Himachal Pradesh is a Himalayan state, so all the rivers here originate from the Himalayas, in this post we will study about the major rivers of Himachal Pradesh.
Mainly five rivers flow in Himachal Pradesh, these rivers are Sutlej, Beas, Yamuna, Ravi and Chenab. Many tributaries of these five big rivers also flow in Himachal Pradesh. Following are the detailed information about these rivers.
Sutlej River
The Sutlej River is the largest river in Himachal Pradesh, which originates from the southern slope of the Sutlej Mansarovar Mount Kailash (China). In Rigveda there is description of Sutlej river by the name of Shatudri.
The length of Sutlej river in the state is 320 km. This river flows through Kinnaur, Shimla, Bilaspur district and enters Punjab near Bhakra.
The Spiti River and the Baspa River are the main tributaries of the Satluj. The Bhakra-Nangal Dam is the largest dam in the country built on the Sutlej River in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
The largest artificial lake in the state, Govind Sagar lake has been created by the construction of Bhakra Dam.
The Sutlej River eventually joins the Indus River. This river is also known as the bloody river.
Beas River
Vyas river originates from Vyas Kund near Rohtang from Pir Panjal mountain range. Vyas river is described as Arjikiya in ancient texts and Vipasha in Sanskrit (Rigveda).
Beas river is the second largest river of Himachal Pradesh after Sutlej. The total length of this river is 460 km. While in Himachal Pradesh its length is about 256 km. Is.
The main tributaries of river Beas are Parvati, Hurla, Mankhud, Saij, Luni, Chaki, Suketi and Ban Ganga.
The Maharana Sagar Dam has been constructed on the Beas River. After entering Punjab, the Beas River merges with the Sutlej River at a place called Mirthal.
Chenab River
The origin of the Chenab river is from the ‘Varalacha’ pass of the Great Himalayan mountain range.
Chenab river is formed by the confluence of two rivers Chandra and Bhaga. That’s why this river is also famous as Chandrabhaga. The Vedic name of Chenab river is Askini.
The catchment area of Chenab river is 7500 sq.km. And its total length is 1200 km, but in Himachal Pradesh its length is only 122 km. It is the largest river of Himachal from the point of view of water intake.
Ravi River
The Ravi River originates from two glaciers named Madal and Tantagiri in the Bada Bhangal region, situated between the Pirpanjal and Dhauladhar mountain ranges.
The Vedic name of the river Ravi is ‘Parushni’ and the Sanskrit name is ‘Iravati’. It is also called Roti in the local language.
The total water catchment area of Ravi river is 5528 km. Its total length is 720 km. And its length in Himachal is 158 km. Is.
The major tributaries of Ravi river are Chatradi, Bodil, Tunhedan, Valjedi, Sal etc. Chamba town is situated on the right bank of the Ravi river.
Yamuna River
Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri Glacier located in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, Kalindi is the source of this river. It is the smallest river of the state flowing at the easternmost end of Himachal. It is the largest tributary of the Ganges.
Its water catchment area is about 2320 sq km. Is. Its total length is 1525 km. Its length in Himachal Pradesh is about 22 km.
Yamuna river forms the border of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Its major tributaries are Tons, Pabbar, Giri, Bata, Jalal, Andhra etc.