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Narmada River

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The Narmada River is a very important part of India.

Narmada river map
Narmada river map

It is the fifth longest river in the whole country. It is also the longest river that flows from east to west. This means it flows toward the Arabian Sea instead of the Bay of Bengal. The river flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Narmada river map
Narmada river map

Many people call it a lifeline for these two states. It helps them in many different ways. The name Narmada comes from a Sanskrit word. It means "The Giver of Pleasure."

The river begins at the Amarkantak Plateau in Madhya Pradesh.

Amarkantak
Amarkantak

It starts at a small place called the Narmada Kund. From there, the water flows down over a cliff. This creates the Kapildhara waterfall. The river then winds through hills and rocks.

Narmada river
Narmada river

Near the city of Jabalpur, the river falls again. This fall is called Dhuandhara, which means "the fall of mist."

Dhuandhar falls2
Dhuandhar falls2

After this, the water flows through a narrow path. This path is made of dark basalt and white magnesium limestone. These are known as the Marble Rocks.

Bhedaghat1 (Hsk007in)
Bhedaghat1 (Hsk007in)

Long ago, the Earth's surface changed in big ways.

Narmada river map
Narmada river map

The Narmada flows in a rift valley. A rift valley is a low area between two mountain ranges. These ranges are called the Vindhya and Satpura. The land in the middle dropped down between these two mountain blocks. This happened because the Earth's crust spread apart.

Narmada river map
Narmada river map

Some scientists think the Narmada and the Tapti rivers once joined together. They may have become separate rivers because of recent earth movements. This movement also helped create the falls near Jabalpur.

The river is very long, stretching for 1,312 km.

Narmada river map
Narmada river map

Most of its path is in Madhya Pradesh. It also flows through Maharashtra and Gujarat.

1 Narmada River and a Bridge Gujarat India
1 Narmada River and a Bridge Gujarat India

The river has 41 tributaries that join it. These are smaller streams that bring more water. The Tawa is the biggest tributary of all. The river basin covers a huge area of 98,796 square km.

Location Plan of projects in Narmada basin
Location Plan of projects in Narmada basin

Much of this land is used for farming or is covered in forest.

Amarkantak3
Amarkantak3

The Narmada is very special to people who follow Hinduism.

Omkareshwar Temple 03
Omkareshwar Temple 03

Many people believe the river is a goddess. There are many stories about how it began. One story says it came from the sweat of the god Shiva.

Omkareshwar1
Omkareshwar1

Another story says it came from two teardrops of Brahma. People also find special white pebbles in the river. These are called banalinga. They are shaped like a linga and are very sacred.

Narmada River
Narmada River

Many people visit places like Omkareshwar to worship near the water.

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🖼️ Images & Media (19)
File:Omkareshwar Temple 03.jpg
Omkareshwar Temple 03.jpg
File:Narmada canal.jpg
Narmada canal.jpg
File:Dhuandhar falls2.JPG
Dhuandhar falls2.JPG
File:Dhuandhar falls4.JPG
Dhuandhar falls4.JPG
File:Narmada river.jpg
Narmada river.jpg
File:Temple in Maheshwar.jpg
Temple in Maheshwar.jpg
File:Location Plan of projects in Narmada basin.jpg
Location Plan of projects in Narmada basin.jpg
File:Indira sagar dam 0003.jpg
Indira sagar dam 0003.jpg
File:Amarkantak3.jpg
Amarkantak3.jpg
File:Narmada River .jpg
Narmada River .jpg
File:Bhedaghat1 (Hsk007in).jpg
Bhedaghat1 (Hsk007in).jpg
File:Narmada River Jabalpur India.jpg
Narmada River Jabalpur India.jpg

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