Top 10 Longest Rivers in India

India is a land of diverse natural beauties, rivers being one of them. What makes India special?

There is a reason why India is called the land of rivers. We have majorly two types of rivers in India – The Himalayan Rivers, and the Peninsular Rivers.

While the Himalayan Rivers are perennial in nature, with an year round flow of water, peninsula rivers mostly depend on rain.

Rivers in India also have aesthetic value associated with it.

So, which rivers make it to the list of top 10 longest rivers in India? Let’s find out

Credits – mapsofindia.com

River	Type	Length in India (km)	Total Length (km)
Ganga	Himalayan	2525	2525
Godavari	Peninsular	1464	1465
Krishna	Peninsular	1400	1400
Yamuna	Himalayan	1376	1376
Narmada	Peninsular	1312	1312
Indus	Himalayan	1114	3180
Brahmaputra	Himalayan	916	2900
Mahanadi	Peninsular	890	890
Kaveri	Peninsular	800	800
Tapti	Peninsular	724	724

The Ganga

With a length of 2525 km, Ganga is the longest river in India. It is considered sacred in the Hindu religion. It is a Himalayan River, originating in the Western Himalayas.

Before entering the Bay of Bengal, it flows through the Gangetic plains and Bangladesh, in that order. Some major cities like Prayagraj, Kanpur, Patna, and spiritual cities of Varanasi, Haridwar are along the side of Ganga river.

Tributaries of Ganga include

• Yamuna
• Ramaganga
• Gomti
• Ghagra
• Son
• Gandak
• Burhi Gandak
• Kosi
• Mahananda

Godavari

With a length of 1464 km, Godavari River is one of the longest rivers of the country. It has a drainage of 121,000 square miles. Like all other rivers in India, it is considered sacred in Central and South East India.

It is also known as the “Dakshin Ganga”. It rises near Trimbakeshwar, and passes through Maharashtra, through the deccan plateau, and then the Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Tributaries of Godavari

• Pravara
• Manjira
• Maner
• Purna
• Pranhita
• Indravati
• Sabari

Krishna

A river with a peninsular origin, Krishna is the third longest river in India. It rises from Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra, in the Western Ghats. It runs 1400 km from west to east, through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh.

The river finally empties its course in Hamsaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh.

Tributaries of Krishna

• Ghataprabha
• Malaprabha
• Bhima
• Tungabhadra
• Musi

Yamuna

Yamuna River is one of the major tributaries of the Ganga River. At a length of 1376 km, Yamuna passes through Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Yamuna rises in the Yamunotri Glacier, and then flows through the Northern Plain.

Although not a navigable river, the presence of various canals on Yamuna helps it with extensive irrigation benefits. The Doab region (fertile region between Yamuna and Ganga) is fully irrigated.

Tributaries of Yamuna

• Tons
• Chambal
• Hindon
• Betwa
• Ken
• Giri
• Sind
• Uttangan
• Sengar

Narmada

Narmada is the largest west flowing Peninsular River in India. It rises near the Amarkantak range in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the largest river in Gujarat. Before entering the Gulf of Cambay, it passes through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Gujarat.

Tributaries of Narmada

• Burhner
• Halon
• Heran
• Banjar
• Dudhi
• Shakkar
• Tawa
• Barna
• Kolar
• Ganjal
• Beda
• Goi
• Orsang

Indus

Also known as the Sindhu river, it is one of the largest river basins in the world. It flows through China, India and Pakistan. It is also known as Singi Khambai, meaning the Lion Mouth.

It originates in the Tibetan region from a glacier near Bokhar Chu. It is situated at an altitude of 4,164 m in the Kailash Mountain Range.

Tributaries of Indus

• Zaskar
• Suru
• Soan
• Jhelum
• Chenab
• Ravi
• Beas
• Satluj
• Panjnad
• Shyok
• Gilgit
• Hunza
• Swat
• Kunnar
• Kurram
• Gomal
• Kabul

Brahmaputra

With a width of 80 km, Brahmaputra is one of the largest rivers in the world. It is ranked fifth, in terms of average discharge. Originating in the Kailash range of Himalayas, it enters India after flowing through Tibet to Arunachal Pradesh. It then flows through Assam & Bangladesh before joining the Bay of Bengal.

The literal meaning of Brahmaputra is the “son of Brahma”. It is also known as Tsango. It is a trans-boundary river.

Tributaries of Brahmaputra

• Lohit
• Dibang
• Subansiri
• Jiabharali
• Dhansiri
• Manas
• Torsa
• Sankosh
• Teesta

Mahanadi

Mahanadi is the third largest peninsular river of India. It is the largest river in the state of Odisha. Mahanadi literally means “great river”.

Mahanadi basin covers the states of Chattisgarh, Odisha, along with a small portion of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. With a drainage of 1.4 lakh sq km. It is bounded by Central Indian hills on the north, Eastern Ghats on South and east, and Maikala range on west.

Tributaries of Mahanadi

• Seonath
• Jonk
• Hasdeo
• Mand,
• Ib
• Ong
• Tel

Kaveri

Kaveri or Cauvery river is designated as the “Ganga of the South”. It is 800 km in length. Before descending the Eastern Ghats, it flows through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry. It is bounded by Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. Some ridges between Krishna and Pennar basin separate Cauvery river.

The Kaveri river basin receives rainfall from the North-East and the South-West Monsoon.

Tributaries of Kaveri

• Harangi
• Hemavathy
• Kabini
• Suvarnavathi
• Lakshmanathirtha
• Shimsha
• Arkavathy
• Amaravathi
• Bhavani

Tapti

With a length of 724 km, Tapti is a major river in peninsular India. It originates in Multai, a place in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. Tapti is one of the rivers which flows from east to west.

It flows through Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. It merges with the Arabian sea through the Gulf of Cambay.

Tributaries of Tapti

• Vaki
• Gomai
• Arunavati
• Aner
• Nesu
• Arunavati
• Buray
• Panjhra
• Bori