List of Rivers in India

List of Major Rivers in India

S. No.	Name of River	Approximate Length	Origin / Course / Category / Importance
1	Ganga (Ganges)	2,525 km	Originates from the Gangotri glacier system in Uttarakhand; flows through northern India and Bangladesh. One of India's most important rivers for agriculture, culture and water supply.
2	Yamuna	1,376 km	Rises near Yamunotri in Uttarakhand; flows through Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh before joining the Ganga at Prayagraj.
3	Brahmaputra	About 2,900 km overall	Originates in the Tibetan Plateau, flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and continues into Bangladesh. Known for extensive flooding and fertile plains.
4	Indus	About 3,180 km overall	Rises in the Tibetan Plateau and flows through Ladakh and Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. A major river system of the Indian subcontinent.
5	Godavari	1,465 km	Originates near Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra and flows east into the Bay of Bengal. The longest river flowing entirely within India.
6	Krishna	About 1,400 km	Rises near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra and flows through Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh toward the Bay of Bengal.
7	Narmada	About 1,312 km	Originates at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and flows west through a rift valley into the Arabian Sea.
8	Tapi (Tapti)	About 724 km	Rises in the Satpura Range in Madhya Pradesh and flows west through Maharashtra and Gujarat into the Arabian Sea.
9	Mahanadi	About 851 km	Originates in Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha into the Bay of Bengal; supports irrigation and hydroelectric projects.
10	Kaveri (Cauvery)	About 800 km	Rises at Talakaveri in Karnataka and flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu toward the Bay of Bengal.
11	Sabarmati	About 371 km	Originates in the Aravalli Hills of Rajasthan and flows through Gujarat into the Gulf of Khambhat.
12	Mahi	About 583 km	Rises in Madhya Pradesh, flows through Rajasthan and Gujarat, and drains into the Gulf of Khambhat.
13	Luni	About 495 km	Originates in the Aravalli region of Rajasthan and flows through western Rajasthan toward the Rann of Kutch; an important river of the arid region.
14	Chambal	About 1,024 km	Rises in the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh and flows through Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh before joining the Yamuna.
15	Betwa	About 590 km	Originates in Madhya Pradesh and flows through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to join the Yamuna.
16	Son (Sone)	About 784 km	Rises near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and flows northeast to join the Ganga in Bihar.
17	Gandak	About 630 km	Originates in the Himalayas of Nepal and enters India through Bihar before joining the Ganga.
18	Kosi	About 720 km overall	Formed by Himalayan tributaries in Nepal; enters Bihar and joins the Ganga. Known for shifting channels and historical flooding.
19	Ghaghara	About 1,080 km overall	Rises in the Tibetan Himalayan region, flows through Nepal and Uttar Pradesh, and joins the Ganga in Bihar.
20	Gomti	About 960 km	Originates in Uttar Pradesh and flows through Lucknow before joining the Ganga near Ghazipur.
21	Ramganga	About 596 km	Rises in Uttarakhand and flows through Uttar Pradesh to join the Ganga.
22	Alaknanda	About 190 km	Himalayan headstream of the Ganga in Uttarakhand; meets the Bhagirathi at Devprayag.
23	Bhagirathi	About 205 km	Rises in the Gangotri glacier region and meets the Alaknanda at Devprayag, where the combined river is called the Ganga.
24	Teesta	About 414 km	Rises in the eastern Himalayas, flows through Sikkim and West Bengal, and continues into Bangladesh.
25	Barak	About 900 km overall	Rises in Manipur and flows through northeastern India into Bangladesh, where its downstream channels form part of the Surma-Meghna system.
26	Periyar	About 244 km	Originates in the Western Ghats of Kerala; an important source of water and hydroelectric power in the state.
27	Bharathapuzha	About 209 km	Also known as the Nila; flows through Tamil Nadu and Kerala into the Arabian Sea region.
28	Pamba	About 176 km	Flows through Kerala and is associated with the Sabarimala pilgrimage region.
29	Sharavathi	About 128 km	Flows through Karnataka's Western Ghats and forms the Jog Falls.
30	Mandovi	About 77 km	Flows through Karnataka and Goa into the Arabian Sea; important to Goa's waterways and ecosystems.
31	Zuari	About 92 km	A major river in Goa that drains into the Arabian Sea through an estuarine system.
32	Subarnarekha	About 395 km	Originates near Ranchi in Jharkhand and flows through West Bengal and Odisha into the Bay of Bengal.
33	Brahmani	About 799 km	Formed by the Sankh and South Koel rivers in Odisha's river system; drains into the Bay of Bengal.
34	Baitarani	About 360 km	Originates in Odisha and flows toward the Bay of Bengal; important to regional agriculture and water resources.
35	Pennar (Penna)	About 597 km	Rises in Karnataka and flows through Andhra Pradesh into the Bay of Bengal.
36	Palar	About 348 km	Originates in Karnataka and flows through Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu toward the Bay of Bengal.
37	Vaigai	About 258 km	Flows through Tamil Nadu, including the Madurai region, and supports irrigation in southern Tamil Nadu.
38	Thamirabarani	About 128 km	Rises in the Western Ghats and flows through southern Tamil Nadu into the Gulf of Mannar region.
39	Manas	About 376 km overall	Originates in the Bhutan Himalayas, flows through Assam and joins the Brahmaputra system.
40	Damodar	About 592 km	Flows through Jharkhand and West Bengal; historically associated with flooding and now regulated by dams.
41	Ajay	About 288 km	Flows through Jharkhand and West Bengal and joins the Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system.
42	Mayurakshi	About 250 km	Originates in Jharkhand and flows through West Bengal; supports irrigation and regional water supply.
43	Ravi	About 720 km overall	Originates in Himachal Pradesh and flows through the Punjab region before joining the Chenab system in Pakistan.
44	Beas	About 470 km	Rises in Himachal Pradesh and joins the Sutlej in Punjab; one of the five traditional rivers of Punjab.
45	Sutlej	About 1,450 km overall	Originates in Tibet, enters India through Himachal Pradesh, and flows into Pakistan as part of the Indus river system.
46	Chenab	About 960 km overall	Formed by the Chandra and Bhaga rivers in Himachal Pradesh; flows through Jammu and Kashmir and into Pakistan.
47	Jhelum	About 725 km overall	Originates at Verinag in Jammu and Kashmir, flows through the Kashmir Valley and Pakistan, and joins the Chenab system.
48	Ghaggar-Hakra	Length varies by section and definition	Seasonal river system flowing through parts of northern India; its lower continuation is associated with the Hakra channel in Pakistan.
49	Teesta's tributary Rangit	About 60 km	A Himalayan tributary in Sikkim that joins the Teesta river system.
50	Indravati	About 535 km	A major tributary of the Godavari, flowing through central India and supporting forests, wildlife and local agriculture.

Notes:

India has Himalayan rivers, which are often fed by glaciers and rainfall, and peninsular rivers, which depend more heavily on rainfall and regional drainage conditions.
Rivers such as the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Indus cross international borders; their total lengths include stretches outside India.
The Godavari is the longest river flowing entirely within India. The Ganga is among the country's most important river systems by cultural, economic and geographic significance.
Most major east-flowing peninsular rivers, including the Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi and Kaveri, drain into the Bay of Bengal. The Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea.
River lengths are approximate and may vary according to the source, measurement method and definition of the river system.
This list covers 50 major rivers and river systems; it does not include every tributary, seasonal stream or small river in India.

Educational references:

List of Rivers in India

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