Rivers System of Himachal Pradesh

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Rivers system of Himachal Pradesh

There are five major rivers flowing through Himachal Pradesh which provide water to both Indus and the Ganges Basin .Four out of these five rivers found mention in Rig Veda viz. Beas, Ravi, Satluj and Chenab. The fifth river Yamuna has mythical relation to Sun. Chenab, Sutlej, Ravi and Beas that flows through the state are tributaries of Indus River System. Yamuna that flows through the Himachal Pradesh are tributary of Ganga River System.

1) Beas river

  • Beas vedic name was Arjikiya and Sanskrit name as Vipasha.
  • The catchment area of Beas river in Himachal Pradesh is 1200km.
  • The total length of this river is 470km but it flows about 256km in central Himachal Prdesh.
  • Beas river originates from Beas Kund in the Pir Panjal range near the Rohtang Pass and it intersects the Dhauladhar mountains ranges at
  • it enters district mandi at Bajaura and leaves Mandi at Sandhol to enter Kangra district.
  • It meets Satluj at ‘Hari ka Pattan’ in Punjab.
  • Important settlements along its banks are Manali, Naggar, Katrain, Ralson, Kullu, Pandoh, Mandi, Nadaun,Sujanpur.
  • Its main Tributaries rivers are -: Parbati, Malana, Solang, Manalsu, Sujoin, Phojal, Sarvari, Dehar, Hansa, Son, Sainj,Jiuni,Tirthan etc.

2) Ravi River

  • The Vedic name of Ravi is Purushani and Sankrit name is Iravati.
  • It rises from the Bara Banghal which is a branch of Dhauladhar range in Kangra district.
  • The catchment area of Ravi river in Himachal Pradesh is 5451km.
  • it flows about 158km in Himachal Prdesh.
  • Alexander called it ‘Hydraster or Rhoudis’. it merges with Chenab in Pakistan.
  • Chamba town is situated on its right bank. It leaves chamba at Kheri to enter J&K.
  • Important settlements along its banks are Chamba,Bharmaur and Madhopur.
  • The Tributaries of River Ravi are -: Bhadal, Siul,Baira, Tantgiri, Budhil, Tundahan, Saho and Chirchind Nala.

Hydroelectric Project in Himachal Pradesh

3) Satluj River

  • The Vedic name of Satluj River is Sutudri and Sanskrit name is Shatadru.
  • Greeks called Satluj River by the name of Heisidrus.
  • It rises from Kailash Mountain near Mansarovar Lake from Rakas Lake as Longchhen Khabag river in Tibet.
  • The catchment area of Satluj river in Himachal Pradesh is 20,000km.
  • The total length of this river is 1,448km but it flows about 320km in Himachal Prdesh.
  • Its longest river among the five rivers of Himachal Pradesh.
  • it enters at Shipkila in Himachal and leaves at Bhakra(Bilaspur) to enter Punjab. World’s highest gravity dam Bhakra Nangal Dam and Gobind Sagar Lake is built at this place.
  • Important settlements along its river banks are :- Namgia, Kalpa, Rampur, Tattapani, Suni and Bilaspur.
  • The Tributaries of this river are Baspa River, Spiti River, Soan River, Nogli khad etc.

4) Chenab River

  • its vedic name is Askni and Sanskrit name is Chandrabhaga.
  • Chenab is the largest river in the terms of volume of water in Himachal Pradesh.
  • It is formed by two streams namely Chandra and Bhaga which meet at Tandi in Lahaul & Spiti to form the river Chenab at an elevation of 2286m.
  • Total length of river Chenab is 960 km, out of which it covers a length of 122 km in Himachal.
  • The catchment area of Chenab river in Himachal Pradesh is 7500 km.
  • It enters pangi valley of Chamba district at bhujind and leaves district Chamba at Sansari Nala to enter Podar Valley of Kashmir.
  • Important settlements along this river are : Udairpur, Ramban, Doda, Killar etc.
  • Its main tributaries are Chandra and Bhaga.
  • Chandra originates from Chandra glacier.
  • Bhaga originates from Lahaul valley.

5) Yamuna River

  • Its Vedic name is Kalindi and Sanskrit name is Yamuna.
  • It has mythical relation to sun.
  • This river originates from the Yamnotri Glacier in Garhwal hills of Uttarakhand.
  • The total length of this river is 1,376km but it flows about 152km in Himachal Prdesh.
  • It enters at Khaddar Majari in Sirmaur and leaves Himachal near Tajewala to enter Haryana.The river separate Kyar-da-dun from Dehradun.
  • Its main tributary of Ganga river and therefore forms a major part of the Ganga drainage system.
  • The mains tributaries of this river are Giri, Tons, Pabbar, Andhra,Bata and Jalal.

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