Nomad Saikat
Rivers, a significant part of Indian geography, hold a lot of significance. You will find a number of important rivers in the country that flow through the stretch of India and beyond. If you wish to know about the rivers in India then you will truly have to go deep down the geography of the country. Here you will find Himalayan rivers which are rivers originating from the Himalayas. And other than that you will also find the Peninsular rivers which are rivers originating from the Peninsula. The Himalayan Rivers are majorly perennial rivers while the peninsular rivers are actually rain fed rivers. There are numerous small and long rivers that you will find in India. In this article however I will talk about the longest rivers in India.
Longest Rivers in India
Rivers are one of the most important sources of water in a country like India. Additionally it helps in the ecological balance, transportation, tourism, hydroelectricity as well as in sustaining livelihood. Surprisingly there are some rivers in India that are considered sacred and therefore the Hindus worship them in the forms of deities. It will be interesting to know about the rivers in India, especially the top 10 longest rivers in India. Keep on reading this article as here I will mention a list of longest rivers in India. This will be a helpful article for you to know about some of the longest rivers that you can explore in India.
Ganga River
River Ganga or Ganges is the longest river of India that stretches for 2525 km. It is also the largest river in this country as well and it holds a lot of importance and significance. The origin of Ganges is from the Western Himalayas and the Hindus worship the river as a Goddess. For the Hindus Ganga Maiya or the Mother Goddess is extremely sacred. This river flows through the Gangetic plains and enters Bangladesh while falling into the Bay of Bengal. Religiously and culturally the river holds immense importance. Additionally there are myths and legends related to the river that makes it even more important. According to Hindu mythology the water of this river is sacred and holy. And so you will find the usage of this water for the majority of ceremonies and rituals in Hindu traditions.
The devotees also believe that taking a dip into the water of Ganges will remove their sins. The river flows through some of the major cities which are some of the major sites of pilgrimage as well. These are Varanasi, Haridwar, Triveni Sangam etc. It also flows through locations like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Delhi and moves to Bangladesh flowing through Dhaka, Chittagong etc. This is one of the most significant and longest rivers in India that deserves special mention.
Godavari
The next name in the list of longest rivers in India is the Godavari River. This is the 2nd largest river in India spreading across 1465 km. The river also forms one of the largest river basins that you will find in the entire world. Additionally this is also one of the rivers that hold a lot of spiritual and religious significance as well. The Hindus consider this river as one of the sacred rivers. In South India Godavari is the longest river and it is popular as Dakshina Ganga. Originating from the Western Ghats, this river flows from Trimbakeshwar located in Maharashtra. It is one of the most significant rivers that you can find in the country.
Yamuna
Yamuna or Jamuna is one of the top 5 longest rivers in India that stretches for 1376 km. The river originates from the Yamunotri glacier. The Yamunotri Glacier is the highest part of the Lower Himalayas located in the state of Uttarakhand. The river doesn’t fall into the sea and is the second largest tributary of Ganges River. It joins River Ganga at Triveni Sangam that is the same location of Kumbh Mela. This river flows through the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. This is a significant river in India and around 57 million people depend on it. The river is also responsible for 70% of water supply in Delhi.
Narmada
The next important river is the Narmada River that flows for 1312 km. It is additionally the largest river of the Peninsular India as well. The river originates from the Amarkantak Mountain range in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It furthermore passes through the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat along with Madhya Pradesh. The river then finally merges with the Arabian Sea. According to Hindus this river is also one of the holiest rivers and they worship the river as a Goddess. The river is important and significant as it supports the rich wildlife around it. Along with that the Narmada River is also the origin of multiple waterfalls at different locations as well.
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Krishna
This is one of the 7 longest rivers in India and it stretches for around 1300 km. For the Southern states in the country this river serves as one of the major sources of water. The river originates from Mahabaleshwar and flows through the other parts. It is a significant river because the delta of Krishna River is one of the most fertile that you can find in this area. Additionally the river supports the growth and sustenance of rich wildlife as well. There are a number of dams constructed across this river in different parts of the country. And therefore the river water helps in providing water for various livelihood purposes. It serves as drinking water and also for other utility purposes. And the water is also used for irrigation purposes as well.
Brahmaputra
The Brahmaputra River is one of the most important rivers in India and especially in the state of Assam. This is one of the longest rivers in India that flows across 916 km. Popular as the Lifeline of Assam this river is one of the major sources of transportation in this state. It originates from the Angsi glacier and flows through different other locations. It flows through Arunachal Pradesh and leaves through Bangladesh as well as China. The river additionally is used for irrigation purposes as well and therefore holds a lot of importance.
Mahanadi
Flowing for 858 km this is again one of the longest as well as one of the most significant rivers that you can find in the country. The river originates from the Eastern Ghats in the Dhamtari district in the state of Chattisgarh. From Chattisgarh it then flows through Odisha and finally merges into the Bay of Bengal. The river however also forms the largest earthen dam that is the Hirakud Dam.
Kaveri
Flowing across for 800 km this is another longest river that is also one of the most significant rivers. The Kaveri River is significant as one of the holiest rivers as well and in South India the river holds an important position. The river however forms two islands Shivanasamudra and Srirangapatna. The origin of this river is from the foothills of the Western Ghats near Kodagu in the state of Karnataka. It then flows through states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and then finally merges with the Bay of Bengal. For both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu this is one of the most significant and important rivers. This is popular as the lifeline of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as well. The water of Kaveri is used for drinking purposes along with other utility purposes. Alongside the river water is also important for irrigation facilities in the southern states as well.
Tapti
This is another significant river that is also one of the longest rivers in India. Moreover, this is also one of the peninsular rivers in the country and it runs from east to west. The river originates in the Betul district and merges with the Arabian Sea. In its course it runs through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. There are 6 tributaries of Tapti and it flows as one of the most significant rivers as well. The water of Tapti supports a rich wildlife and for the sustenance of the Melghat Forest. The water of Tapti River is also considered holy according to the Hindu traditions. And all of that makes this river one of the most important rivers that you will find in the country.
Sutlej
This is one of the most significant rivers and one of the longest of the 5 rivers that flows through Punjab in north India and Pakistan. Also popular as Satadru, this river is the easternmost tributary of the river Indus. The river flows through multiple Indian states and the water is important for irrigation facilities in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The origin of this river is from the Rakshastal in Tibet and then it flows through Himachal Pradesh and enters Punjab. After that it joins the Chenab River while entering Pakistan to finally merge into the Indus River. For hydroelectric power generation this is one of the most significant rivers in the country. The river additionally holds a lot of mythological significance as well with its mention in the Puranas.
Wrapping Up!
So that was all about the top 10 longest rivers in India and they are all very significant. From irrigation purposes to the generation of hydroelectric power these rivers are immensely important in the country. Additionally the rivers are a great source of drinking water as well and they are even used for various other utility purposes as well. These rivers that I have mentioned here flow across greater lengths and therefore they are even more significant. For a number of Indian states these rivers serve as the lifeline as the water serves different purposes to support livelihood, wildlife as well as nature. In this article I have shared the top 10 rivers in India which are the longest. So do let me know if his article on longest rivers is helpful for you gathering an insight about these significant rivers in the country.
