Peninsular Rivers of India

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• Peninsular rivers of India are much older river than Himalayan rivers.
• They are discordant rivers
• Peninsular rivers are non-perennial rivers.
• Peninsular rivers have reached mature stage and their vertical down cutting is negligible.
• Rivers are characterized by broad and shallow valleys.
• Most of Peninsular rivers banks have gentle slopes.
• Western Ghats is the main water divider of peninsular rivers.

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Peninsular River System

East Flowing Rivers

• Rivers that drain into Bay of Bengal
• These rivers from deltas at their mouths
• They carry larger amount of water than west flowing rivers
• The Mahanadi river, the Godavari river, the Krishna river, the Cauvery and several smaller rivers drains south-east into the Bay of Bengal.

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West Flowing Rivers

• Rivers that drain into Arabian Sea
• These rivers form estuaries at their mouths.
• They carry a lesser amount of water
• The Narmada river, the Tapi, the Mahi, Periyar river are flowing west
• As well as several small streams originating from the Western Ghats flow westwards into the Arabian Sea.

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East Flowing Rivers – North to South

Subarnarekha River

• Source – Chota Nagpur plateau, Jharkhand
• Passes through – Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
• Left bank Tributaries – Dulang River
• Right bank Tributaries – Kanchi River, Kharkai River, Raru River, Garru River.
• Hundru Falls is created on the course of the Subarnarekha River.
• Jamshedpur is located at the confluence of Kharkai and Subarnarekha Rivers.

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Budhabalanga River

• Source – Similipal hills, Odisha
• Passes through – Odisha
• Barehipani Falls, the 2nd highest waterfall in India, located in Simlipal National Park

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Brahmani River

•  Source – confluence of the Sankh and South Koel rivers near Rourkela
• Together with the Baitarani river, it forms a large delta before emptying into the Bay of Bengal at Dhamra

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Mahanadi River

• Source – Dandakaranya, Raipur District, Chhattisgarh
• Length: 858 km
• Flows through – Chhattisgarh, Odisha
• Left bank Tributaries –Shivnath, Hasdeo, Mand and Ib
• Right bank Tributaries – Ong, Tel and Jonk
• Puri, at one of its mouths, is a famous pilgrimage site.
• Hirakud Dam constructed on it, at Sambalpur
• Important projects are the Mahanadi main canal and Tandula reservoir in Chhattisgarh

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Rushikulya River

• Source – Daringbadi, Kandhamal, Odisha
• Mouth of the Rushikulya River is the largest mass nesting sites of olive ridley sea turtles in India

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Gosthani River

• Source – Ananthagiri Hills of the Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh
• Flows through the Borra Caves

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Vamsadhara River

• Source –  Thuamul Rampur, Kalahandi district, Odisha
• Flows through – Odisha, Andhra Pradesh
• Mahendratanaya River is a major tributary of Vamsadhara

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Nagavali River

• Source – Thuamul Rampur, Odisha
• Flows through – Odisha, Andhra Pradesh

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Godavari River

• Source – Brahmagiri Mountain (1,067 m), Tryambakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra
• Length – 1,465 km.
• Flows through – Maharashtra , Telangana, AP, Puducherry (Yanam)
• Godavari river is the largest river of the Peninsular rivers of India
• It is called as Dakshin Ganga.
• Left Bank Tributaries – Banganga, Kadva, Shivana, Purna, Kadam, Pranahita, Indravati, Taliperu, Sabari
• Right Bank Tributaries – Nasardi, Darna, Pravara, Sindphana, Manjira, Manair, Kinnerasani
• Below Rajahmundry, the Godavari river divides itself into two main streams
  • Gautami Godavari on the east
  • Vashishta Godavari on the west

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Tributaries of Godavari River

Pranhita River

• Source – Confluence of Wardha and Wainganga
• Flows through – Maharashtra , Telangana
• Pranhita river joins at Godavari River at Kaleswaram, Telangana
• It is the largest tributary of Godavari River
• Penganga River is an important tributaries of Wardha River

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Indravati River

• Source – Dandakaranya Range, Kalahandi, Odisha
• Flows through – Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra
• Indravati river joins Godavari River at the junction of the boundaries of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana states.

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Manjira River

• Source – Balaghat range of hills, Maharashtra
• It is 724 km long, important right bank tributary.
• Manjira river joins the Godavari river after passing through the Nizam Sagar.
• It joins Godavari river at Nizamabad, Telangana.

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Krishna River

• Source – Mahabaleswar, Satara, MH
• Length – 1300 km
• Flows through – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
• Krishna river is the 2nd largest east flowing river of the Peninsular rivers of India.
• It is also 4th biggest river in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India
• Left Bank tributaries – Bhima, Dindi, Peddavagu, Musi, Paleru, Munneru
• Right bank tributaries – Venna, Koyna, Panchganga, Dudhaganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tungabhadra
• Krishna river delta appears to merge with that formed by the Godavari river and extends about 35 km into the sea.
• Amaravati city, Guntur district new capital of Andhra Pradesh and Vijayawada city are located on the banks of the Krishna river.

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Tributaries of Krishna River

Koyna River

• Source – Mahableshwar, Satara, Maharashtra
• Koyna Dam was the main cause of a devastating earthquake (6.4 richter scale) in 1967 that killed 150 people.
• For electricity generating potential it is known as the Life Line of Maharashtra.
• Koyna river meets the Krishna river by Karad at Pritisangam.

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Tungabhadra River

• Source – confluence of Thunga and Bhadra rivers
• Flows through – Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
• Tungabhadra river joins Krishna river near Alampur, Mehaboobnagar, Telangana.
• In the epic Ramayana, Tungabhadra river was known as Pampa.
• Flood protection walls all along the rivers, constructed by Sri Krishna Devaraya.

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Bhima River

• Sour – Bhimashankarce, near pune
• Passes through – Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana
• Bhima river passes through the town of Koregaon Bhima, Maharastra.
• It joins into the Krishna river along the border between Karnataka and Telangana near Raichur.

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Musi River

• Source – Anantagiri Hills, Vikarabad, Telangana
• Hyderabad stands on the banks of Musi river
• Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar dams built on Musi river.
• Musi river joins the Krishna river at Vadapally in Nalgonda district, Telangana.

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Penner River

• Source – Nandi Hills, Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka
• Passes through – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
• The only major project in the basin is the Somasila project

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Palar River

• Source – Nandi Hills, Karnataka
• Passes through –  Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
• It flows as an underground river for a long distance

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Ponnaiyar River

• Source – Nandi Hills, Karnataka
• Passes through – Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

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Kaveri (Cauvery) River

• Source – Talakaveri, Brahmagiri hills,  Western Ghats, Karnataka
• Length – 800 km
• Passes through – Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
• Left Bank tributaries – Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavathy
• Right bank tributaries – Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amaravati, Moyar, Suvarnavati
• Kaveri river is called as Ganga of South.
• Sivasamudram waterfalls is created on the course of the Kaveri river.
• Krishnarajasagar in Karnataka, Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu are important projects on Kaveri river.
• Srirangam Island is formed by the river Cauvery and the Kollidam, a tributary of the Kaveri river.
• Grand Anicut (Kallanai Dam) was constructed by a  Chola king Karikalan in 1st Century, in  Thanjavur District.

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Tributaries of Kaveri River

Amaravati River

• Source – Anamalai Hills, Kerala
• Passes through – Kerala, Tamil Nadu

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Bhavani River

• Source – Silent Valley National Park, Nilgiri hills, Kerala
• Passes through – Kerala, Tamil Nadu

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Vaigai River

• Source – Varusanadu Hills, Tamil Nadu
• Passes through – Tamil Nadu
• Discharged in – Palk Strait
• Madurai situated on the bank of Vaigai river.

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Thamirabarani River

• Source – Pothigai hills, Tamil Nadu
• Passes through – Tamil Nadu
• Discharged in – Gulf of Mannar

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West Flowing Rivers – North to South

 Ghaggar-Hakra River

• Source – Shivalik Hills, Himachal Pradesh
• Passes through – Thar Desert of Rajasthan
• Discharged in –  Ottu, Haryana
• Its main tributaries are the Tangri, the Markanda, the Saraswati and the Chaitanya.
• It is an inland drainage river
• It is a seasonal river
• Most sites of the mature Harappan Civilisation are found along the bed of the Ghaggar-Hakkar river.

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Luni (Salt River)

• Source – Pushkar Lake,  Aravalli ranges, Rajasthan
• Passes through – Thar Desert of Rajasthan
• Length – 511 km
• Discharged in –  Rann of Kachchh
• Luni river is an inland drainage.

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Sabarmati River

• Source – Dhebar lake, Aravalli ranges, Rajasthan
• Passes through – Rajasthan, Gujarat
• Discharged in –  Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea
• Left Bank tributaries – the Wakal, the Hathmati and the Vatrak.
• Right bank tributaries – the Sei
• Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar situated on the bank of Sabarmati river.
• Mahatma Gandhi established Sabarmati Ashram as his home on the banks of Sabarmati river.
• The Dharoi dam is located on the main river.

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Mahi River

• Source – Vindhyas, Madhya pradesh,
• Passes through – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat
• Discharged in – Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea

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Narmada River

• Source – Amarkantak Plateau, Madhya Pradesh
• Length – 1310km
• Passes through – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat
• Discharged in – Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea
• Left Bank tributaries – Burhner, Banjar, Sher, Shakkar, Dudhi, Tawa, Ganjal, Chhota Tawa,  Kundi, Goi
• Right bank tributaries – Hiran, Tendoni, Choral, Kolar, Man, Uri, Hatni, Orsang
• Narmada river is the largest west flowing river of the peninsular rivers of  India
• It flows in a rift valley, between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges
• Dhuan Dhar Falls and Sahasradhara Falls created on the way of Narmada river.
• Narmada river created estuary before its mouth.
• There are several islands in the estuary of the Narmada river of which Aliabet is the largest.
• The major Hydro Power Project in the basin of Narmada river are Indira Sagar, Sardar Sarovar, Omkareshwar, Bargi & Maheshwar.

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Tapti River

• Source – Multai, Saptura range, Madhya Pradesh
• Passes through – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat
• Discharged in – Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea
• Left Bank tributaries – Vaghur, Amravati, Buray, Panjhra, Bori, Girna, Purna, Mona and Sipna
• Right bank tributaries – Suki, Gomai, Arunavati and Aner
• Tapti river flows through a rift valley.
• Nepanagar and Surat situated on the bank of Tapti river.
• Hathnur Dam, Ukai Dam, Girna Dam are important project on Tapti river.

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Mandovi River (Mhadei)

• Source – Bhimgad,  Western Ghats, Karnataka
• Passes through – Karnataka ,Goa, Maharashtra
• Discharged in – Arabian Sea
• The river Mapusa is a tributary of the Mandovi river.
• Dudhsagar Falls and Varapoha Falls are located on this river

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Kali River

• Source – Diggi, Karnataka
• Passes through – Karnataka
• Supa Dam constructed on it

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Gangavali River

• Source – South of Dharwad, Western Ghats, Karnataka
• Passes through – Karnataka
• Magod Falls is created on the course of it

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Sharavati River

• Source – Ambutheertha, Shimoga, Karnataka
• Passes through – Karnataka
• Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River
• Linganamakki dam, Gerusoppa dam constructed on it

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Beypore / Chaliyar River

• Source – Elambaleri Hills, Wayanad Plateau of Kerala
• Passes through – Kerala
• Discharged in – Lakshadweep Sea

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Bharathapuzha River

• Source – Anamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu
• Passes through – Tamil Nadu, Kerala
• 2nd longest river of Kerala
• Flows through Palghat gap
• Malampuzha dam is constructed on it

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Periyar River

• Source –  Sivagiri Hills, Cardamom Hills, Idukki, Kerala
• Discharged in – Vembanad Lake
• Left Bank tributaries – Cheruthoni
• Right bank tributaries – Mullayar, Perinjankutti, Muthirapuzha, Edamala
• Periyar river is the longest river of Kerala.
• Mullaperiyar dam, Idukki dam are important project on Periyar river.

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Pampa River

• Source – Pulachimalai hill, Western Ghats, Kerala
• Discharged in – Vembanad Lake
• 3rd longest river of Kerala
• Sabarimala temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is located on the banks of it.
• Pampa river is also known as Dakshina Bhageerathi

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Evolution of the Peninsular Rivers of India

Theory – 1

• Geologists believe that the Sahyadri-Aravali axis was the main water divide in the past.
• As per this theory, existing peninsula is the remaining half of bigger landmass.
• Western Ghats were located in the middle of this landmass.
• Western part of the Peninsula cracked and submerged in the Arabian Sea
• Straight coastline, steep western slope of the Western Ghats, and the absence of delta formations on the western coast makes this theory a possibility.

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Theory – 2

• As per this theory, the west flowing peninsular rivers do not flow in the valleys formed by the rivers themselves.
• They have occupied two fault rifts in rocks running parallel to the Vindhyas.
• These faults are supposed to be caused by bend of the northern part of the Peninsula at the time of upheaval of the Himalayas.
• Peninsular block, south of the cracks, tilted slightly eastwards during the event thus giving the orientation to the entire drainage towards the Bay of Bengal.