Explanation of the Origin of the Luni River

The Luni River is the only inflowing river in India. Luni is also called Lavanavati. This river originates from Anasagar (Nag Pahar ‘Ajmer’) near the Aravalli Mountains and flows in the southwest region, and joins the Rann of Kutch. The total length of this river is 495 km.

After meeting the Anasagar and Aravali mountains at the point of origin, it is called Sabarmati. It is called Luni after meeting with the Saraswati river coming from Pushkar near Govind Garh. 

The Luni river originates from Ajmer and flows in southwestern Rajasthan. Then, it starts flowing through Ajmer, Nagaur, Pali, Jodhpur, and Jalore and enters the Kutch district of Gujarat. It ends in the Rann of Kutch. The water of the Luni river becomes precious and sweet to taste till Balotra (Barmer); thereafter, it again becomes saline. This river has a speciality of broadening by its side area rather than increasing its height in the Jodhpur and Barmer districts. Due to this, people face big floods during the rainy season.

The catchment area of ​​the Luni basin is 69302.10 km. It is mainly spread over 11 districts Ajmer, Barmer, Bhilwara, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali, Rajsamand, Sirohi, and Udaipur. Barmer district has a maximum area under the Luni basin.

The name “Luni” is derived from the Sanskrit word Lavanagiri (salty river) and got this name due to the high salinity.

Here are some key features of the Luni river map

Origin: Luni originates in the western slopes of the Nag hill of the Aravalli range near Ajmer in the Rajasthan state of northwestern India, where it is known as Sabarmati.

Nature: From the western slopes, this river generally flows through the hills towards the southwest across the plains of this region. Then it travels through a part of the Thar desert and finally disappears in the barren land of the northwestern part of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

Runoff: The Luni is a seasonal river, and it drains mainly from the southwest slopes of the Aravalli range. The approximate area of ​​this river is about 34866.40 sq. km. Is. Its major tributaries are Jawai, Sukri, and Joji.

Contribution: It is the only major river of Kshetra, and it is an essential source of irrigation. Balotra (Barmer) is a major city situated on the banks of river Luni.

Tributaries of Luni: Originating from the Aravalli hills, the tributaries that meet Baylor in Luni are- Jawai, Sukdi, Sukdi, Sayla, Bandi, Bandi (Hemavas), Mithril, Khari, Khari (Hemavas), Jawai, Guhia, Sagi. The only tributary of the Luni river from the right is- Jojdi.

• Jawai River:- Jawai River originates from the hills of Goria village of Bali (Pali), situated on the border of Pali and Udaipur district. It flows through Pali and Jalore. In Jalore, near the Sayla village, it joins the Khari river. Jawai Dam is built on it near Sumerpur (Pali). Water is brought from the Sei Dam through a tunnel in the Jawai Dam.

• Khari River:-Its origin is from the hills of Shergaon in the Sirohi district. Its flow is in the Sirohi-Jalore district. This succulent is available during the day in Sayla village of Jalore.

• Sukri:- Its origin is in the Pali district, in which many drains like Ghanerao Nadi, Muthana Nala, Mengai Nadi, etc., together form a river; it flows in the Pali-Jalore-Barmer districts. The Samurai of Barmer joins the Luni river in the village. In Bankai village of Jalore, there is a bank dam on it.

• Bandi:- The origin of this river is Pali (Hemavas) district. It flows in Pali and joins the Luni river in Lakhar village on the border of Pali and Jodhpur; Guhia is its tributary.

• Sagi River:-Its origin is the hills of Jaswantpura in the Jalore district. It flows in the Jalore-Barmer districts. In Barmer, it joins the Luni river near Gandhav village. Its only tributary is the Kari Nadi.

• Guhia:-Guhia ends in two different villages of the Pali district. It joins Bandi near Fekaria village Pali.

• Midi:- This river is formed by a group of several drains originating from the Aravalli in the northwest Pali district; it flows in Pali and Jalore districts.

• Jojdi: The Jojdi river originates from the hills of Pondalu village of Nagaur district; its flow area is Nagaur-Jodhpur district. It is the only tributary of the Luni River, which joins the right side at Luni and does not originate from the Aravalli. Apart from this, all the other tributaries of Luni originate from the Aravalli.

Conclusion

Luni river originates from the western slopes of the Aravalli ranges at an elevation of 772 m above m.s.l. The Aravalli Range is a mountain range in northwestern India, running approximately 670 km southwest, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The highest peak is Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu at 1,722 metres. The Rann of Kutch is a large area of salt marshes that span the border between India and Pakistan. It is located in Gujarat, India, and Sindh, Pakistan. It is divided into the Great Rann and Little Rann.