East-Flowing Peninsular Rivers
The east-flowing rivers form deltas and drain to the Bay of Bengal.
| River | Origin | Length (km, approx.) | Tributaries and features | Delta / mouth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godavari | Trimbakeshwar, near Nashik (Maharashtra) | ~1,465 | Longest peninsular river; "Dakshin Ganga"; Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Indravati, Sabari; Polavaram project | Godavari delta (AP); Coringa mangroves |
| Krishna | Mahabaleshwar (Sahyadri) | ~1,400 | Koyna, Bhima, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tungabhadra, Musi; Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar | Krishna delta (AP) |
| Mahanadi | Sihawa, Chhattisgarh | ~860 | Seonath, Hasdeo, Ib, Tel; Hirakud dam (one of the longest earthen dams) | Mahanadi delta; Cuttack |
| Kaveri (Cauvery) | Talakaveri, Brahmagiri (Kodagu, Karnataka) | ~800 | Hemavati, Lokapavani, Kabini, Bhavani, Amaravati; Shivasamudram falls; Mettur dam; Grand Anicut (Kallanai) | Cauvery delta (the "garden of South India") |
| Pennar | Nandi hills (Karnataka) | ~600 | Chitravathi, Papaghni | Nellore |
| Subarnarekha | Ranchi plateau | ~395 | Hundru falls, Jamshedpur | Odisha-WB border |
| Brahmani | Koel + Sankh at Rourkela | ~800 | Odisha | Bay of Bengal |
| Baitarani | Keonjhar | ~365 | Odisha | Bay of Bengal |
| Vaigai | Varushanad hills | ~260 | Madurai | Palk Bay |
| Tamiraparani | Agasthyamala | ~125 | The only perennial river of Tamil Nadu (rises in Western Ghats) | Gulf of Mannar |
Notes on each
- Godavari: its basin is the largest in the peninsula (about 9.5 per cent of India's area); Papikondalu gorge; Rajahmundry; Nashik Kumbh.
- Krishna: Vijayawada (Prakasam barrage); irrigation; water disputes among Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, AP.
- Kaveri: Karnataka and Tamil Nadu dispute; Srirangapatna, Srirangam, Tanjore; Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (2007) and the Supreme Court (2018) judgement.
- Tungabhadra: Tunga and Bhadra unite at Koodli; Hampi (Vijayanagara); Tungabhadra dam.
- Mahanadi: "Sorrow of Odisha" for its floods earlier; Chilika lagoon at the delta.
Map practice
Source and mouth of Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi; Hirakud, Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Mettur; Shivasamudram.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from NCERT, standard geography textbooks, the Census of India 2011, the India State of Forest Report, IMD, Ministry of Agriculture and other official sources. Maps are schematic teaching maps, not Survey of India maps, and zone boundaries are approximate. Figures such as production, capacity, counts of parks and ports, and census status change, so check the latest official source before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.