important religious place where Goddess Saraswati is worshiped. Basara is located near the banks of Godavari. Besides that, one of the prominent place on it’s bank is Rajahmundry. It is the birthplace of famous Telugu authors and is representative of it’s culture and traditions.

Krishna river :-

Krishna is one of the most important rivers in the central-southern India. It originates in the Western Ghats, in the Indian state of Maharashtra and flows towards east through Andhra Pradesh. It empties into the Bay of Bengal.

Vijayawada, one of the trade and commerce hotspot in Andhra Pradesh is located on it’s bank. The area near the river holds historic significance. The ruler of Satavahana Kingdom settled near it’s banks.

Above were the prominent rivers of the country. All these rivers provides and support trade and commerce on a very large scale. It was classified on the basis of origin of the rivers. If you want more, please drop suggestions in the comment section.

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