The Ganges is the longest river
of India, if we consider the total distance covered by a river within India.
Two major rivers of the Indian subcontinent – Brahmaputra and Indus – are
longer than the Ganges in total length. But the distances these two rivers
cover within India are much shorter than that of the Ganges.
In fact, India is a land of
rivers. Rivers are generally treated as mothers and almost every major river of
India has a legend regarding its origin. There is a debate as to which is the
longest river of India.
In this regard, The Ganges is
the most sacred river to the Hindus. It originates from the Gangotri Glacier
(Uttarakhand). Main stream of this river begins at the confluence of Bhagirathi
and Alaknanda rivers at Devprayag (Uttarakhand). The river flows through the
states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and then enters
Bangladesh. Major cities located at the banks of the Ganges are – Rishikesh,
Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, Farakka Barrage
(Malda). The total length that the Ganges covers during its journey is 2,525
kilometres (1569 miles) before it discharges in the Bay of Bengal. Major
tributaries of the Ganges are – Yamuna, Son, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak and Koshi.
Unlike other rivers of India, the Brahmaputra (Son of Brahma) is perhaps the only
river in India which has a male name. The river originates from Angsi Glacier
near Mansarovar Lake located in Tibet, China, as Yarlung Tsangpo River and
enters India through Arunachal Pradesh. It flows southwest through Assam valley
as Brahmaputra before entering into Bangladesh. Major Indian cities located on
the banks of Brahmaputra are – Dibrugarh and Guwahati. Total length of
Brahmaputra is 3,848 kilometres as per new findings (earlier length was
estimated at 2,900 kilometres). However, Brahmaputra flows only 916 kilometres
within India.
The word “India” is derived from Indus (India
is a Greek/Latin term for the country of river Indus). Indus river originates
near Lake Mansarovar and runs through areas of Ladakh, Gilgit, and Baltistan
before entering into Pakistan. One of the earliest urban civilizations – Indus
Valley Civilization flourished beside the Indus River. Major tributaries of
river Indus are – Jansker, Soan, Jhelam, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. Major
Cities located on the banks of Indus are – Leh, and Skardu. Total length of
Indus River is 3,610 kilometres. However, Indus flows only 1,114 kilometres
within India.
Also known as ‘Dakshin Ganga’ – the South Ganges, the Godavari is the second longest river of India. It
originates from Triambakeshwar, Nasik (Maharashtra), and travels through
Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, before discharging into Bay of
Bengal. It covers a total area of 1,465 kilometres during the journey. Major
tributaries of river Godavari are – Banganga, Indravati, Purna, Pravara etc. Major
cities located at the banks of river Godavari are – Nashik, Nanded, and
Rajahmundry.
Krishna – the third largest river of India – originates near
Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra) and flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana
and Andhra Pradesh, before discharging into the Bay of Bengal. It covers
approximately 1,400 kilometres during its journey. Major tributaries are –
Bhima, Panchganga, Dudhaganga, Ghataprabha, Tungabhadra etc. Sangli and
Vijayawada are the major cities located at the banks of this river.
