A River is a natural flowing watercourse, often freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. Rivers acts a major role in the development of the country. India is a land of rivers and the Indian River System is categorized into two parts – Himalayan Rivers and Peninsular Rivers.
Many of the Indian rivers stream eastwards and drain into the Bay of Bengal but three rivers in India only run from east to the west Narmada, Mahi, and Tapti River. Though the Nile is the longest river in the world, have you ever searched for the longest river in India? If not yet, then let’s find out the 10 longest rivers of India from this page. Along with the Top 10 Largest Rivers in India, you would also find the details about Indian River Systems and major rivers of India.
So, let’s start with the Top 10 Longest Rivers in India and collect the information like length, origin, Tributaries, Discharge of its water, etc. for each Indian River.
Top 10 Longest Rivers in India | Rivers of India
| Name of Rivers | Length (Km) |
| 1. Indus River | 2900 |
| 2. Brahmaputra River | 2900 |
| 3. Ganga River | 2525 |
| 4. Godavari River | 1465 |
| 5. Krishna River | 1400 |
| 6. Yamuna River | 1376 |
| 7. Narmada River | 1312 |
| 8. Mahanadi River | 851 |
| 9. Kaveri River | 800 |
| 10. Tapi River | 724 |
List of Major Rivers of India Flowing into the Bay of Bengal
- Meghna River Basin
- Ganges River Basin
- Brahmaputra River Basin
- West Bengal Coastal
- Odisha Coastal
- Godavari River Basin
- Krishna River Basin
- Pennar River Basin
- Kaveri River Basin
- Tamil Nadu Coastal Rivers
Largest Rivers of India Flowing into the Arabian Sea
- Indus Basin
- Narmada River Basin
- Mahi River Basin
- Sabarmati River Basin
- Tapi River Basin
- Maharashtra Coastal Rivers
- Coastal rivers of Goa
- Karnataka Coastal Rivers
- Kerala Coastal Rivers
- Sindhu River
- Purna River
Important Rivers flowing into the Inner Part of India
- Ghaggar River in Haryana, Rajasthan
- Samir River
- Luni River at Rajasthan
- Bhavani River at Tamil Nadu
About Indian River Systems
The river systems of India can be classified into four groups viz.
- Himalayan rivers
- Deccan rivers
- Coastal rivers
- Rivers of the inland drainage basin.
List of Major Indian River Systems
Most of the rivers release their waters into the Bay of Bengal. Some of the rivers flow through the western part of the country and joins into the Arabian Sea. All major rivers of India originate from one of the three main watersheds-
- The Himalaya and the Karakoram range
- The Chota Nagpur plateau and Vindhya and Satpura range
- The Western Ghats
The following table provides details about the major river systems in India:
| Indian River Systems | ||
| River System | Total length | Length in India |
| Indus River System | 3180 km | 1114 km |
| Brahmaputra River System | 2900 km | 916 km |
| Ganga River System | 2510 km | 2510 km |
| Yamuna river System | 1376 km | 1376 km |
| Narmada River System | 1312 km | 1312 km |
| Tapi River System | 724 km | 724 km |
| Godavari River System | 1465 km | 1465 km |
| Krishna River System | 1400 km | 1400 km |
| Cauvery River System | 805 km | 805 km |
| Mahanadi River System | 851 km | 851 km |
Interesting Facts about Indian Rivers
The below points are some of the important facts about Indian Rivers and all they are most important for UPSC & Other Board Classes Quizzes, competitive exams, and board exams:
- Ganga is known as the Padma river when it enters Bangladesh.
- The Brahmaputra is the ninth largest river in the world by discharge and the 15th longest. It is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in China, Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh, and Jamuna in Bangladesh.
- Indus, Jhelum, Ravi and, Satluj are the rivers that originate in India and flow into Pakistan.
- Mahanadi used to be known as the distress of Odisha because it caused a lot of floods in the state. The situation has been brought under control by building Hirakud Dam on Mahanadi.
- Majuli is the river island in the Brahmaputra in the state of Assam. Majuli is the world’s largest river island in India.
- Most of the Indian rivers flow from the West to East direction to empty in the Bay of Bengal.
- Only a few like Narmada, Tapti, and Sabarmati rivers flow from East to West direction.
- River Yamuna is the longest tributary in India & the most polluted river in India.
- Thamirabarani is the only perennial river in South India.
- The Ganga and the Brahmaputra together form the largest delta in the world – the Sunderban Delta.
- Triveni Sangam is the place where three holy rivers, Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati, meet. It is located in Prayag Raj, also known as Sangam City.
- The Godavari is the longest river in Southern India and also known as Dakshin Ganga.
- The highest waterfall in India – Jog Falls is formed when the Sharavathi river flows from a height of 829 ft.
- Two major rivers flowing in Rajasthan – Luni, and Banas have inland water drainage, i.e., they do not empty into the ocean, but get lost in the sand.
Summary
We have listed all Top 10 longest, largest, & major Rivers in India. Also, you will found the Indian River System from the above article. So, find out the facts about Indian rivers and get complete knowledge about them to attempt various exams. Rivers hold prominent value not merely to human life but also helps animals and trees.
Moreover, visit our website for accurate information about Important Lakes in India & prepare for all primary and secondary exams as well as competitive exams, quizzes.