Rivers in India

The Indian River system comprises of seven main rivers and various other tributaries across. The Bay of Bengal takes in most of the water of the rivers however the Arabian Sea takes in the water coming out of India’s western part and eastern part of Himachal Pradesh. There is a system of inland drainage in the parts of dry region of Thar Desert, northern parts of the Aravalli range and also some part of Ladakh.

Importance of River

Rivers constitute an important part in the people of India’s lives. The River provides various facilities for irrigation, cheap transportation, potable water, livelihood of various people across the country and in rural areas and electricity. This is main reason of cities being located near the banks of rivers.

Spiritual and Cultural Importance

The Rivers have a spiritual importance as well in the Hindu Dharma, according to Hindu mythology, there are three main Gods namely Brahma - the creator, Shiva – the destroyer and Vishnu - the sustainer. Yamuna River is considered as Vishnu, Ganga River as Shiva and Saraswati River as Brahma. All these three rivers meet at the Prayag Sangam which is most sacred and holy place of worship and the site where Kumbh festival is celebrated.

Rivers have been known as the source of romance, velour, detachment, devotion, religion, wisdom, belief and knowledge. They depict the evolution of art and culture along with dance, music, intellect, epic and history. The Demigods and Demons churned the oceans in order to gain nectar which is used to become immortal.

Celebrations on Rivers

During the solar and lunar eclipse, it is believed that on taking bath in the holy rivers a person can get rid of his sins. There is also a holy bath on the day of full moon day known as Poornima in the river Ganga. And it is also believed to take a bath on the Day of Makar Sakranti so there are various celebration and ceremonies made in these rivers including the tribute of Pitra Paksh.

Major Rivers of India

The various rivers includes Chambal, Betwa, Kosi, Brahmaputra, Son, Gomti, Ghaghra, Gandak, Indus, Ravi, Sutlej, Beas etc which flow from various parts of the world.

• The Longest River is the Ganges in India.
• The Longest tributary of India is Yamuna.

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