River Narmada

The Narmada River is also called the Reva, Narbada, or anglicised as ‘Nerbudda’. The term ‘Narmada’ means ‘The Giver of Pleasure’ in the Sanskrit language. It is the fifth-longest waterway and the longest west-streaming stream in India. The Narmada River majorly flows through these states of India – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. It is the biggest streaming waterway in the territory of Madhya Pradesh. Narmada creates a conservative boundary between North and South India. It flows over a length of 1,312 Km in the West direction before it drains through the Gulf of Khambhat and then falls into the Arabian Sea. The unique fact about this river is that it is one of the two predominant rivers that flow from the West to the East. 

Features of the Narmada Basin  

Some important features of the Narmada basin are: 

• A small reservoir named Narmada Kund is the origin of this river. It is located in the Amarkantak hills in the district of Anuppur of East Madhya Pradesh. It has an altitude of 1,057 metres. 

• This river spreads over a total area of 98,796 sq. km. This river measurement accounts for about 3% of the total geographical area of the Indian subcontinent. 

• The topography of this holy river basin is: 

1. It is surrounded by the Vindhyas in the North direction 

2. It is guarded by the Maikala range in the East direction 

3. It is bounded by the Satpuras in the South direction

4. It is circumscribed by the Arabian Sea in the West direction

• As the catchment area lies in the extreme northern part of the country, it majorly covers Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and a few regions of Maharashtra and Chattisgarh. 

• The catchment area of river Narmada encompasses five prime geographical areas. They are: 

1. The upper mountain region encircles the districts of Mandha, Shahdol, Balaghat, Durg, and Seoni.

2. The upper terrain encircles the districts of Narsimhapur, Jabalpur, Damoh, Sagar, Hoshangabad, Chhindwara, Raisen, Betul, and Sehore.

3. The central terrain encircles parts of west Nimar, the districts of East Nimar, Indore, Dewas, and Dhar.

4. The lower mountain region – Parts of  West Nimar, Dhulia, Jhabua, Narmada, and Vadodara are included in this region.

5. The lower terrain region – predominantly includes the districts of Bharuch, Narmada, and parts of Vadodara.

Tributaries

There are 41 tributaries of Narmada in total. However, 8 predominant tributaries join from the right bank and 11 tributaries from the left bank.

The following table shows the predominant tributaries along with the length of each tributary.

The right bank tributaries of Narmada: 

Left-bank tributaries of Narmada

The Biodiversity of Narmada – National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

• The eco-region houses up to 76 types of fauna and 276 species of birds, out of which none are endemic. 

• Around 30% of the eco-region is canvassed in generally flawless vegetation. 

• About 5% of this region exists in safeguarded regions.

• The Kanha National Park is located in the upper ranges of Narmada. It boasts of a few wild creatures, including tigers.

• The two feeders of Narmada – Hallon and Banjar tributaries – pass through this park. 

• The Satpura National Park was constructed in 1981. It is situated in the city of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. This national park is necessary to maintain extremely rich biodiversity. 

• The biodiversity of fauna includes tiger, panther, sambar, chital, bhedki, nilgai, four-horned impala, chinkara, gaur, wild pig, wild canine, sloth bear, dark buck, fox, and many more. The greenery of the public park comprises essentially sal, teak, tendu, aonla, mahua, bael, bamboo, and an assortment of grasses and restorative plants.

• Timberland regions outside safeguarded regions are likewise very rich in the flower and faunal variety.

Cultural and Spiritual Significance of this Holy River 

• The legend goes that a plunge in any of these seven streams washes one’s wrongdoings away. 

• As per another legend, a type of a dark cow comes to the Narmada River to wash and purge itself in its sacred waters.

• The stream was referenced by Ptolemy in the second century AD as ‘Namade’, and by the creator of the Periplus. 

• The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas allude to it much of the time.

• There are numerous tales about the beginning of the Narmada. As per one of them, when Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the universe, reflected so hard that he began sweating. Shiva’s perspiration gathered in a tank and began streaming as a waterway – the Narmada. 

Conclusion  

The river Narmada is additionally called the Reva, Narbada, or anglicised as Nerbudda. The term ‘Narmada’ means ‘The Giver of Pleasure’. It flows through these states of India – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. It is the biggest streaming waterway in the territory of Madhya Pradesh. The eco-region is home to 76 types of creatures and 276 bird species, none of which are endemic. There are 41 tributaries of Narmada in total. However, 8 predominant tributaries join from the right bank and 11 tributaries from the left bank. It is believed that Shiva’s perspiration gathered in a tank and began streaming as the Narmada waterway. It is accepted that a plunge in any of the seven streams in the region washes one’s wrongdoings away.