Beas River

The Beas River is a major river in northwestern India.

It flows through the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. This river is the smallest of the five big rivers in the Punjab region. It starts very high up in the Himalayas. Specifically, it rises on the southern side of the Rohtang Pass in Kullu. The water travels through the Mandi District and the Kangra District. Eventually, the Beas flows into the Sutlej River.

A tiny, isolated group of Indus dolphins lives in these waters.

The river follows a winding path through the land. Near a place called Reh, the river actually splits into three separate channels. These channels flow apart but then join back together after passing Mirthal. As the river moves lower, it hits the Sivalik Hills at Mukerian. There, it turns sharply toward the north. It then bends around the base of the hills to flow south. This movement helps form the borders between different districts like Gurdaspur and Hoshiapur. The river also marks the boundary between Amritsar and Kapurthala.

Many old stories and names are tied to this water. In very old texts, the river was called Vipāś, which means "unfettered." Another legend says the river was once called Saraswati. There is also a story about a man named Vashishta. He tried to jump into the river, but the water changed into a sandbed to save him. Because his ropes broke, he named the river Vipasa, meaning "cord-breaker." The famous author Veda Vyasa is also linked to the river. Legend says he created the river from a lake called Beas Kund.

History shows that the Beas has seen many famous people. In 326 BC, the river was the eastern border of Alexander the Great's conquests. His soldiers refused to go any further at a place called Mukerian. Alexander even built twelve huge altars to mark his journey. Later, the river's path changed many times over the centuries. Between 1750 and 1800, the flow shifted and was captured by the Sutlej River. Even today, the water is shared between India and Pakistan through a special agreement called the Indus Waters Treaty.

Humans use the Beas River to create energy and grow food. In the 20th century, people built the Beas Project for power and farming. There are several dams along the river, like the Pandoh Dam and the Pong Dam. The Pong Dam was finished in 1974 and holds a huge amount of water. These projects help make electricity for many people. However, the river can also be difficult to manage. In 2023, heavy monsoon rains caused big floods in Himachal Pradesh. These floods caused a lot of damage to the area.