Famous Rivers of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh has numerous rivers, the important ones being Narmada,
Chambal, Betwa, Shipra, Sone, Mahanadi, Indrawati and Tapti. All these
rivers have played a considerable role in making Madhya Pradesh what
it is today – be it the cities, the culture, or the ravines.
¤ Narmada River
The Narmada gained national prominence in the recent past when the
Indian government proposed to build a dam on the river (seeAmarkantak
– Narmada & Sone: Perennial Streams of Culture under Madhya
Pradesh). The Narmada is an important river as it happens to be the
most sacred of the five holy rivers of India; the other four being
Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari and Kaveri. It is believed that a dip in any
of these five rivers washes ones sins away. According to a legend, the
river Ganga is polluted by millions of people bathing in it. To
cleanse herself, Ganga acquires the form of a black cow and comes to
the Narmada to bathe in its holy waters.
¤ Narmada - The Lifeline of Madhya Pradesh
Earlier known as Reva and Mahakalasuta, the Narmada is also referred
to as the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh. Originating in Amarkantak, the
highest peak of the Vindhya Range, it flows westward through Madhya
Pradesh and Gujarat before finally ending its journey in the Gulf of
Khambat.
The 1300km long Narmada is the fifth longest river in India, and the
oldest. Kalidasa, the 4th century poet, writes about the Narmada in
his love poem, Meghdoota, which is about a yaksha (tree spirit) who
was banished to Madhya Pradesh. The yaksha sent messages to his
beloved in the Himalayas through the clouds.
Two of the most well-known historical cities along the banks of the
Narmada are Mahismati (present Maheshwar) and Tripuri (present Tewar
in Jabalpur district). Archaeological findings in these regions
indicate that human habitation existed here in very ancient times.
There are many fables about the origin of the Narmada. According to
one of them, once, Lord Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe,
meditated so hard that he started perspiring. Shiva’s sweat
accumulated in a tank and started flowing in the form of a river –
the Narmada. Another legend has it that two teardrops that fell from
the eyes of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, yielded two
rivers – the Narmada and the Sone.
¤ Chambal River
The 965km long Chambal is the largest and most important river of
western MP. This river was referred to as Punya in the 4th century
b.c. epic, the Mahabharata, and as Charmanavati in the Puranas which
are ancient Hindu texts.It is said that King Ranti Dev (one of the
successors of King Bharata, Lord Rama’s brother) had sacrificed
cows to honour his guests. The blood that oozed out of the cows’
charmas (skin) turned into a river named Charmanavati.
The river Chambal originates from the Janapav Mountain in the Vindhya
Range, and flows northeast through Ujjain, Ratlam and Mandsaur, before
entering Rajasthan. It reenters Madhya Pradesh after meandering
through parts of Rajasthan and touches Moraina and Bhind. Here are the
infamous Chambal Ravines that have been and still are the safest
refuge for dacoits.
¤ Tapti/Tapi River
Apart from the Narmada, the Tapti is the only river that flows
westward and falls into the Arabian Sea, in the Gulf of Khambat, to be
precise. The 724km long Tapti is agriculturally very important as it
drains an area of over 65,145sq km spread over Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Gujarat. This river originates at a height of 762m in
Betul district of Madhya Pradesh (to the south of the Satpura Range).
The Tapti journeys almost parallel to the Narmada, though it is much
shorter in length than the Narmada and has a smaller catchment area.
According to the Puranas, ancient Hindu texts, , the Tapti is the
daughter of the Sun god, Surya, who created her to save himself from
his own intense heat. Tapti is also known as Tapi (taken from the
Sanskrit word taap, which means heat). In the Hindu epic, the
Mahabharata, it is mentioned that Tapti had married Sanvaran, a
legendary hero of the Moon Dynasty. They had a son called Kuru, from
whom the Kuru Dynasty started.
¤ Shipra River
The Shipra starts her journey in the Vindhya Range from a hill called
Kokri Tekdi situated at a distance of 11km from Ujjain. This river is
195km long, out of which 93km flow through Ujjain. It then touches
Ratlam and Mandsaur, before joining the river Chambal. The main
tributaries of Shipra are Khan and Gambhir.
The Shipra has been mentioned not only in ancient Hindu texts, like
the Puranas, but in Buddhist and Jain scriptures as well. Legend has
it that once Lord Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe, went begging,
using the skull of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, as a
begging bowl. Nowhere in the three worlds did he manage to get any
alms. Ultimately, he went to Vaikunth, or the seat of Lord Vishnu, and
asked Lord Vishnu for alms. In return, Lord Vishnu showed Lord Shiva
his index finger, which enraged the latter. Lord Shiva took out his
trishul, or trident, and cut Lord Vishnu’s fingers. The Preserver’s
fingers began to bleed profusely, and the blood accumulated in Brahma’s
skull and soon overflowed from it. The flow became a stream and
finally a river – the Shipra. The Puranas, or ancient Hindu
texts, also suggest that the Shipra originated from the heart of
Varaha, Lord Vishnu’s incarnation as a boar. Also on the banks of
the Shipra is Sage Sandipani’s ashram, or hermitage where the
blue god, Krishna, Lord Vishnu’s eighth incarnation, had studied.
¤ Sone River
Sone is also called Maikalsut (whose source is in Maikal) as it
originates from a mountain called Amarkantak in the Maikal Ranges. In
ancient times, Sone was known as Shona. The Narmada also originates
from Amarkantak, though it flows westward, while Sone journeys towards
the east. A legend explains why these two rivers flow in opposite
directions.
¤ The Legendary Tale
Princess Narmada (the river) was the daughter of King Maikal (the
mountain). Maikal announced that the prince who could bring
Gulabkawali – a flower supposed to have the power to cure all
kinds of eye ailments – would be the ideal match for his
daughter. Prince Shona brought Gulabkawali, but he took much longer to
get it than he was supposed to. But Princess Narmada was so impressed
by the attractive Shona that she decided to marry him and sent her
hairdresser, Johila, to inform Shona about her feelings. Prince Shona,
who had never seen Narmada, mistook the beautiful Johila to be Narmada
and started flirting with her. When Johila didn’t return for a
long time, Narmada became impatient and went to see what had delayed
Johila. Seeing Johila with Shona angered Narmada so much that she went
away towards the west. When Shona discovered his folly, he jumped off
the mountain Amarkantak, in despair, and wandered eastwards through
jungles. Later, he returned and married Johila, while Narmada remained
a maiden.
One of the major tributaries of the river Ganga, the Sone is 780km
long with a drainage basin of 17,900sq km. The Sone joins the Ganga in
Danapur in Bihar, and its main tributaries are Johila, Banas and
Gopat.
¤ Mahanadi
The 857km long Mahanadi originates from a hill in the Sihawa mountain
range situated southeast of Raipur. Before ending its journey in the
Bay of Bengal, near Cuttack in Orissa, the Mahanadi flows from Raipur
via Bilaspur, Bastar and Raigarh in Madhya Pradesh.
On the Mahanadi is one of the largest dams in India – the 4.8km
long Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur, Orissa.
The tributaries of the Mahanadi are the Shivnath, Hasdo, Mand and the
Ib on the left bank, and the Jonk, Ung and Tel on the right bank. In
the Matsya and Brahma Puranas, ancient Hindu scriptures, the Mahanadi
has been referred to as Chitrotpala.
¤ Betwa River
Originating in the Kumra village in Raisen district of Madhya
Pradesh, the river Betwa flows for 380km. After meandering through
Madhya Pradesh, it enters the neighbouring state, Uttar Pradesh, and
joins the river Yamuna in Hamirpur. The Betwa takes along with it the
water of the eastern Malwa plateau. The tributaries of Betwa are Bina,
Yamini, Dhasan and Ken. In ancient times, the Betwa was known as
Vetrawati.
¤ Indrawati River
Starting from Bastar, this river flows westward for a distance of
around 40km before forming the magnificent Chitrakoot waterfalls near
Jagdalpur. Indrawati derives its name from Indra, the God of Rain.
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