The term river system refers to the ‘river along with its tributaries'.

Based on their source, the Indian River system is classified into - Himalayan Rivers and Peninsular Rivers.

The Himalayan Rivers, as the name suggests, originate from the Himalayas and flow through the Northern Plains.

The major Himalayan River systems are:

 The Indus River System

 The Ganga River System
 The Yamuna River System
 The Brahmaputra River System

Peninsular River System or Peninsular Drainage emerges mainly from the Western Ghats. Since the Western
Ghats form a ‘water divide’, these rivers either flow eastwards into the Bay of Bengal or into the Arabian Sea
towards the west. Peninsular Rivers are ‘rain-fed’ rivers.

The major Peninsular River Systems are:

 Mahanadi
 Godavari
 Krishna
 Cauvery

They drain into the Bay of Bengal as they flow eastwards on the plateau and make ‘deltas’ at their mouths; whereas
the Narmada, Tapti - the west-flowing rivers fall into the Arabian Sea and make ‘estuaries’.

These do not originate in glaciers but are rain-fed rivers. These rivers reduce considerably or dry up during
summers.

THE HIMALAYAN RIVERS

Indus River System

The reference to the Indus River or Sindhu River is found in the early Hindu Scriptures and mythological texts. It is
known as the ‘Puranik River’. The river originates in Tibet near Mansarovar Lake. Flowing westwards, it enters India
in Jammu and Kashmir, further flows through Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and enters Pakistan. Flowing further
westwards, it reaches the Arabian Sea near Karachi. Indus is the largest river in Pakistan and is the country's
national river. Its tributaries in India are Zanskar, Nubra and Shyok, and Hunza in Pakistan. Sutlej, Ravi, Beas,
Chenab, and Jhelum are its other tributaries after which the state of Punjab is named.

Ganga River System

Ganga (Ganges) River system is the largest river system in India. It originates in the Gangotri glaciers. The
upstream Bhagirathi joins the other stream named Alaknanda at Devprayag to form River Ganga. Ganga has
tributaries on both banks; its right bank tributaries are the Yamuna (which is a major river), and Son. While Gomti,
Ghaghara, Gandak, and Kosi are some left bank tributaries. The Ganges flows through the Indian states of
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. It finally reaches the
Bay of Bengal.

Yamuna River System

The Yamuna is a major river system in Northern India. The river rises from Yamnotri and flows through Uttrakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. It passes through Delhi, Mathura, and Agra and meets the rivers Chambal, Betwa, and
Ken to finally join the Ganga at Allahabad. Major tributaries of Yamuna are Tons, Chambal, Hindon, Betwa, and
Ken.
Brahmaputra River System

The Brahmaputra, one of the major rivers in India, originates in the Angsi glacier of the Himalayas in Tibet. There it
is known as the Tsangpo River. It enters India in Arunachal Pradesh and is called the Dihang River. It is joined by
many other tributaries; the Dibang, the Lohit, and the Kenula to form the main Brahmaputra River and flow its
longest course through Assam, enter Bangladesh and finally fall into the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra has the
greatest volume of water of all the rivers in India.

THE PENINSULAR RIVERS

Mahanadi

The Mahanadi is a major river in East-central India. It originates in the Sihava mountains of Chhattisgarh and flows
its major course through the state of Orissa (Odisha). This river deposits more silt than any other river in the Indian
subcontinent. Mahanadi flows through cities Sambalpur, Cuttack, and Banki.

Godavari

The Godavari River covers the second-longest course in India after the Ganga. The river originates at
Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra, and together with its tributaries (Pravara, Indravati, Maner Sabri, etc.,) flows
through the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa (Odisha), Telangana, Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, and Puducherry, to finally flow into the Bay of Bengal. Thanks to its long course, the river is described
as Dakshina Ganga.

Krishna River

The Krishna is the third-longest river in India with a length of about 1,300 km. Originating from Maharashtra's
Mahabaleshwar region, it flows through Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh to finally pour into the Bay of
Bengal. The major tributaries of river Krishna are Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Bhima and Tungabhadra.

Kaveri River

The Kaveri (Cauvery) is a major river in Southern India and originates in Kogadu, Karnataka in the form of a spring
at Brahmagiri Hill at Tala Kaveri. Also known as the Ganges of the South, it is one of the holiest rivers in South
India. Kaveri River widens as many tributaries such as Hemavati, Moyari, Shimsha, Arkavati, Honnuhole, Kabini,
Bhavani, Noyill and Amaravati join it. It slithers about 805 kilometres across the three states, Karnataka, Kerala, and
Tamil Nadu, slightly touching Pudducherry and drains into the Bay of Bengal.

Narmada and Tapi or Tapti

The Narmada and the Tapti are the only major rivers that flow into the Arabian Sea. The total length of the Narmada
flowing through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat equals 1,312 km. Amarkantak in Shahdol,
Madhya Pradesh is the place of origin of Narmada. Flowing mainly through Central India, from eastward direction to
westward, Narmada merges into the Arabian Sea.

The Tapti follows a parallel course to the South of Narmada, flowing through the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat
on its way into the Gulf of Khambhat. Its three major tributaries are Purna, Girna, and Panjhra.

Almost all the major Indian cities are situated on the banks of their rivers. Indian rivers also play a crucial role in the
lives of its people, economically as well as culturally. Indian agriculture is dependent on irrigation of water drawn
from its network of rivers. Most of its religious, cultural, and harvest festivals are celebrated on the banks of rivers.
Like most ancient religions, the Hindu religion and its mythology regard rivers as sacred. There are nine important
rivers of India and are The Ganges, Yamuna (a tributary of the Ganges), Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Narmada,
Godavari, Tapi, Krishna, and Kaveri. Parts of the Indus River also flow over Indian soil.

Eight important rivers, together with their various tributaries, comprise the River System of India. The majority of the
rivers discharge their waters into the Bay of Bengal; nevertheless, a number of the rivers whose itineraries take
them across the western end of India and in the direction of the east pour into the Arabian Sea. Northern portions of
the Aravalli range, portions of Ladakh, and the barren areas of the Thar Desert have Inland Drainage. (Refers to
drainage where the rivers do not reach an ocean or sea but empty their waters in a lake or an inland sea).

  
The River Systems of India 

Length
Name Area Originates From Ends in Places Benefited
(km)
3180/ 1114 3,21,289 in Tibet in northern slopes of Arabian
Indus India and Pakistan
in India Sq.Km. Mount Kailash sea
Uttar Pradesh,
1.08 million Bay of
Ganga (Bhagirathi) 2525 Gangotri in Uttrakhand Uttrakhand, Bihar,
Sq.Km. Bengal
West Bengal
Bay of Delhi, Haryana and
Yamuna (Jamuna) 1376 366223 Sq.Km. Yamunotri in Garhwall
Bengal UP
916 - in 194413 Sq.Km. Bay of Assam, Arunachal
Brahmaputra Angsi glacier in Tibet
India - in India Bengal Pradesh
Kaveri (Dakshina
Brahmagiri hills in Kogadu, Bay of Karnataka and Tamil
Ganga or Ganges of the 765 81155 Sq.Km.
Karnataka Bengal Nadu
south)
3,12,812 Bay of South-eastern part of
Godavari 1465 Triambakeshwar in Maharashtra
Sq.Km. Bengal Andhra Pradesh
Bay of Maharashtra &
Krishna 1400 258948 Sq.Km. Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra
Bengal Andhra Pradesh
Arabian Madhya Pradesh and
Narmada 1312 98,796 Sq.Km. Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh
Sea Maharashtra
Betul district of Madhya Pradesh Arabian Madhya Pradesh and
Tapti 724 65,300 Sq.Km.
in the Satpura range Sea Maharashtra
1,41,600 Sihava mountains of Bay of Jharkhand,
Mahanadi 858
Sq.Km. Chhattisgarh Bengal Chhattisgarh, Orissa
Bay of Madurai in Tamil
Vaigai 258 7,741Sq.Km. Varusanadu Hills
Bengal Nadu
Sivagiri peaks of Sundaramala, Bay of Tamil Nadu and
Periyar 244 5,398 Sq.Km.
Tamil Nadu. Bengal Kerala
Agastyarkoodam peak of
Gulf of
Thamirabarani 185 4,400 Sq.Km. Pothigai hills of the Western Tamil Nadu
Mannar
Ghats,