The Ganga or in India "Ganga Ma" (or Ganges, the mother) is one of the most sacred rivers in India. Religiously and mythological worshipped, the Ganga is a rich source of inspiration for millions of Indians. It runs across the vital heartland of the country. The path is dotted with towns and settlements of great sanctity, and it is a vital economic asset as well.

The source of the river Ganga is at Gaumukh. A glacier from which the Ganga descends is located at a distance of 18 kms from Gangotri; Gaumukh is a greatly visited place. The Ganga flows from Gaumukh to and through the U.P. basin, providing a rich source of irrigation and development. The Ganga finally ends at the Bay of Bengal.

The Ganga passes through three states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Its width and depth varies from place to place. It has a number of tributaries, which run to different parts of the country.

Legend says that it was Bhagirath, one of the ancient Kings of Bharat that we owe the gift of the Ganges, who through his ceaseless penance and prayers brought down the celestial river to the plains below.

Passing through Industrial towns as Kanpur, Allahabad, Patna, and Calcutta the Ganga has become polluted. Nevertheless the Holiness of the river remains. One has to visit Varanas or Haridwar to see the impact of this great river.

Also called as Jamuna, the river is not as sanctified as Ganga.

The source of Yamuna is in the higher region of Garhwal in Yamunotri. The Yamuna descends from the mountains and travels through the plains. It passes through the capital of India Delhi and number of other cities. It finally joins Ganga at Allahabad.

With tributaries of Tons and Giri, the Yamuna rises on the southern flanks of the Himalayas at an altitude of 150 Mts. above that of the Ganges and it is approximately 150 km long. It covers roughly 1200 km in length.

The Yamuna is very turbulent when it descends from the Himalayas, but on reaching the plains, it develops broader valleys and collects several tributaries. The two main rivers that join Yamuna (or Jamuna) are Chambal and Betwa.

The Yamuna is very polluted in Delhi though a strong "Save Yamuna" project is on. The river also passes through the picturesque Poanta area where one can do a whole range of water sports.

The Brahmaputra is the most famed river of Eastern India. It flows through the North Eastern states of India.

According to Hindu scriptures the Brahmaputra River, the son of Brahma rises in a holy pool known as Brahmakund in the eastern part of Arunachal Pradesh. In reality it rises from Tibet where it is known as Tsangpo and flows in an easterly direction before turning south. It finally descends into the Bay of Bengal.

The river provides a rich source of irrigation and development to the regions it passes through.

Also known as "Dakshina Ganga" or Ganges of the south, is one of the most important rivers in the region. Traditionally its source lies in Lake Manasarovar in the Himalayas in conjunction with those of Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra and in sanctity it is only second to Ganga. Actually it rises in the hills of Coorg and flows southeasterly.

It is a greatly used river, in Mysore as many as 12 dams have been constructed. In its passage the river encloses three islands (i) Seringatam, (ii) Srirangam and (iii) Sivasamudra.

The Godavari rising in the Nasik Hills in Maharashtra state and flowing approximately for a distance of 1500 kms in a South Easterly direction, receives tributaries like Wardha, Weinganga and Penganga. The most of the streams that flow into the Godavri, Gold washing is or has been a thriving industry.

Once in every 12 years the Kumbh Mela is held in Nashik where all the people converge in the river Godavari. The Godavari is believed to have had a common underground source like Ganga.

The Krishna River has its delta in Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna rises near Mahabaleshwar at an altitude of 1360 m. it flows approximately 1400 kms to the Bay of Bengal.

It receives as its main tributary the Bhima from the north and Tungabhadra from the south.

It is a west flowing river having its peninsula in Madhya Pradesh. The Narmada is considered sacred in India. It was considered a matter of Supreme merit for a pilgrim to walk from extreme west of Vindhyas to the source of the river on Mount Amarkantek and back to Cambay Gulf, on the one bank eastwards and on the other westwards. The Narmada is a beautiful river having clean water. Once it leaves it mountain part, it widens and finally terminates at the Arabian Sea.

Like Narmada, Tapti also terminates into the Arabian Sea. It has its origin in Madhya Pradesh near a place called Pachmari. Though smaller than Narmada, Tapti is a rich source of alluvium and produces good agricultural soil. It enters at sea near Surat.

The Gomti River flows in the Northern State of India, Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the rivers which join the Ganga and which finally flow into the Bay of Bengal. Gomti mostly meanders through the dusty plains of the state. It is widely recognized due to its ever so important presence in Lucknow, the state capital.

Also flowing in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Gandak is relatively lesser known. It is one of the tributaries, which join into the Ganga.

The Ghaghara river is one the many rivers which flow into the Ganga in U.P.

The Betwa River flows in the northeasterly direction into the Ganga.

Indus in Sanskrit is "Sindhu", which means ocean. The Indus is one of the mightiest rivers of the world. Its source lies far beyond in Tibet, in Lake Mansarovar. Like the Nile, it receives no tributaries for a large part of its course through the desert. The main tributaries are Kabul and Zhob on the west and Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej on the east. As a result of partition of India in 1947, the greater part of the Indus basin, expecting the innermost mountain reaches of the river has been ceded to Pakistan, the Sutlej alone for some part of its main course flows through India, with the upper reaches of the Ravi forming the frontier between the two countries.

The river Jhelum primarily flows through the Kashmir region of the Northern state of India, J&K. As mentioned earlier Jhelum is one of the tributaries of Indus river which enter the Indian land.

The Jhelum River provides beauty to the valley of Kashmir. One can see the beautiful landscape, flora and fauna formed by and also provided by the mineral rich water of the river. This lends the valley on ideal tourist place to visit.

The Sutlej is trans-Himalayan. It enters the upper region of India. It is very turbulent at the initial stage of its flow. It tends to be calm along the mountainous terrain of the Kashmir valley.

The source of Son River is from the Satpura mountain range. The Satpura for as a major watershed, the Narmada and Son rise from the northern side of the mountains. The river Son alters flows towards the Northeast i.e. towards the Ganges.