Rivers of India

Every place on this map

1. GangaUttar PradeshRises as the Bhagirathi from the Gangotri glacier in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, and takes the name Ganga at Devprayag where the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda. It flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh; chief tributaries are the Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi and Son.
2. YamunaUttar PradeshOriginates at the Yamunotri glacier in Uttarakhand and joins the Ganga at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj; it is the longest tributary of the Ganga. Chief tributaries are the Tons, Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken, and the Hathnikund barrage feeds the Eastern and Western Yamuna canals.
3. BrahmaputraAssamRises as the Yarlung Tsangpo near Mansarovar in Tibet, loops around Namcha Barwa in the Great Bend (syntaxial bending), and enters India as the Siang or Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh before becoming the Brahmaputra in Assam. An antecedent river, it carries Majuli (the world's largest river island) and the National Waterway 2 stretch from Sadiya to Dhubri; in Bangladesh it is called the Jamuna.
4. IndusLadakhRises near Bokhar Chu in Tibet close to Mansarovar and flows through Ladakh (past Leh) before entering Pakistan; in India it receives the Zanskar, Shyok and Nubra. Under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) were allocated to Pakistan and the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India.
5. JhelumJammu and KashmirRises at the Verinag spring in Jammu and Kashmir, flows through Srinagar and the Wular lake, then enters Pakistan to join the Chenab. Ancient name Vitasta; it is a western river allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty, and the Tulbul navigation project on Wular lake has been a long-running dispute.
6. ChenabJammu and KashmirFormed by the union of the Chandra and Bhaga at Tandi in Lahaul-Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, it flows through Jammu (past Akhnoor) into Pakistan where it joins the Indus. Ancient name Asikni; the Baglihar and Ratle hydroelectric projects on it have been contested under the Indus Waters Treaty.
7. RaviHimachal PradeshRises in Bara Bhangal in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, flows through Chamba and along the Punjab border at Madhopur before entering Pakistan; it is the smallest of the five Punjab rivers. Ancient name Parushni, on whose banks the Battle of the Ten Kings was fought; the Ranjit Sagar (Thein) dam stands on it.
8. BeasPunjabRises at Beas Kund near the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh and joins the Sutlej at Harike in Punjab, forming the Harike wetland (a Ramsar site). Ancient name Vipasha; it is an eastern river allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty, with the Pong (Maharana Pratap Sagar) dam on its course.
9. SutlejPunjabRises from the Langqen Zangbo near Rakshastal in Tibet, cuts through the Himalayas as an antecedent river, and enters India at Shipki La before flowing past Bhakra, Nangal and Rupnagar into Pakistan. It does not originate in India (a UPSC 2009 question). Ancient name Shatadru; the Bhakra dam (one of the world's tallest gravity dams) and the Nathpa Jhakri project stand on it.
10. GhagharaBiharRises as the Karnali near Mansarovar in Tibet, cuts through Nepal, is joined by the Sharda at Brahmaghat, and meets the Ganga at Revelganj near Chhapra in Bihar. It is the largest tributary of the Ganga by volume and the second-longest after the Yamuna.
11. GandakBiharRises in the Nepal Himalayas near Dhaulagiri (the Kali Gandaki or Narayani of Nepal), enters India at Valmikinagar in Bihar, and joins the Ganga at Sonpur near Hajipur. Ancient name Sadanira; the Gandak barrage at Valmikinagar is a joint India-Nepal project.
12. KosiBiharFormed in Nepal by the Saptakoshi (seven streams), it joins the Ganga at Kursela in Katihar district, Bihar. Called the "Sorrow of Bihar" for its course-shifting floods; the Kosi barrage at Bhimnagar is an India-Nepal project. Do not confuse it with the small Kosi river of Kumaon in Uttarakhand.
13. SonBiharRises at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, close to the Narmada's source, and joins the Ganga at Maner near Patna; it is the second-largest southern tributary of the Ganga. The Indrapuri barrage stands on it, and the Rihand dam (Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar) is on its tributary, the Rihand.
14. ChambalUttar PradeshRises at Janapav near Mhow in the Vindhyas of Madhya Pradesh, forms the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh-UP borders, and joins the Yamuna near Bhareh in Etawah, UP. Famous for the badland ravines of its valley and the National Chambal Sanctuary (gharials); its dams are Gandhi Sagar, Rana Pratap Sagar and Jawahar Sagar, and its tributaries include the Banas, Kali Sindh and Parbati.
15. BetwaUttar PradeshRises in the Vindhyas near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and joins the Yamuna at Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh. The Ken-Betwa link is India's first inter-state river interlinking project; the Matatila and Rajghat dams stand on it.
16. DamodarWest BengalRises on the Chota Nagpur plateau in Palamu, Jharkhand, and joins the Hooghly at Howrah in West Bengal. Called the "Sorrow of Bengal"; it flows in a rift valley formed by down-warping (a UPSC 1998 question). The Damodar Valley Corporation was India's first multipurpose river valley project (modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority), with the Tilaiya, Konar, Maithon and Panchet dams.
17. MahanadiOdishaRises at Sihawa in Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh, flows through Odisha, and empties into the Bay of Bengal at False Point near Paradip. The Hirakud dam (one of the longest dams in the world) stands on it, and its delta merges with those of the Brahmani and Baitarani.
18. GodavariAndhra PradeshRises at Trimbakeshwar near Nashik in Maharashtra and flows through Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before reaching the Bay of Bengal at Antarvedi; it is the largest peninsular river, called the Dakshin Ganga. Key tributaries are the Pravara, Purna, Manjira, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Indravati and Sabari, and the Polavaram and Jayakwadi projects stand on it.
19. KrishnaAndhra PradeshRises at Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to the Bay of Bengal at Hamsaladeevi; it is the second-largest east-flowing peninsular river. Its waters are shared under the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (Bachawat); major dams are Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam and Almatti, and its tributaries include the Koyna, Bhima, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha and Musi.
20. KaveriTamil NaduRises at Talakaveri in Kodagu, Karnataka (a UPSC 2006 question used "rises in Andhra Pradesh" as a wrong option), flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and empties into the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar; it is regarded as sacred and called the Dakshin Ganga of the south. The Kaveri water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is managed by the tribunal award and the Cauvery Water Management Authority; its dams are Krishnarajasagara and Mettur, and the Shivanasamudra falls lie on its course.
21. NarmadaGujaratRises at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh (a UPSC 2007 question) and flows west through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat into the Gulf of Khambhat near Bharuch; it is the largest west-flowing peninsular river. It flows in a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges; the Sardar Sarovar dam (centre of the Narmada Bachao Andolan) stands on it, and the Tawa is a major tributary.
22. TapiGujaratRises at Multai in Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, in the Satpuras (a UPSC 2006 question), and flows west through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat to the Gulf of Khambhat at Dumas near Surat. Like the Narmada it occupies a rift valley, flowing south of the Satpura range; the Ukai dam stands on it. Marker point is Dumas beach at its mouth.
23. SabarmatiGujaratRises in the Aravallis near Udaipur in Rajasthan and flows through Rajasthan and Gujarat into the Gulf of Khambhat; it is a west-flowing river. The Sabarmati riverfront at Ahmedabad (Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram) and the Dharoi dam are on it, and the Vatrak and Hathmati are its chief tributaries.
24. MahiGujaratRises in the Vindhyas near Dhar in Madhya Pradesh and flows through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat into the Gulf of Khambhat; it crosses the Tropic of Cancer twice. The Mahi Bajaj Sagar and Kadana dams stand on it.
25. LuniGujaratRises near Ajmer in the Aravallis of Rajasthan and flows southwest into the Rann of Kutch near Nadabet in Gujarat, where it is lost in the desert; it never reaches the sea. It is an ephemeral, inland-drainage river - the only major river of the Thar desert - turning salty below Balotra, with the Jawai and Sukri as tributaries.
26. SubarnarekhaOdishaRises near Ranchi (Piska Nagri) in Jharkhand and flows through Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha to the Bay of Bengal at Kirtania, past Jamshedpur and the Hundru falls. Its name means "streak of gold" because gold particles are found in its sands; the Chandil and Getalsud dams are on it.
27. BrahmaniOdishaFormed by the confluence of the Sankh and South Koel at Vedavyas near Rourkela, it flows through Odisha and joins the Baitarani before emptying into the Bay of Bengal at Dhamra, their shared delta reaching Bhitarkanika; it is the second-largest river of Odisha. The Rengali dam stands on it and the Talcher coalfields lie in its basin.
28. VaigaiTamil NaduRises in the Varushanad hills of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and flows east into Palk Bay near Ramanathapuram; Madurai stands on its banks. The Vaigai dam is on it, and the Periyar-Vaigai transfer (fed by the Mullaperiyar) augments its waters.
29. PennarAndhra PradeshRises in the Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapur, Karnataka, and flows through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to the Bay of Bengal near Nellore, carving the Gandikota canyon (a UPSC 2022 question). The Somasila dam stands on it; its chief tributaries are the Jayamangali and Kunderu. Also called Penneru.
30. PalarTamil NaduRises in the Nandi Hills of Karnataka and flows through Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to the Bay of Bengal between Vayalur and Kadalur in Chengalpattu district. Its chief tributary is the Cheyyar; Vellore and Kanchipuram stand on its banks.
31. PeriyarKeralaRises in the Sivagiri hills of the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala and flows west into the Arabian Sea near Munambam by Kochi; at 244 km it is the longest river of Kerala. The Mullaperiyar dam on it is the subject of the Kerala-Tamil Nadu dispute, and the Idukki dam stands on its tributary, the Cheruthoni.
32. BharathappuzhaKeralaRises in the Anamalai hills on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, flows west through the Palakkad Gap, and empties into the Arabian Sea at Ponnani; it is the second-longest river of Kerala. Called Nila, it is the cultural lifeline of the Palakkad region; the Malampuzha dam is on its tributary.
33. SharavatiKarnatakaRises at Ambuthirtha in Shimoga district, Karnataka, and flows west to the Arabian Sea at Honnavar in Uttara Kannada; it is a west-flowing river. The Jog Falls (one of India's highest waterfalls) and the Linganamakki dam are on it.
34. MandoviGoaRises in the Bhimgad hills of the Western Ghats in Karnataka and flows west through Goa into the Arabian Sea near Panaji; it is the lifeline of Goa. Known as the Mahadayi in Karnataka, its waters are disputed between Goa and Karnataka; the Dudhsagar falls are on its tributary.
35. TeestaWest BengalRises in North Sikkim near the Tso Lhamo lake (not at the Brahmaputra's source, a common wrong option) and flows through Sikkim and West Bengal before entering Bangladesh; it is the lifeline of Sikkim. The Teesta water-sharing agreement with Bangladesh remains unsigned, and the Rangeet and Rangpo are its tributaries in Sikkim.
36. BarakAssamRises in the Manipur hills at Liyai Khullen, flows through Manipur, Mizoram and Assam (past Silchar), and enters Bangladesh at Bhanga where it splits into the Surma and Kushiyara, which reunite as the Meghna. It is the second-largest river system of the Northeast; the Tipaimukh dam proposal and National Waterway 16 (Lakhipur to Bhanga) are on it.
37. TungabhadraTelanganaFormed by the union of the Tunga and Bhadra at Koodli in Karnataka, it flows through Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to join the Krishna at Gudimalla in Jogulamba Gadwal district. Hampi, the Vijayanagara capital, stands on its banks (the river is the Pampa of the Ramayana); the Tungabhadra dam at Hospet is on it.
38. GomtiUttar PradeshRises at Gomat Taal (Fulhaar Jheel) near Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and joins the Ganga at Kaithi in Ghazipur district; Lucknow and Jaunpur stand on its banks. A plains-fed river rather than a Himalayan one, it is groundwater-fed and perennial, and its only major tributary is the Sai.
39. ShardaUttar PradeshRises in the Greater Himalayas of Uttarakhand and forms the India-Nepal border as the Mahakali (Kali) river before joining the Ghaghara in Uttar Pradesh. The Pancheshwar multipurpose project (India-Nepal) and the Tanakpur barrage are on it.
40. RaptiUttar PradeshRises in the Mahabharat range of Nepal, flows through Bahraich, Shrawasti, Balrampur and Gorakhpur, and joins the Ghaghara in Deoria district, UP. Called "Gorakhpur's Sorrow" for its floods; its ancient name is Aciravati, on whose banks stood Sravasti, the capital of Kosala.
41. LohitArunachal PradeshRises in Tibet as the Zayu (Zayul Chu), enters Arunachal Pradesh, and joins the Brahmaputra near Sadiya in Assam. Parshuram Kund on its banks in Lohit district draws over 70,000 pilgrims for a holy dip at Makar Sankranti each year.
42. IndravatiChhattisgarhRises in the Dandakaranya range of Kalahandi district, Odisha, flows west through Bastar in Chhattisgarh, and joins the Godavari at Somnoor Sangam; it is a major left-bank tributary of the Godavari. The Chitrakote Falls on it in Bastar is India's widest waterfall, called the "Niagara Falls of India".
43. ManasAssamA transboundary river rising in Bhutan, where it is the country's largest river system, it enters Assam and joins the Brahmaputra at Jogighopa; it is the largest north-bank tributary of the Brahmaputra. Manas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and tiger and elephant reserve, lies in its valley on the Assam-Bhutan border.
44. ManjiraTelanganaRises in the Balaghat range of hills near Ahmednagar in Maharashtra and flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana to join the Godavari at Kandakurthi in Nizamabad district; it is a major right-bank tributary of the Godavari. The Nizam Sagar dam stands on it (a UPSC 2000 question), and the Singur reservoir on it supplies drinking water to Hyderabad.
45. SubansiriArunachal PradeshRises on the Tibetan plateau and enters India near Taksing in Upper Subansiri district, Arunachal Pradesh, before joining the Brahmaputra in Lakhimpur district, Assam; it is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra and an antecedent river. The under-construction Lower Subansiri hydroelectric project at Gerukamukh has drawn major environmental protests.
46. BhimaMaharashtraRises at Bhimashankar in the Western Ghats of Pune district, Maharashtra, and flows southeast through Maharashtra and Karnataka to join the Krishna near Raichur; it is a major tributary of the Krishna. Pandharpur, the Vithoba pilgrimage centre, stands on its banks, and the Ujjani dam is on its course.
47. BanasRajasthanRises in the Khamnor Hills of the Aravalli range near Kumbhalgarh in Rajsamand district and flows northeast through the Mewar region to join the Chambal near Rameshwar in Sawai Madhopur; its entire 512 km course lies within Rajasthan, the longest river wholly in the state. The Bisalpur dam on it supplies drinking water to Jaipur and Ajmer.