Rivers of India

47 rivers drawn source to mouth — Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems, east- and west-flowing rivers, every UPSC river PYQ.

On this map (47)

INDUS · Ladakh — Tibet → Ladakh → Pakistan → Arabian Sea. Rises near Lake Mansarovar (Tibet); enters India at Demchok, flows past Leh between the Ladakh and Zanskar ranges
Jhelum · Jammu & Kashmir — Verinag → Wular → Pakistan. Rises at the Verinag spring; flows through Srinagar and WULAR lake ✓ (UPSC 2023)
Chenab · Jammu & Kashmir — Chandra + Bhaga (Lahaul) → J&K → Pakistan. Formed by the Chandra and Bhaga at Tandi (Lahaul, HP)
Ravi · Himachal Pradesh — Kullu hills → Chamba → Punjab border → Pakistan. Rises in the Bara Bhangal area of Kangra–Kullu; flows through Chamba
Beas · Himachal Pradesh — Beas Kund → Kullu → Pong → Harike. Rises at Beas Kund near Rohtang; Kullu–Manali, Mandi, Pandoh and Pong
SUTLEJ · Himachal Pradesh — Rakas Tal (Tibet) → Shipki La → Bhakra → Harike. Rises at Rakas Tal in Tibet; enters India at Shipki La — the one that does not originate in India (UPSC 2009)
GANGA · Uttar Pradesh — Gangotri → Haridwar → Prayagraj → Farakka → Bay of Bengal. Bhagirathi (Gaumukh, Gangotri) + Alaknanda meet at Devprayag to form the Ganga
YAMUNA · Uttar Pradesh — Yamunotri → Delhi → Agra → Prayagraj. Rises at Yamunotri; Delhi, Mathura, Agra; meets the Ganga at Prayagraj (Sangam)
Chambal · Rajasthan — Janapav (Mhow) → Kota → ravines → Yamuna. Rises at Janapav near Mhow (Vindhya); flows MP → Rajasthan → UP ✓ (UPSC 1982)
Betwa · Madhya Pradesh — Raisen → Rajghat → Matatila → Yamuna. Rises near Bhopal (Raisen); Rajghat and Matatila dams
Ken · Madhya Pradesh — Kaimur hills → Panna → Banda → Yamuna. Flows through Panna Tiger Reserve (Raneh falls, gharial sanctuary)
Son · Madhya Pradesh — Amarkantak → Bansagar → Bihar → Ganga near Patna. Rises near Amarkantak; flows north to join the Ganga above Patna
Ramganga · Uttar Pradesh — Dudhatoli hills → Corbett → Moradabad → Ganga (Kannauj). Rises in the Garhwal hills; Kalagarh dam in Corbett
Gomti · Uttar Pradesh — Pilibhit → Lucknow → Jaunpur → Ganga. Plains-fed river (not from the Himalaya); flows through Lucknow and Jaunpur
Ghaghara · Uttar Pradesh — Tibet → Nepal (Karnali) → Ayodhya → Ganga (Chhapra). The Karnali of Nepal; with the Sarda (Kali) it enters UP
Gandak · Bihar — Nepal (Kali Gandaki) → Valmiki → Hajipur. Kali Gandaki / Narayani of Nepal; enters at Valmikinagar
KOSI · Bihar — Nepal (Sapt Kosi) → Bihar → Ganga. Seven Himalayan streams (Sapt Kosi) meet in Nepal
Damodar · Jharkhand — Chota Nagpur → DVC dams → Hooghly. Flows in a RIFT valley made by down-warping ✓ (UPSC 1998)
Subarnarekha · Jharkhand — Ranchi plateau → Hundru → Jamshedpur → Bay of Bengal. Rises near Ranchi; Hundru falls; flows past Jamshedpur to the sea near Balasore
Teesta · Sikkim — North Sikkim glaciers → Siliguri → Bangladesh. Rises in north Sikkim (Tso Lhamo / Zemu glacier) — not at the Brahmaputra’s source ✗
BRAHMAPUTRA · Assam — Tibet (Tsangpo) → Siang → Assam → Bangladesh (Jamuna). Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet; U-turn round Namcha Barwa = syntaxial bending (UPSC 2011)
Subansiri · Arunachal Pradesh — Tibet → Arunachal → Assam. Largest tributary of the Brahmaputra; flows through Arunachal ✓ (UPSC 2014)
Lohit · Arunachal Pradesh — Tibet (Zayu) → Parshuram Kund → Sadiya. Brahmaputra tributary ✓ (UPSC 2016) that flows through Arunachal ✓ (UPSC 2014)
Manas · Assam — Bhutan → Manas NP → Brahmaputra. Rises in Bhutan; Manas National Park (UNESCO) on the border
Barak · Assam — Manipur hills → Silchar → Bangladesh (Surma–Meghna). Rises in the Manipur hills; Barak valley (Silchar); becomes the Surma–Meghna
MAHANADI · Odisha — Sihawa (Chhattisgarh) → Hirakud → Cuttack delta. Rises near Sihawa, Chhattisgarh ✓ (UPSC 2006); Hirakud dam; delta at Cuttack
Brahmani · Odisha — South Koel + Sankh (Rourkela) → Bhitarkanika. Formed by the South Koel and Sankh at Rourkela; delta with the Baitarani at Bhitarkanika
GODAVARI · Telangana — Trimbakeshwar (Nashik) → Telangana → Andhra delta. Rises at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra ✓ (UPSC 2006); ~1,465 km, longest peninsular river
Wainganga · Maharashtra — Seoni hills → joins Wardha → Pranhita. Rises in the Seoni hills (MP); Pench and Kanha country
Wardha · Maharashtra — Satpura (Multai) → Chandrapur → Pranhita. Wardha valley coalfield (Chandrapur, Ballarpur)
Indravati · Chhattisgarh — Kalahandi (Odisha) → Bastar → Godavari. Rises in Kalahandi, Odisha; Chitrakote falls in Bastar
Manjira · Telangana — Balaghat range → Nizam Sagar → Godavari. Godavari tributary; Nizam Sagar is on the Manjira ✓ (UPSC 2000)
KRISHNA · Karnataka — Mahabaleshwar → Almatti → Srisailam → Nagarjuna Sagar → delta. Rises at Mahabaleshwar; tributaries Koyna, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Bhima, Tungabhadra, Musi
Bhima · Maharashtra — Bhimashankar → Pandharpur → Krishna. Rises at Bhimashankar; Ujani dam
Tungabhadra · Karnataka — Tunga + Bhadra (Shivamogga) → Hampi → Krishna. Formed by the Tunga and Bhadra at Koodli
Pennar · Andhra Pradesh — Nandi hills → Gandikota → Nellore. Rises in the Nandi hills (Karnataka); carved the Gandikota canyon ✓ (UPSC 2022)
CAUVERY · Karnataka — Talakaveri (Kodagu) → KRS → Mettur → Thanjavur delta. Rises at Talakaveri (Kodagu, Karnataka) — “rises in AP” ✗ (UPSC 2006)
Vaigai · Tamil Nadu — Varusanad hills → Madurai → Palk Bay. Flows through Madurai; gets Periyar water through the Mullaperiyar dam
NARMADA · Madhya Pradesh — Amarkantak → Jabalpur → Sardar Sarovar → Gulf of Khambhat. Rises at Amarkantak ✓ (UPSC 2007); flows WEST ✓ (UPSC 1983) in a rift valley between the Vindhya and Satpura (UPSC 1982)
Tapi · Madhya Pradesh — Multai (Betul) → Khandesh → Ukai → Surat. Rises at Multai, Madhya Pradesh ✓ (UPSC 2006); flows south of the Satpura ✓ (UPSC 2005)
Mahi · Rajasthan — Vindhya (Dhar) → Banswara → Gulf of Khambhat. Rises in the Vindhya (MP), loops through Rajasthan into Gujarat
Sabarmati · Gujarat — Aravalli (Udaipur) → Ahmedabad → Gulf of Khambhat. Rises in the Aravalli; Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram and the riverfront in Ahmedabad
Luni · Rajasthan — Pushkar valley → Balotra → Rann of Kutch. Rises near Ajmer; turns salty below Balotra
Ghaggar · Haryana — Shivalik → Sirsa → Hanumangarh → Thar. Seasonal river dying out in the Thar; often linked to the lost Saraswati; Kalibangan on its bank
Banas · Rajasthan — Kumbhalgarh (Aravalli) → Bisalpur → Chambal. Rises in the Aravalli near Kumbhalgarh; Bisalpur dam; joins the Chambal
Sharavati · Karnataka — Ambutirtha → Linganamakki → Jog Falls → Honnavar. West-flowing; Jog Falls — Sharavati ✓ (UPSC 2008)
Periyar · Kerala — Sivagiri hills → Idukki → Aluva → Arabian Sea. Kerala’s longest river; Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams

Asked in exams

UPSC 2021River joining the Indus directly (key) → Sutlej
UPSC 2023Jhelum passes through Wular ✓
UPSC 2010Wular Lake — Jhelum ✓
UPSC 2009Dul Hasti → Chenab
UPSC 2010Chenab passes through HP ✓
UPSC 2010Ravi passes through HP ✓
UPSC 2010Beas passes through HP ✓
UPSC 2014Harike – Beas and Satluj ✓
UPSC 2009Does not originate in India → Sutlej
UPSC 2021Joins the Indus directly → Sutlej
UPSC 1991Rajasthan canal’s source → Sutlej
UPSC 2024Downstream of Prayagraj W → E → Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi
UPSC 1983Mahatma Gandhi Setu → Ganga
UPSC 1980Farakka agreement → sharing Ganga water
UPSC 2010Yamuna passes through HP ✓
UPSC 1982Chambal → UP, MP, Rajasthan
UPSC 2008Chambal — Narmada ✗
UPSC 2017Gharials → Chambal
UPSC 2008Sone — Yamuna ✗
UPSC 2024W → E order starts with the Gomti
UPSC 2024Gomti → Ghaghara → Gandak → Kosi
UPSC 2023Meandering of Gandak formed Kanwar ✗
UPSC 1982Kosi project → Kosi river
UPSC 1984Kosi — Gujarat ✗
UPSC 1998Rift valley by down-warping → Damodar
UPSC 2021Subarnarekha rises in the Eastern Ghats ✗
UPSC 2002East-flowing order starts with the Subarnarekha
UPSC 2017Teesta: same source as Brahmaputra ✗, Rangeet from Sikkim ✓, reaches Bay of Bengal ✗
UPSC 2011U-turn → syntaxial bending of the young Himalaya
UPSC 2016Dibang, Kameng, Lohit → all tributaries
UPSC 2014Lohit and Subansiri flow through Arunachal ✓
UPSC 2014Lohit flows through Arunachal ✓
UPSC 2016Lohit is a Brahmaputra tributary ✓
UPSC 2008Manas — Brahmaputra ✓
UPSC 2014Barak flows through Arunachal ✗
UPSC 2006Mahanadi rises in Chhattisgarh ✓
UPSC 1982Hirakud → Mahanadi
UPSC 2021Brahmani rises in the Eastern Ghats ✗
UPSC 2006Godavari rises in Maharashtra ✓
UPSC 2015Godavari tributaries → Indravati and Pranhita
UPSC 2003Length order → Godavari, Narmada, Mahanadi, Tapi
UPSC 2015Indravati is a Godavari tributary ✓
UPSC 2000Nizam Sagar is on the Manjira ✓
UPSC 1999Krishna → Almatti
UPSC 2010Kolleru — Krishna ✗
UPSC 2020Pandharpur — Chandrabhaga ✓
UPSC 2020Hampi — Malaprabha ✗
UPSC 2023Devaraya I dammed the Tungabhadra
UPSC 2022Gandikota canyon → Pennar
UPSC 2015Pennar is not a Godavari tributary
UPSC 2006Cauvery rises in Andhra Pradesh ✗
UPSC 2020Tiruchirappalli — Cauvery ✓
UPSC 1999Cauvery → Mettur
UPSC 2002East-flowing N → S order ends with the Vaigai
UPSC 2007Rises at Amarkantak → Narmada
UPSC 1983Flows westward → Narmada
UPSC 1982Between Vindhya and Satpura → Narmada
UPSC 2008Omkareshwar → Narmada
UPSC 2006Tapi rises in Madhya Pradesh ✓
UPSC 2005Tapi lies south of the Satpura ✓

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