Longest Rivers in India: It is an already known fact that India is the land of many rivers. India has more than 200 rivers, including major rivers and tributaries. All the major rivers in India originate from the Himalayas, Karakoram, Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura ranges, the Western Ghats in western India, and Chotanagpur plateau in central India. The rivers of the Himalayas and other ranges mainly started by melting snow and glaciers. Therefore, Himalayan rivers continuously flow throughout the year.
In this article, the top 10 longest rivers in India are listed down based on the length covered within India.
10 Longest Rivers in India
S. N. | Name of the River | Source | Mouth | Length in India (km) | Total Length (km) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ganga | Gangotri Glacier in Devprayag, Uttarakhand | Bay of Bengal | 2525 | 2525 |
2 | Godavari | Tryambakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra | Bay of Bengal | 1465 | 1465 |
3 | Krishna | Western Ghats in Maharashtra | Bay of Bengal | 1400 | 1400 |
4 | Yamuna | Yamunotri Glacier in Uttarakhand | Ganga River | 1376 | 1376 |
5 | Narmada | Amarkantak Plateau, Madhya Pradesh | Gulf of Khambhat | 1312 | 1312 |
6 | Indus | Lake Manasarovar (Tibetan Plateau) | Arabian Sea (primary), Rann of Kutch (secondary) | 1114 | 3180 |
7 | Brahmaputra | Angsi Glacier, Manasarovar | Ganges Delta | 916 | 3180 |
8 | Mahanadi | Sihawa, Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh | False Point, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha | 858 | 858 |
9 | Kaveri | Talakaveri, Kodagu, Western Ghats, Karnataka | Bay of Bengal | 805 | 805 |
10 | Tapti | Multai, Madhyapradesh | Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea) | 700 | 700 |
1. Ganga River: Longest River in India
The Ganges is the longest river in India. It originates from the Gangotri Glacier in Devprayag, Uttarakhand and the river ends in the Bay of Bengal. The total length of the Ganga river is 2525 km. It is a transboundary river that flows through India and Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the Ganga river is known as the Padma river.
Location | Country: India Bangladesh State / Division: Uttarakhand Uttar Pradesh Bihar West Bengal Delhi Rajshahi Division Dhaka Division Chittagong Division Barisal Division |
Source / Origin | Gangotri Glacier in Devprayag, Uttarakhand (Confluence at Devprayag, Uttarakhand of the Alaknanda River and the Bhagirathi river) |
Mouth | Bay of Bengal |
Length | 2,525 km |
Basin Size | 1,320,000 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Ramganga Garra Gomti Ghaghara Gandak Burhi Gandak Koshi Mahananda |
Right Tributaries | Yamuna Tamsa Karamnasa Ajoy River Damodar River Rupnarayan Sone River Punpun Falgu River Kiul Chandan |
2. Godavari River: Second Longest River in India
Godavari River river is the second largest river in India. The river originates from Brahmagiri Mountain, Tryambakeshwar, Maharashtra. It flows through various states (Maharashtra, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh) of India and ends in the Bay of Bengal. The total length of the river is 1465 km.
Location | Country: India State: Maharashtra Odisha Chhattisgarh Telangana Andhra Pradesh |
Source / Origin | Location: Brahmagiri Mountain, Tryambakeshwar, Maharashtra Coordinates: 19°55′48″N 73°31′39″E Elevation: 920 m |
Mouth | Bay of Bengal Location: Antarvedi, East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh Coordinates: 17°0′N 81°48′E |
Length | 1465 km |
Basin Size | 312,812 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Banganga Kadva Shivana Purna Kadam Pranahita Indravati Taliperu Sabari Dharna |
Right Tributaries | Nasardi Pravara Sindphana Manjira Manair Kinnerasani |
3. Krishna River: 3rd Longest River in India
The Krishna River is the 3rd longest river in India. The river Krishna originates from the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra at an altitude of 1337m and flows from west to east through the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh before it joins the Bay of Bengal in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh.
The total length of the river Krishna is 1400 km and the basin size of river Krishana is 258,948 km2. It is the 3rd longest river in terms of length and it is the fourth-biggest river in terms of water inflows and river basin area within India.
Location | Country: India State: Maharashtra Karnataka Telangana Andhra Pradesh |
Source / Origin | Location: Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in Satara district, Maharashtra Coordinates: 17°59′18.8″N 73°38′16.7″E Elevation: 914 m |
Mouth | Bay of Bengal Location: Hamsaladeevi, Krishna, Andhra Pradesh, India Coordinates: 15°44′10.8″N 80°55′12.1″E |
Length | 1,400 km |
Basin Size | 258,948 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Bhima River Dindi River Peddavagu Musi River Paleru River Munneru |
Right Tributaries | Ghataprabha River Malaprabha River Tungabhadra River Kudali (Niranjna) Venna Koyna River Panchganga River Dudhaganga River |
4. Yamuna River: 4th longest river in India
Yamuna River is the 4th longest river in India in terms of length in India. It is the tributary of the Ganga river. The river Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri Glacier near Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. The river flows through the various state of India and finally meets with the Ganga river near Triveni Sangam, Allahabad, India. The total length of the river is 1,376 km.
Location | Country: India State: Uttarakhand Himachal Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Haryana Delhi |
Source / Origin | Yamunotri Glacier Location: Banderpooch Peaks, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand Coordinates: 31°01′0.12″N 78°27′0″E Elevation: 3,293 m |
Mouth | Ganges Location: Triveni Sangam, Allahabad Coordinates: 25°25′11.44″N 81°53′5.80″E Elevation: 74 m |
Length | 1,376 km |
Basin Size | 366,223 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Tons Hindon Hanuman Ganga Sasur Khaderi |
Right Tributaries | Betwa Sindh Ken Giri Baghain Chambal |
5. Narmada River: 5th longest river in India
The Narmada river originates from Amarkantak Plateau in Madhya Pradesh and ends in the Arabian Sea (Gulf of Khambhat). If you consider the length of the river within India, then the Narmada river is the 5th longest river in India.
Narmada river flows through three states of India; Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat. The river is also called the “Life Line of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat”. The total length of the river is 1,312 km.
Location | Country: India State: Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Gujarat |
Source / Origin | Narmada Kund Location: Amarkantak Plateau, Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh Coordinates: 22°40′0″N 81°45′0″E Elevation: 1,048 m |
Mouth | Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea) Location: Bharuch District, Gujarat Coordinates: 21°39′3.77″N 72°48′42.8″E |
Length | 1,312 km |
Basin Size | – |
Left Tributaries | Shakkar River Dudhi River Tawa River Burhner River Banjar River Sher River Ganjal River Chhota Tawa River Kaveri River Kundi River Goi River Karjan River |
Right Tributaries | Kolar River Man River Uri River Hiran River Tendoni River Choral River Hatni River Orsang River |
6. Indus River: 6th Longest River in India
The river Indus originates from the Manasarovar lake near Tibetan Plateau and flows through the Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan regions of Kashmir and then it flows south-by-southwest through Pakistan. Finally, the river ends in the Arabian Sea (Primary Mouth) and Rann of Kutch (Secondary Mouth).
The total length of the river is 3180km and the length covered within India is 1114 km. So, based on the river length within India, the Indus River is the 6th longest river in India. The river Indus has many tributaries like Chenab River, Ravi River, Beas RiverKunar River, Kabul River, Kurram River, etc.
Location | Country / Autonomous Region: China (Tibet Autonomous Region) India Pakistan State: Ladakh Punjab Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sindh Gilgit-Baltistan Tibet |
Source / Origin | Lake Manasarovar Location: Tibetan Plateau |
Mouth | Arabian Sea (primary), Rann of Kutch (secondary) Location: Indus River Delta (primary), Kori Creek (secondary), Pakistan, India Coordinates: 3°59′40″N 67°25′51″E |
Length | 3,180 km |
Basin Size | 1,165,000 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Chenab River Ravi River Beas River Sutlej River Panjnad River Ghaggar-Hakra River Luni River Zanskar River Suru River Soan River Jhelum River |
Right Tributaries | Kunar River Kabul River Kurram River Gomal River Zhob River Shyok River Hunza River Gilgit River Swat River |
7. Brahmaputra River: 7th Longest River in India
Brahmaputra River is the longest river in south India and also it is the 7th longest river in India based on the length covered within India. It is a transboundary river, flows through Tibet, India, and Bangladesh.
The river Brahmaputra originates from the Angsi Glacier, Manasarovar, and ends in Gangas. The total length of the river is 3,969 km. Out of 3,969 km, the length covered within India is 916 km.
The Brahmaputra river has many tributaries which are listed in the following table. The Brahmaputra River has many other names;
-Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet
-Luit, Dilao in Assam
-Siang/Dihang River in Arunachal Pradesh
Location | Country / Autonomous Region: China India Bangladesh Tibet (Autonomous Region) Cities: Guwahati Dhubri Sirajganj Mymensingh Dibrugarh Jorhat Tezpur |
Source / Origin | Angsi Glacier, Manasarovar Location: Himalayas |
Mouth | Ganges Location: Ganges Delta |
Length | 3,969 km |
Basin Size | 712,035 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Lohit River Dhansiri River Kolong River Lhasa River Nyang River Parlung Zangbo River |
Right Tributaries | Raidak River Jaldhaka River Teesta River Subansiri River Kameng River Manas River Beki River |
8. Mahanadi River: 8th Longest River in India
Mahanadi river is the 8th longest river in India.
Starting from Dandakaranya, Chhattisgarh state the river Mahanadi flows through Odisha and ends Jagatsinghpur, Odisha.
The total length of the river is 858 km and the total basin size of the river is 141,600 km2.
Location | Country: India States: Chhattisgarh Odisha |
Source / Origin | Sihawa, Dhamtari, Dandakaranya, Chhattisgarh |
Mouth | False Point, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha |
Length | 858 km |
Basin Size | 141,600 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Seonath River Mand River Ib River Hasdeo River |
Right Tributaries | Ong River Parry River Jonk River Telen River |
9. Kaveri River: 9th Longest River in India
The Kaveri river is the 9th longest river in India and It is the third-largest river in South India – after Godavari and Krishna.
It flows through the two states of India; Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.
The source of the Kaveri river is Talakaveri. Talakaveri is the place which is located at Kodagu and which is again located in the Brahmagiri Hills in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. The river Kaveri ends in the Bay of Bengal at Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu.
The total length of the Kaveri river is 805 km and the total basin size of the river Kaveri is 81,155 km2.
Location | Country: India States: Karnataka Tamil Nadu |
Source / Origin | Talakaveri, Kodagu, Western Ghats, Karnataka |
Mouth | Bay of Bengal Location: Poompuhar, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu |
Length | 805 km |
Basin Size | 81,155 km2 |
Left Tributaries | Harangi River Hemavati River Shimsha River Arkavathy River |
Right Tributaries | Lakshmana Tirtha River Kabini River Bhavani River Noyyal River Amaravati River Moyar River |
10. Tapti River: 10th Longest River in India
The Tapti River is one of the major Indian rivers, flows westwards. The Tapti River is also called the Tapi river. Starting from Multai, Betul district, the river Tapti flows through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and ends in the Arabian Sea (Gulf of Khambhat). The total length of the river Tapi is 700 km and the total basin size is 62,225 km2. Based on the river length covered within India, the Tapti River is the 10th longest river in India.
Location | Country: India States: Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Gujarat |
Source / Origin | Multai, Madhyapradesh |
Mouth | Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea) Location: Dumas, Surat, Gujarat |
Length | 700 km |
Basin Size | 62,225 km2 |
Tributaries | Girna River Purna River Panzara River Bori River Waghur River Aner River |
FAQ
Considering the length of the rivers covered within India, Ganga (2525 km) is the longest river in India. However, considering the total length of the rivers, the longest river in India is the Indus river (total length: 3180 km, Out of 3180 km, the length within India is 1114 km).
Godavari- Second Longest River in India
Krishna River: 3rd Longest River in India
Godavari River is the longest river in South India. The Length of the river is 1465 km.
If you have any further queries on the longest river list in India, please write within the comment box below.
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