page_title: List of major rivers of India
section_title: The Indo-Gangetic plains
hierarchical_section_title: List of major rivers of India / The Indo-Gangetic plains
caption_attribution_description: English: laxman jhoola in rishikesh
context_page_description: The rivers of India play an important role in the lives of the people. They provide potable water, cheap transportation, electricity, and the livelihood for many people nationwide. This easily explains why nearly all the major cities of India are located by the banks of rivers. The rivers also have an important role in Hindu Religion and are considered holy by all Hindus in the country.
  Seven major rivers along with their numerous tributaries make up the river system of India. The largest basin system of the rivers pour their waters into the Bay of Bengal; however, some of the rivers whose courses take them through the western part of the country and towards the east of the state of Himachal Pradesh empty into the Arabian Sea. Parts of Ladakh, northern parts of the Aravalli range and the arid parts of the Thar Desert have inland drainage.
  All major rivers of India originate from one of the following main watersheds:
  Aravalli range
  Himalaya and Karakoram ranges
  Sahyadri or Western Ghats in western India
  Vindhya and Satpura ranges and Chotanagpur plateau in central India
context_section_description: The Indo gangetic plains are known as Ganga-Satluj Ka Maidaan (गँगा सतलुज का मैदान), this area is drained by 16 major rivers. The major Himalayan Rivers are the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra. These rivers are long, and are joined by many large and important tributaries. Himalayan rivers have long courses from their source to sea (in India Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal).
caption: Laxman Jhoola in Rishikesh
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