Rivers That Rise from the Eastern Ghats

Start with the two rivers that do. Both begin in the hills of Kalahandi district in Odisha. Both reach the Bay of Bengal through Andhra Pradesh.

1. Which four rivers get mixed up, and what is the quick answer?

The exam lists four names: Brahmani, Nagavali, Subarnarekha and Vamsadhara. All four flow east and reach the Bay of Bengal.

The quick answer is simple. Nagavali and Vamsadhara rise in the Eastern Ghats. Brahmani and Subarnarekha rise on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, in Jharkhand. A good way to remember it is by alphabet. The two Ghats rivers are the second and the fourth names on the list.

2. Where does the Nagavali rise, and where does it end?

The Central Water Commission says the Nagavali begins near Lakhabahal in Kalahandi district of Odisha. The spot lies at about 1,300 m above sea level. The Odisha water resources department adds that it comes from the Bijipur hills of the Eastern Ghats. The Srikakulam district page of Andhra Pradesh also says the Nagavali rises in the Eastern Ghats.

The river first runs through Odisha. It drains parts of Kalahandi, Rayagada and Koraput districts. Then it enters Andhra Pradesh and drains parts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts. It joins the Bay of Bengal at Kallepalli, near Srikakulam.

3. How long is the Nagavali, and why do books give two numbers?

Two official bodies give two lengths. The Central Water Commission says the Nagavali is 256 km long, and 161 km of it lie in Odisha. The Odisha water resources department says it is 217 km long, and 125 km of it lie in Odisha.

The basin area also differs. The Central Water Commission gives 9,510 sq km. The Odisha department gives 9,275 sq km. The sources do not explain the gap.

For the exam, you do not need to learn the length. Questions ask where the river rises. Use the length only to show that this is a modest river, not a giant like the Godavari.

4. Where does the Vamsadhara rise?

The Vamsadhara also begins in Kalahandi district. The Central Water Commission says it rises near Lanjigarh village. The Odisha water resources department says it comes from the flanks of the Durgakangar hills of the Eastern Ghats. The Srikakulam district page says the Vamsadhara rises in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha.

Odisha and the tribunal spell the name Vansadhara. You may see both spellings. They are the same river.

5. Where does the Vamsadhara end, and why is it in a dispute?

The Vamsadhara runs through Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. It enters Srikakulam district at Bhamini mandal. It joins the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh. The Central Water Commission places the mouth at Kalingapatnam. The Srikakulam district page says near Kalingapatnam. The Central Water Commission gives its length as 254 km. The Odisha department gives 239 km. The tribunal report gives about 265 km.

The river is also known for a water dispute between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. In February 2006, Odisha complained about a flood flow canal that Andhra Pradesh was building at Katragada. The issue also covers the Neradi barrage and the Katragada side weir. A Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal looked into the matter.

You do not need the dispute to answer a question about sources. It only shows why this modest river is sometimes in the news.

You now know two rivers that start in the Ghats. Next, look at the hills themselves. The shape of the Ghats explains why so many rivers cross them.

6. What are the Eastern Ghats, and where do they lie?

The Eastern Ghats are a line of low, broken hills along the east coast of India. The Botanical Survey of India says they run for about 1,750 km between the Mahanadi river in Odisha and the Vaigai river in Tamil Nadu. They cover about 75,000 sq km. They are about 200 km wide in the north and about 100 km wide in the south.

The Eastern Ghats stretch from the Mahanadi valley to the Nilgiris in the south. There the Eastern and the Western Ghats meet each other, in the Nilgiri hills. The two books end the Ghats at different places: the Botanical Survey of India at the Vaigai, NCERT at the Nilgiris. Use the end point your own book gives.

7. Why are the Eastern Ghats broken into pieces?

The Eastern Ghats are discontinuous, low and irregular hills. Rivers have eroded them heavily. The Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri dissect them on their way to the Bay of Bengal.

Think of a long wall with four big gates. Each gate is a river valley. Britannica says one gap in the Ghats is about 160 km wide. The Krishna and the Godavari reach the coast through it.

The Godavari also cuts a gorge through hills of the Eastern Ghats known as the Papi hills. The Andhra Pradesh survey report says the river narrows in the gorge for a few km. It widens again at Polavaram.

8. Which hill ranges make up the Eastern Ghats?

Four ranges are named in school books: the Javadi hills, the Palconda range, the Nallamala hills and the Mahendragiri hills. The Shevroy hills are also added. They lie to the south-east of the Ghats, along with the Javadi hills.

The Indian Institute of Science adds more names. It lists the lower Velikonda range, and the higher Palakonda, Lankamalai and Nallamalai ranges. School books use the four usual names.

9. Which is the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats?

Here the books disagree, and you must know why. NCERT Class IX says Mahendragiri, at 1,501 m, is the highest peak in the Eastern Ghats. A Class IX exercise also asks which peak is the highest in the Eastern Ghats.

Other sources name a different peak. Britannica says the high point is Arma Konda, at 1,680 m, in Andhra Pradesh. The Indian Institute of Science lists Jindhagada Peak at 1,690 m as the highest, and Arma Konda at 1,680 m next to it. The Andhra Pradesh survey report treats Arma Konda and Jindhagada as one peak.

The safe rule is this. If the question comes from a school book, write Mahendragiri. If it asks for the real highest point, remember that sources differ. The Andhra Pradesh mines report gives Arma Konda or Jindhagada Peak (1,680 m). IISc gives Jindhagada at 1,690 m.

10. How do the Eastern Ghats differ from the Western Ghats?

The Western Ghats are higher and more continuous than the Eastern Ghats. They lie parallel to the western coast. They are continuous, and you can cross them only through passes.

Class IX gives the average height. The Western Ghats stand 900 to 1,600 m high. The Eastern Ghats stand about 600 m high. The Western Ghats also hold some of the highest peaks of the Peninsula, such as Anai Mudi at 2,695 m. Most of the peninsular rivers begin in the Western Ghats.

So the east has low, broken hills, and the west has a high, unbroken wall.

The Nagavali and the Vamsadhara are not alone. Other rivers also start in the Eastern Ghats.

11. Which other small rivers rise in the Eastern Ghats?

The Odisha water resources department names more rivers of the Ghats. The Rushikulya rises from the Rushyamala hills of the Eastern Ghats, in Kandhamal district. The Bahuda rises near Luba village, in the Singharaj hills of the Eastern Ghats, in Gajapati district. The Odisha department calls it the shortest of the state’s twelve major rivers.

In Andhra Pradesh, the district survey reports say the Gosthani and the Champavathi also rise in the Eastern Ghats. The Gosthani begins near the Borra caves. The Champavathi begins in the Ananthagiri hills of the Araku valley.

12. Which small rivers reach the sea on their own?

India-WRIS groups them with the independent east-flowing rivers between the Mahanadi and the Pennar. The list includes the Rushikulya, Bahuda, Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Sarada, Varaha and Tandava. Each one reaches the Bay of Bengal on its own and does not join a bigger river.

They are different from the Krishna and the Kaveri, which begin in the Western Ghats and cut through the Eastern Ghats.

13. How can you tell a Ghats river from a plateau river?

Ask one question. Where does the first drop of water come from? If the source sits in the Eastern Ghats, the river is a Ghats river. If it sits on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, it is a plateau river.

A river can cross the Ghats without rising in them. The Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri all cut through the Eastern Ghats, yet none of them rises there. Most peninsular rivers have their origin in the Western Ghats.

So never ask where a river goes. Ask only where it starts.

Now meet the other two rivers, the Brahmani and the Subarnarekha. Their cradle is a plateau in Jharkhand, not a range of hills.

14. Where is the Chota Nagpur Plateau?

Britannica places the Chota Nagpur Plateau in eastern India, in central Jharkhand and north-western Chhattisgarh. Class XI adds that the Rajmahal hills form an eastern extension of the Central Highland. It also says a large reserve of mineral resources lies in the Chotanagpur plateau.

The Jharkhand government says most of the state lies on this plateau. It adds that the plateau is the source of the Koel, Damodar, Brahmani, Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers. So the plateau sends water to several rivers, not to just one.

15. How is the Brahmani formed?

The Brahmani forms where two rivers meet, the Sankh and the South Koel. The Odisha water resources department says both rise on the Chhotanagpur Plateau. They join at Vedavyasa, near Rourkela in Sundargarh district of Odisha. Below that point the river is called the Brahmani.

The Central Water Commission names the upper course. It says the river is known there as the South Koel. That river rises near Nagri village in Ranchi district of Jharkhand, at about 600 m. The Central Water Commission gives the Brahmani as about 799 km long. It enters the Bay of Bengal at Dhamra.

16. Why is the Brahmani such a common trap?

The Brahmani is a trap because it crosses the Eastern Ghats. Britannica says it is one of the few rivers that cut across the Eastern Ghats. It forms a minor gorge at Rengali. A student who remembers this thinks the Brahmani must come from the Ghats.

That thinking is wrong. Crossing the hills is not the same as rising in them. The two source rivers, the Sankh and the South Koel, start on the Chota Nagpur Plateau. So the Brahmani is a plateau river.

The Brahmani is also a long river. The Central Water Commission gives about 799 km, while Britannica gives about 480 km. Either way it is far longer than the Nagavali.

17. Where does the Subarnarekha rise, and where does it flow?

The Central Water Commission and India-WRIS both say the Subarnarekha rises near Nagri village in Ranchi district of Jharkhand, at about 600 m. The Odisha department also says it begins near Nagri, on the Chhotanagpur plateau. The river flows through Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal, and ends in the Bay of Bengal.

India-WRIS gives its length as about 395 km, but other sources give 446 km or 470 km. Its main tributaries are the Kanchi, the Karkari and the Kharkai.

Along the way it passes Jamshedpur, which lies at the junction of the Subarnarekha and the Kharkai. The Chandil dam, a multipurpose project, stands on the river about 22 km north of Jamshedpur.

18. What is Hundru Falls, and why does it help you remember the river?

Hundru Falls lies on the Subarnarekha river. Jharkhand Tourism says the river falls from a height of 98 m. The Jharkhand Department of Mines and Geology gives 75 m, so the height varies by source. Britannica says the river leaves the plateau by the Hundrugbagh waterfall, which Britannica spells differently from Hundru Falls.

Use the waterfall as a memory hook. The falls tell you that the Subarnarekha begins high on the Chota Nagpur Plateau and not in the Ghats.

The plateau matters for more than its rivers. It is one of India’s richest mineral belts. This is the Good to Know and Great to Know part of the lesson.

19. What kind of rock forms the plateau?

Britannica says the Chota Nagpur Plateau is composed of Precambrian rocks. That means rocks more than about 540 million years old. IGNOU’s geography block says the plateau has ancient rocks like gneiss, schist and granite.

A large reserve of mineral resources lies in the Chotanagpur plateau. School geography asks students to study the maps and explain why Chota Nagpur is a storehouse of minerals.

20. What is the Damodar Valley, and why does it hold coal?

The Damodar occupies the eastern margins of the Chotanagpur Plateau. It flows through a rift valley and finally joins the Hugli. The Barakar is its main tributary. The river was once known as the sorrow of Bengal. The Damodar Valley Corporation, a multipurpose project, has now tamed it.

The major resources of Gondwana coal lie in the Damodar valley. This metallurgical coal is a little over 200 million years old. Class X names Jharia, Raniganj and Bokaro as important coalfields.

The Damodar Valley is the coal heart of the plateau.

21. Which other minerals does the plateau hold?

Two more minerals matter. The first is iron ore. Haematite iron ore is mined in Gua and Noamundi, in the Singbhum district of Jharkhand. It lies in the Odisha-Jharkhand belt.

The second is mica. Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chota Nagpur plateau. The Koderma, Gaya and Hazaribagh belt of Jharkhand is the leading producer. Mica is needed in electric and electronic industries.

Britannica notes that on the plateau, abundant coal lies in close proximity to high-grade iron ore. Britannica says the plateau is within easy reach of the Kolkata market and has become India’s principal area for heavy industry.

22. Why is the plateau called the Ruhr of India?

IGNOU’s geography block says the Chota Nagpur Plateau is renowned as the Ruhr of India. It is rich in coal, iron ore, mica, bauxite, limestone and graphite. These minerals have helped the region’s industrialisation.

The Hindustan Times uses the same name for Jharkhand. It calls the name a reference to Germany’s resource-rich area, with large mineral, coal and timber reserves. The Ruhr is that resource-rich German region.

The comparison gives you an easy hook. Ruhr in India means Chota Nagpur.

23. What are the high points of the plateau?

Parasnath is the highest point in Jharkhand. Britannica gives its height as 1,365 m, on the Hazaribag plateau. The Giridih district website gives 1,350 m. The two numbers differ a little, so use the figure the question gives.

The Jharkhand tourism site also names Netarhat as the Queen of Chhotanagpur. It lies in Latehar district. You do not need its height for a prelims question.

You now have all the facts. This last part shows the sources of the four big rivers that cut the Ghats, then the real question and a method.

24. Where do the four big rivers that cut through the Ghats begin?

These four rivers cross the Eastern Ghats, but none starts there. Learn where each one does start.

• The Godavari rises at Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district of Maharashtra, at 1,067 m.
• The Krishna rises near Jor village in Satara district, just north of Mahabaleshwar, in the Western Ghats.
• The Kaveri rises at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri range in Kodagu, at 1,341 m.
• The Mahanadi rises in Chhattisgarh. Sources name a village near Dhamtari or Raipur, so just say Chhattisgarh.

The Krishna and the Kaveri begin in the Western Ghats. The Godavari begins at Trimbakeshwar, in Nashik. The Mahanadi begins in Chhattisgarh. All four cut through the Eastern Ghats on their way to the sea.

25. What did UPSC ask in 2021?

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, General Studies Paper I, asked this in Q55 of Series A. The question was: consider the rivers Brahmani, Nagavali, Subarnarekha and Vamsadhara. Which of them rise from the Eastern Ghats?

The options were 1 and 2, 2 and 4, 3 and 4, and 1 and 3. The official answer key gives option B for this question. That means 2 and 4, which is Nagavali and Vamsadhara.

Brahmani and Subarnarekha rise on the Chota Nagpur Plateau. So options A, C and D each contain a plateau river.

26. What is the fastest method to solve such a question?

Use this three-step method.

• Step one: list the rivers that appear. Mark each one as Ghats or plateau by its source.
• Step two: strike out any option that has even one plateau river.
• Step three: check what is left against the Ghats list, Nagavali, Vamsadhara, Rushikulya and Bahuda.

In the 2021 question, Brahmani and Subarnarekha are plateau rivers. Every option with 1 or 3 is wrong at once. Only option B is left.

The method works for any peninsular river question. First find the source, then decide the cradle.

27. Which traps should you avoid?

• Do not say the Brahmani rises in the Eastern Ghats. It crosses the Ghats but rises on the plateau.
• Do not say the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna or Kaveri rises in the Eastern Ghats. They only cut through it.
• Do not mix up the two highest-peak answers. The school book says Mahendragiri. Other sources say Arma Konda or Jindhagada.
• Do not quote one length as final. The Nagavali, Vamsadhara and Subarnarekha have two or three different lengths in official sources.
• Do not treat the Chota Nagpur Plateau and the Eastern Ghats as one region. The plateau is a highland. The Ghats are broken hills along the coast.