Before understanding the entire river system of India, it is necessary to understand the river and what is the relation of the river with our life.
A river is a natural water stream flowing on the surface, whose source is usually a lake, glacier, waterfall, or rainwater. These water streams finally merge into a river, lake, or ocean. The word river comes from the Sanskrit word 'Nadyah'. In Sanskrit itself, it is also called Sarita. There are two types of rivers – permanent or rainy. The source of perennial rivers is a lake, waterfall or glacier, such rivers remain full of water throughout the year, whereas rainy rivers depend on rainwater.
Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri, Brahmaputra, Amazon, Nile etc. are perennial rivers whereas Neem, Kali, Krishna, Aril and Karvan etc. are rainy rivers. Man has a deep connection with the river. Rivers not only produce crops but also give birth to civilization and nurture it. That is why in India man has always looked at the river as a goddess. In the past, many sages and saints attained knowledge by doing penance on the banks of these rivers. From ancient times to today, human civilizations have developed on the banks of rivers. Even today, big, developed cities are situated on the banks of rivers.
River is called RIVER in the English language. The following are other synonyms of the river.
Payaswini, Tarni, Sourceswini, Sarita, Tatini, Lahari, Sari, Tarini, Tarangvati, Apaga, Nimanga, Tarangini, Pravahini, Dweepavati, Larmala, Nadiya, Nirjharani, Jalmala, Shaivalini, Koolanksha, Nad, Sarita, Tatiya, Kallolini, Sarang, Tanuja, Darya, Tati, Kagolini, Dukulani, Dukulvati, Dharavati, Nirjhari, Shailja, Strotaswini, Koolkansha, Kalkalnadini, Samudraga, Stravanti and Vahini.
The source of perennial rivers is a lake, waterfall, or glacier, due to which these rivers remain full of water throughout the year, whereas rainy rivers depend on rainwater and groundwater. Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri, Brahmaputra, and Indus are perennial rivers whereas rivers like Kali, Hindon, Neem, Karvan and Krishna are rainfed.
Transport of eroded material present in the river with water from one place to another is called transportation.
Reduction in velocity of eroded materials by river and deposition of eroded materials is river deposition.
In India, which has established the concept of Vasudev Kutumbhakambh at its core, rivers have also been religiously significant. In India, rivers are viewed with great respect and honor. The rivers of India have played an important role in the economic and cultural development of the country since ancient times. It was in the valleys of the Indus and Ganga rivers that the world's most ancient civilizations, the Indus Valley, and Aryan Civilization, emerged. Even today, the highest concentration of population and agriculture in the country is found in the river valley geographies. In ancient times, due to trade and transportation facilities, most of the cities of the country were developed on the banks of rivers and even today almost all the religious places of the country are associated with some river or the other.
Runoff refers to the surface flow of water through streams and rivers. Drainage system or flow system is a special arrangement of water flow created by a river and its tributaries, which is a kind of network. In this network, rivers join each other and form a path for one-directional flow of water. All the tributaries of a river and other features of that river basin together form the drainage system of that river. A river basin is delimited from the basins of surrounding rivers by watersheds. The river basin is also considered as a basic geomorphic unit. A river basin is a regional unit that can be studied quantitatively, and effective plans can be prepared based on the data. River basins can be studied as a system in which climatic phenomena like energy input, temperature and rainfall can be well understood.
The river system of India is very extensive and drenched in many colors. There is evidence of many ancient civilizations settling on riverbanks, which is still relevant today. Be it the Indus Valley Civilization, which is situated on the banks of the Indus River, or Delhi, which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna, the evidence of both is sufficient to show the importance of rivers. Not only this, even outside India, be it the city of London situated on the banks of river Thames, or the city of Washington situated on the banks of river Potomac, these show how important rivers are for the mankind of the world. Why are rivers so important that all the world's big cities and most of the population are settled on their banks? After all, why are rivers considered life givers? There is only one answer to all these questions that rivers are systems in which there is continuous water. The nature of rivers is such that when there is water in them, the ground water level will also remain, and the entire area will be prosperous. While rivers supply drinking water, water is also available for the agricultural sector. River’s act as the backbone of the economy, be it tourism or water transportation. India is called the country of rivers. The meaning of rivers in India is economic as well as religious. Many sages have attained siddhis by sitting on the banks of rivers. Many great men of India have benefited the society with the light of their knowledge on the banks of rivers. In India, there are Kumbh and Ardh-Kumbh fairs held on the banks of rivers Ganga, Shipra, and Godavari, where crores of people regain knowledge. India and rivers complement each other. India cannotbe imagined without rivers.
The connection of the Indian community with rivers is so deep that rivers are the basic soul of India. Rivers in India have had economic, social, and cultural importance which continues even today. The most ancient civilizations developed in the Ganga and Indus River valleys. Even today, the maximum population and agricultural areas exist in these two river valleys. Most of the major religious places of the country are present on the banks of rivers. In ancient times, due to trade and transportation facilities, most of the cities of the country were situated on the banks of rivers. There are about 4000 small and big rivers in India. The river drainage system of India can be understood by dividing it into four parts.
The drainage systems of the rivers of India are classified into four groups.
We can also know the rivers of India in the following two types.
Apart from these, there are some rivers in India which neither flow into any river nor into any sea. These rivers disappear in the desert.