The rivers of India may be classified into two categories; via: rivers of the north India and south India.
As the rivers of the north India have their sources in the Himalayas, they are perennial, being snow-fed in summer. The major rivers are the Ganga and its tributaries, the Brahmaputra and the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas – the main tributaries of the Indus. The major rivers of south India are the Narmada, the Tapti, the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Cauvery etc. These rivers have their sources in different mountain ranges of the south India and hence they are not perennial – they dry up in summer.
The Ganga:
The Ganga is the most famous river of India. It is popularly called the Mother Ganga because of its usefulness. Its length is about 2,400 kms. It originates from the glacier called Gadgetry at Gomulka in the Himalayas. It flows in the mountainous bed about 320 kms. With the name “Bhagirathi” and then joins with the river Alakananda at Devaprayag. Thereafter, these two streams combine and bear the name “The Ganga”. And flowing for a distance enters into the plains at Hardware.
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In this plain stage the tributaries like the Rama Ganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara, the Gander and the Kisi drain into it from its left bank and from its right bank the Yamuna, the Chambal, the Beta and the Son join with U and it flows towards the east. In the lower reach it joins with the Brahmaputra at Goaled and with the name river Padma falls into the Bay of Bengal. Since the water of the Ganga has been very much polluted, efforts are now being made to clean and purify it.
The Yamuna:
It is the principal tributary of the Ganga. It originates from the glacier named Yamunotri and flows parallel with the Ganga for a long distance and joins with it at Allahabad. The confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna is known as “the Prayag”. It is a famous place of pilgrimage. In ancient days the river Saraswati joined at this confluence and therefore, it has been named as “Traven”, that is, confluence of three rivers.
The Brahmaputra:
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It is another important river of India. Its length is about 2,880 kms. It originates from a glacier cuff Mount Kailas near the lake Manasarovar, and with the name Tango it flows through Tibet about 1100 kms from west to east. Thereafter, it cuts through the Himalayas at Niche Bara of Arunachal Pradesh and enters into India. Then it flows through Assam from east to west and after crossing the Meghalaya Plateau, flows’ round Agro Hills and takes southward course. It joins with the Ganga at Goaled and falls into the Bay of Bengal at the Meghan mouth. After the confluence -of these two mighty rivers an extensive delta has been formed.
The Mahanadi:
It is the largest river of Orissa with a length of about 858 kms. It originates in the Amarkantak Plateau of Madhya Pradesh and enters into Orissa in the district of Jabalpur. It falls into the Bay of Bengal at False Point. Paradeep Port is situated on the mouth of this river.
The Godavari:
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It is the’ largest river of the south India with a length of about 1440 kms. It originates from the region of Nasik of the Western Ghats. It takes an eastward course and drains into the Bay of Bengal. Its delta begins from Rajmahendri. The Indrāvati and Yen Ganga are its two major tributaries.
The Krishna:
It originates from the region of Mahabaleswar of the Western Ghats and after flowing about 1280 kms. Towards east, drains into the Bay of Bengal. The Tungabhadra and the Bhīma are its main tributaries. Its delta begins from the city of Vijayawada.
The Cauvery (Knavery):
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It originates from the mountainous region of Coorg, flows about 280 kms and falls into the Bay of Bengal. There is a waterfall with a height of 98 meters in its course, near Sivasarnudram. This river is called “The Ganga of the south India.”
The Narmada and Tapti are the principal west flowing rivers of India. The Narmada rises in the Amarkantak Plateau and flows westward through the rift valley between the Vindhya and the Sapura ranges, and then falls into the Bay of Cambay. The Dhuandhar Waterfalls are created while this river emirs into the plain stage from its mountain stage.
The river Tapti rises in the region near the Manado Hills, flows westward in the south of the Sapura range for about a distance of 720 kms and drains into the Bay of Cambay. It also flows through the rift valley of the Sapura range.
A number of small but torrential and waterfall-studded rivers rise from the western side of the Western Ghats and drain into the Arabian Sea. The Surakarta and Prewar are such important rivers. The Jog Waterfalls of the Pārbati River is the highest waterfall of India with a height of 243 meters.