10 Tributaries and Distributaries of The River Ganges
The Ganges river is the lifeline to Indians who live along its course and flows through the historically important cities of Rishikesh, Haridwar, Allahabad, Varanasi and Patna.
Tributaries of Ganga include Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi and Mahananda from left bank and Yamuna, Tamsa, Son and Punpun from right bank.
Bhagirathi River
Bhagirathi River is one of the two headstreams of the river Ganges and said to be source stream of the Ganges. The river Bhagirathi originates from Gaumukh and then at Devprayag joined by the Alaknanda river.
Alaknanda River
Alaknanda River is the second source stream of the Ganges and then joined by its tributaries at Vishnuprayag by Dhauliganga, by Nandakini river at Nandaprayag, by Pindar river at Karnaprayag, by Mandakini at Rudraprayag and then meets the Bhagirathi river at Devprayag and officially becomes the Ganges.
The Ganges – 2655 Km
The Ganges is the holiest and most sacred river of India, worshiped as the goddess Ganga by Hindus. River Ganga begins after the confluence of the river Bhagirathi and Alaknanda at Devprayag and then joins the Yamuna at the Triveni Sangam at Prayag.
Yamuna River – 1376 Km
Yamuna River originates from Yamunotri Glacier and is the second largest river tributary of the Ganges river after Ghaghara river. The Yamuna followed by Chambal, Sindh, the Betwa and then merge with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam.
– Chambal River – 960 Km
Chambal River is the major tributary of the Yamuna river and create a boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The river is cleanest river of India and hosts an amazing riverine habitat for 2 species of crocodilians, mugger and gharial.
– Sindh River – 470 Km
The Sindh river is a major tributary of the Yamuna river and join the Yamuna just after the confluence of the Chambal river.
– Betwa River – 590 Km
Betwa River rises in the Vindhya range in Madhya Pradesh and joins Yamuna river in Hamirpur town of Uttar Pradesh. Orchha is the most popular tourist place located on the bank of river Betwa.
Tributaries
Triveni Sangam is the place where river Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati river meets, holy confluence in Hinduism. The Ganges passes through the towns of Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur and then Hooghly river become its first distributary, later joined by the Brahmaputra.
Tamsa River
The Tamsa River rises from the Kaimur Range and a tributary of the Ganges river flowing through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Ghaghara River – 1080 Km
Ghaghara River also known as Karnali river is a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. The Ghaghara is the largest tributary of the Ganges by water volume and lower Ghaghara river is also known as Sarayu river.
Son River – 784 Km
Son River originates from Amarkantak and join the Ganges river near Patna. The Son river is one of the longest Indian river and one of the largest tributaries of Ganges river in southern bank.
Gandaki River – 630 Km
Gandaki River is passes through the deep gorge in the Himalayas and another major tributary of the Ganges in India. Chitwan National Park of Nepal is located adjacent Gandak river bed.
Kosi River – 729 Km
Kosi River also known as Saptakoshi river joins the Ganges near Kursela in Bihar and called as Sorrow of Bihar because of annual flood. The river known for Whitewater rafting, canyoning and Mahseer fishing in India and Nepal.
Hooghly River – 260 Km
Hooghly River is the distributary of the Ganges river, passes through Kolkata and house most famous Howrah Bridge in West Bengal.
Ganges – Brahmaputra Delta
Ganga Brahmaputra river empties into the Bay of Bengal – The Ganges river known as the Padma in Bangladesh and later joined by the Brahmaputra River (known as Jamuna river in Bangladesh, as a distributary of Brahmaputra), Further downstream river Padma joins Meghna river and moves down to the Bay of Bengal.
Brahmaputra River – 916 Km in India
Brahmaputra River passes through the Himalayas and joins the river Ganges (Padma) in Bangladesh by the name of Jamuna river, before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
– Teesta River
Teesta River is the major tributaries of river Brahmaputra along with Manas river and joins the mighty Brahmaputra river in Bangladesh.
– Manas River
Manas River is the largest river system of Bhutan and joins the mighty Brahmaputra river at Jogighopa in Assam.
The Ganges Brahmaputra Delta is the largest delta in the world and one of the most fertile regions in the world. Sundarbans is the best natural wonders of India, located in the delta region of Ganges Brahmaputra river basins and home to largest mangrove forest.
