Longest River in India

India since ancient times has worshipped it’s rivers ,and venerated them with utmost dignity India is the kingdom of rivers ,with hundreds of rivers irrigating its mainland and providing livelihood to millions of farmers by irrigating their land and that is why rivers are “ The Lifelines of India “, the rivers of India play important role in development of biodiversity of Indian diaspora . the rivers in India are of two kind

1. Himalayan Rivers
2. Peninsular Rivers

 Most of the rivers flow eastward draining into the Bay of Bengal ,few run from east to west .

Top 5 Longest River in India

 Here we will discuss the top 5 rivers that enrich the Indian subcontinent 

Longest Rivers in India

1. The Ganges: 2525 km

If length is taken into consideration, the Ganga is the longest river of India, followed by Godavari (also called as the Ganga of Southern India).

Akin to Brahmaputra and Indus, the Ganga is also a trans-boundary river. Though the total length of the Ganga river is less than Indus and Brahmaputra, but major of its flowing area is inside the indian mainland ,Furthermore, the basin of river Ganga, is the largest in the country in terms of catchment area,  which accounts  for around 26% of the country’s land mass and supports  about 43% of India’s population.

The holy Ganga is very sacred to hindu religion ,Ganga is worshipped as a goddess and according to  popular beliefs , bathing in Ganga takes away all your sins ,and if the ashes after cremation are poured into Ganga then the departed soul resides in heaven .

2. Godavari: 1464 km

Godavari is the longest river in South India,and second longest river of south India ,it is famous by the name of south Ganga, or Dakshin Ganga,the river originate from  the Trimbakeshwar in Nashik, and diverges its path towards Telangana and Andhra Pradesh passing via Chhattisgarh.  It drains its water in the Bay of Bengal.

The main tributaries of the Godavari river are Purna, Pranhita, Sabari and Indravati river

3. Krishna: 1400 km

River Krishna is the prime source of irrigation in Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Krishna is considered as the third longest river in India. Covering a distance of 1290 kms,  it originates from Mahabaleshwar and drains at the Bay of Bengal.

The tributaries of this river are Panchganga, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Tungabhadra and Dudhaganga. It flows by the banks of Sangli and Vijayawada.

4. Yamuna: 1376 km

Originating from  Yamunotri glacier located at the Bandarpoonch peak of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.it is one of the longest tributaries of Ganga. It flows through the states of Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Some of the major tributaries of the Yamuna river are Hindon, Sharda, Giri, Hanuman Ganga, Sasur, Chambal, Betwa, Ken, Sindh, Rishiganga and Tons.

5. Narmada: 1312 km

In ancient times it was famous by the name Nerbudda,this river is known as the “life line of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat”. The river emerges from the Amarkantak and is believed to be one of the holiest rivers in India. Unlike the other rivers, this river flows towards the west side. The name of this river is mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures .

Narmada river is believed to be one of the heavenly waterways of India alongside the six other rivers named Ganga, Godavari, Yamuna, Saraswati, Kaveri and Sindhu.

Longest Rivers in India: FAQ’s

Q1- Which is the longest river in India ?

Ans – Ganga  is the longest river in India 

Q2- Which is the longest river flowing through India ?

Ans – Brahmaputra is the longest river flowing through India .

Q3- Which is the longest river in the world ?

Ans – The Nile is the longest river in the world.