The holy and sacred Krishna river is named after Lord Krishna. Previously this river was known as Kistna. It is situated in the south-central part of India. The river covers a total length of 1290 kilometres. It is an east-flowing river. It is ranked as the fourth largest peninsular river in India. The river arises a few miles from the Arabian sea and falls into the Bay of Bengal. 

Krishna river is the lifeline of four major states of India. They are Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. This river is one of the most predominant rivers that flows through India and carries immense cultural significance. The river is considered holy and sacred by the Hindus. 

Important features 

This river is considered one of the most predominant east-flowing rivers in peninsular India. The following are a few key features of the Krishna river:

• The origin of the river is in the Jor village (Satara district), located in the state of Maharashtra (Mahabaleshwar), in the Western Ghats. It has an elevation of 1336 metres.
• The delta of this river is known to be one of the most productive places in India.
• Wai, the oldest city in Maharashtra, is situated on the banks of this river.
• This is one of the potentially environmentally damaging rivers in the entire world. This is because it can severely corrode lands in the monsoon season. In June and August, this river causes a notable amount of corrosion while flowing.
• One of the most important tributaries of this river is an association of two famous rivers- Tunga and Bhadra. It is named Tungabhadra. 
• The Krishna basin spreads up to an area of 2,58,948 square kilometres.
• This basin is roughly in the shape of a triangle.
• The topography of this river:

1. It is surrounded by the Balaghat range in the north direction.
2. It is bounded by the Eastern Ghats in the south and east direction.
3. It is guarded by the Western Ghats in the west direction. 

• The river creates a large delta and has a shoreline of 120 kilometres.
• There is a fluctuation throughout the years as it is fed by the seasonal monsoon rainfall.
• This holy river occupies a total geographical area of 8 per cent.

The occupancy of the Krishna river in various states in India 

The table below shows the occupancy of this river in India. 

The course of the river 

This river flows in the south direction after originating in Maharashtra. From the slopes of the Western Ghats, Konya, Varna, Panchganga, and Dudh Ganga tributaries of this river flow in the east direction. It takes a turn in the east direction after entering the state of Karnataka. The largest tributary of this river is the Bhima. It flows through the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana. It flows for about 861 kilometres before merging with the Krishna river. 

In Kurnool, the Krishna river is joined by the tributary Tungabhadra which is another predominant river tributary from the south of India. This drains the major part of the Western Ghats in Karnataka. The other smaller tributaries like Dindi, Musi, and Palleru drain the northeast parts of the basin and later flow through Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. These minor rivers do not add much water to the Krishna river.

Major tributaries

The following table gives an overview of the river tributaries along with the lengths and places they are situated.

• The major right-bank tributaries are Koyna, Venna, Panchganga, Ghataprabha, Dudhganga, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra.

• The major left-bank tributaries are Dindi, Bhima, Peddavagu, Musi, Halia, Paleru, and Munneru.

Rainfall pattern 

The Krishna basin gets an annual rainfall of about 90% by the southwest monsoon. However, this rainfall is distributed unevenly and varies spatially with the basin. The upper reach of this basin is a 25-kilometre wide zone of the Western Ghats. This part of the river receives the heaviest rainfalls in the area. 

The annual rainfall can be approximated between 1000 to 3000 mm. Some parts of the river reach the area of the Western Ghats that receive 600 mm of rainfall annually. However, the amount of rainfall gradually increases to 900 mm as the rivers move towards the east coast. The average rainfall is 784 mm in this basin.

Cultural importance 

In the state of Maharashtra, this river is bounded by Ghats throughout its length. Hence, many temples of religious importance are built on these Ghats. This river was further beautified by building the Menawali ghat on it. One of the most significant things about this river is that one of the twelve Jyotirlingas is situated in Srisailam, on the banks of this holy river. The Amareshwara temple in Amravati is located along this river. 

Conclusion  

The holy and sacred Krishna river is named after Lord Krishna. Previously this river was known as Kistna. This river is situated in the south-central part of India. This river covers a total length of 1290 kilometres. The origin of the river is the Jor village in the district of Satara in the state of Maharashtra (Mahabaleshwar) in the Western Ghats. The river occupies a total geographical area of 8 percent. This river flows in the south direction after originating in Maharashtra. The Krishna basin gets an annual rainfall of about 85% by the southwest monsoon. One of the most significant things about this river is that one of the 12 Jyotirlingas is situated in Srisailam, on the banks of this holy river.