Rivers of India

Rivers play a very important role in our life. Besides providing water for drinking and for industrial use, they provide water for irrigation also. When dams are built across these rivers, electricity is generated from them. Dams also prevent flooding of villages and check erosion of soil.

Some well-known rivers.

THE GANGA:

The Ganga, a sacred river for the Hindus rises from the Gangotri in the Himalayas. It flows through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal to join the Bay of Bengal. Many small rivers come to join the Ganga to make it a mighty river in the plains of North India. It flows through many important cities of Uttar Pradesh, Haridwar, Allahabad, and Varanasi are well known as holy places where many festivals are celebrated on the banks of the Ganga. The Mahatma Gandhi Sethu (bridge) is built across the river in Patna.

THE BRAHMAPUTRA:

The frothy blue waters of the Brahmaputra descending through the beautiful snow-clad mountains of the Himalayas present a remarkable sight. It rises from a glacier at the foot of Mount Kailash. It flows beside the Himalayas and takes a sharp turn Southward to enter the Assam Valley. It joins the river Padma in Bangladesh to eventually fall into the Bay of Bengal.

THE NARMADA:

The Narmada is born in the Eastern part of Central Highlands and it flows through Madhya Pradesh and along the borders of Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is generally taken as a dividing line between North India and South India. After a journey of 1312 km, this river, at last, joins the Gulf of Cambay in Gujarat.

THE MAHANADI:

The Mahanadi rises in the wild mountainous regions of Bastar in Madhya Pradesh. Its course runs through the wild rocky territory, inhabited by wild animals. During the rainy season, Mahanadi becomes a torrential river. The Hirakud Dam has been built across this river. The Mahanadi joins the Bay of Bengal at a point called False Point.

THE GODAVARI:

The Godavari rises in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. It is popularly referred to as Dakshina Ganga and is considered one of the sacred rivers of India because it is associated with the story of Ramayana. It is believed that Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana passed through the villages lying on the banks of this river. The banks of the Godavari are rich with teak and bamboo forests.

THE KAVERI:

The river Kaveri flows through the state of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Its source is a spring in the Brahmagiri mountains which are a part of the Western Ghats. Many important towns and cities lie on the banks of river Kaveri. It joins the Bay of Bengal at a place called Kaveripatnam in Tamil Nadu.

THE KRISHNA:

The Krishna rises from a spring near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. The rock from which the spring emerges has been carved in the form of a cow’s head and therefore, it appears as though the river is coming out of the mouth of the cow figure. A famous Buddhist center Nagarjunakonda has situated on the banks of river Krishna. Nagarjunasagar Dam was built on the Krishna river.