Major River Systems in India

The major river systems in India have been divided into two groups the Himalayan River system and the peninsular River system. The Himalayan River system comprises the three major rivers- the Indus river system, the Ganga river system and the Brahmaputra river system. These rivers are very long and have many tributaries. The river along with its tributaries make up the River system. The rivers of Himalayan river system are even older than the Himalayas. These rivers are perennial and are the greatest source of water for northern India. Before the formation of the Himalayas these rivers were flowing into the Tethys sea and their source is the Tibetan plateau region. Most of the Himalayan rivers form the antecedent drainage pattern.

Indus River System

• The name of India is after the Indus river and the famous Indus valley civilization was around this river. 

• The source of the Indus river is Kailash range in Tibet near Mansarovar lake.

• The length of the Indus river is about 3180 km and it flows through the Ladakh region of India and its length in India is 1114 km.

• Some of the Himalayan tributaries of the Indus river are Zanskar river, Shyok river, Gilgit, Dras, Shigar and Hunza.

• The main tributaries of the Indus river are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj.

• The gradient of the Indus river in Jammu and Kashmir is very gentle.

• The river drains into the Arabian Sea south of Karachi after forming a huge delta.

Jhelum River

• The Jhelum river arises from a spring at Verinag.

• The Wular Lake is situated at the Jhelum river.

• Jhelum joins Chenab at Trimmu.

Chenab River

• Chenab river is formed by joining two streams- Chandra and Bhaga, hence the Chenab river is also known as Chandrabhaga.

• It is the largest tributary of the Indus river.

Ravi River

• The Ravi river arises from the Kullu Hills near the Rohtang Pass in the Himachal Pradesh state.

• It is one of the important tributaries of the Indus river that flows between the area of Pir Panjal and Dhaola Dhar range.

Beas River

• The Beas river originates near the Rohtang pass near the source of Ravi river.

• It merges into Chenab.

Satluj River

• River originates from the Rakas lake near Mansarovar.

• It enters India through the Shipki La pass.

Brahmaputra River System

• The Brahmaputra river has its source in Mansarovar lake from the Chemayungdung glacier.

• The length of the Brahmaputra river is 3848 km and most of its course lies outside India.

• It is known as the Tsangpo river in Tibet.

• The major right Bank tributaries of Brahmaputra are Sankosh, Manas, Kameng and Subansiri.

• The major left Bank tributaries of the Brahmaputra river are Dhansiri, Burhi Dihing, Dibang and Lohit.

• The Brahmaputra river along with the Ganga river forms the largest delta in the world.

Ganga River System

• The Ganga river originates from the Gaumukh at the Gangotri glacier of Uttarakhand. 

• The Ganga river originates as Bhagirathi and later on it merges with Alaknanda at Devprayag and from here it is known as the Ganga. 

• The total length of the Ganga river is 2525 km in India. It is the largest river system of India. 

• It flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal state of India.

• It is the lifeline to millions of people in India.

• The major right bank tributaries of Ganga are Yamuna, Son and Punpun.

• The major left bank tributaries of Ganga are Mahananda, Kosi, Gandak, Ghaghara, Gomti and Ramganga.

• After entering Bangladesh, the Ganga river is known as Padma and after that it is joined by Jamuna river which is the largest tributary of Brahmaputra. 

Yamuna River

• The Yamuna river is the largest tributary of Ganga. 

• Yamuna river originates at the  Bandarpoonch peak of Yamunotri glacier in the Mussorie range of Uttarakhand. 

• It passes through the Nag Tibba, Mussoorie range and the Shiwalik range.

• The total length of the Yamuna river is 1376 km and merges with Ganga at the Triveni Sangam, Allahabad.

• The left bank tributary of this river is river Tons.

• The major right bank tributaries of Yamuna river are Chambal, Sindh, Betwa and Ken.

• The largest tributary is Chambal which has its own large basin in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. 

Conclusion 

The Himalayan River system comprises the Indus, the Brahmaputra and the Ganga river. The largest river system in India is the Ganga River system. It flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal state of India. It is the lifeline to millions of people in India. The name of India is after the Indus river and the famous Indus valley civilization was around this river. It is one of the important river systems of India which has five major tributaries- Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj. The Brahmaputra river has its source in Mansarovar lake from the Chemayungdung glacier. The Brahmaputra river along with the Ganga river forms the largest delta in the world. The major course of the Brahmaputra river lies outside India.