9 Major Rivers Of India And Their Amazing Facts

India is a land of rivers. There are nine important rivers of India namely Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi, Narmada and Tapti. These 9 rivers along with their tributaries make the lifeline of India. In this article, we have detailed the essential details of these 9 rivers and also marked out some interesting facts about them. Checkout these rivers right here.

* Ganga

The Ganges or Ganga as it is popularly known is the largest river in India and flows through India and Bangladesh. It is one of the most sacred rivers to the Hindus and is a lifeline to the millions of people living across its course and depends upon it for their livelihood. Though the Ganga river in India worshipped in Hinduism as Goddess Ganga one cannot ignore the fact that it is a highly polluted river which has endangered the 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species, and even the humans.

* Godavari

This is the second longest river of India after Ganga. It forms one of the largest river basins, the other larger ones being the ones formed by Ganges and Indus. This river has been referred to in the Hindu scriptures, for millennials and it continues to nourish the rich culture of India.

* Krishna

The Krishna river is the 4th biggest river in India after Ganga, Godavari, and Brahmaputra. This 1400km long river is also known as Krishnaveni. This river is one of the major source of water for irrigation in Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

* Kaveri

Kaveri is the Indian river that flows through the States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Kaveri river is primarily used to provide water for irrigation, water for household consumption and generation of electricity.

* Yamuna

The Yamuna river derived its name from the Sanskrit word Yama which means twins as it runs parallel to the Ganges. The Yamuna river that originates from the Yamunotri glacier at the height of 6387 meters is the second largest tributary of the Ganges and the longest tributary of India. The Yamuna river merges the Ganges at the Triveni Sangam in Allahabad which is also the site for KumbhMela which comes once in every 12 years. This river caters almost 70% of Delhi’s water supply.

* Brahmaputra

The Brahmaputra river is a trans boundary river that flows through China, India, and Bangladesh and is one of the biggest rivers of Asia. While most of the rivers have a female name, this river has the rare male name and is derived from a Sanskrit word which means ‘Son of Brahma.’

* Mahanadi

This is a major river in East Central India which flows through the States of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Rising from the highlands of Chhattisgarh this river flows through Odisha to reach the Bay of Bengal.

* Narmada

Also known as Rewa, Narmada is the 3rd largest river of central India after Godavari and Krishna. It is in fact, the lifeline of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as the major requirement of their water is met by the Narmada.The Narmada is a Sanskrit word that means ‘The River of Pleasure.’

* Tapti

The river Tapti or Tapi is the river of the central India that runs between the Narmada and the Godavari river. It is also a river that flows west wards and empties into the Arabian sea passing through the Gulf of Khambhat. The river is named after the name of Goddess Tapti, the daughter of Sun God and Chhaya.