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7 Longest Rivers in India

Amruta Deshpande

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Rivers are considered to be holy in India and the people there worship the rivers as Gods and Goddesses.
Divided into Himalayan Rivers and Peninsular Rivers,  most of them flow towards the East and empty into the Bay of Bengal while some flow towards the West and empty into the Arabian Sea.

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Length: 2,525 km
Origin: Gangotri, Uttarakhand
Drain: Bay of Bengal
River Ganga
Ganga, also known as Ganges is the longest running river in India and also the most worshiped one.
The major tributaries of Ganga include Yamuna, Gomti, Gandark, Koshi, Mahananda, Son, Chandan and others.

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Length: 1,465 km
Origin: Triambakeshwar, Maharashtra
Drain: Bay of Bengal
River Godavari
Godavari, the second longest river in India and the longest in South India is popularly referred to as ‘Dakshin Ganga’.
The major tributaries of Godavari include Banganga, Purna, Indravati, Nasardi, Darna, Manjira and others.
Length: 1,400 km
Origin: Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra
Drain: Bay of Bengal
River Krishna
Also known as Krishnaveni, the Krishna River is an important peninsular river in India and the main source of irrigation for Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The major tributaries include Bhima, Paleru, Venna, Koyna, Panchganga, Tungabhadra and others.
Length: 1,376 km
Origin: Yamunotri, Uttarakhand
Drain: Triveni Sangam, Uttar Pradesh
River Yamuna
The river Yamuna, also known as Jamuna is the longest and biggest tributary of the river Ganga.
The river is worshipped as Goddess Yamuna and as per the Hindu mythology it is believed to be the daughter of the Surya, the Sun God and sister of Yama, the God of Death
Length: 1,312 km
Origin: Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh
Drain: Arabian Sea
River Narmada
Narmada River also known as Rewa, is one of the five holiest rivers in India and is also the largest peninsular river which flows from East to West
As per the Indian mythology, Narmada is older than the Ganga and a dip in this river will clear you of all your wrongdoings.
The major tributaries include Banjar, Shakkar, Tawa, Kaveri, Kolar, Hatni and others.
Length: 1,114 km
Origin: Mansarovar Lake, Tibet
Drain: Arabian Sea
River Indus
The Indus River, known as Sindhu in Sanskrit is one of the longest rivers in Asia and  flows through China, India and Pakistan, covering a total distance of 3,180 km.
The word ‘India’ is derived from the Indus river, as in ancient times, the regions along the East bank of the Indus were referred to as India.
The major tributaries include Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej Beas and others.
Length: 916 km
Origin: Angsi Glacier, Tibet
Drain: Bay of Bengal
Brahmaputra  River
The Brahmaputra known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet is the ninth largest river in the world and flows for about 2,900 km in all.
The major tributaries include Dibang, Kolong, Manas, Beki, Teesta and others.