A chief confluent of the Krishna River is the Tungabhadra River. The Hindus consider this river sacrosanct and there is a mention of the river in Ramayana where it is referred to as Pampa. The river flows through the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The river has a catchment area of 27,574 square miles. The tributaries of the Tungabhadra are Varada River and Hagari (Vedathy) River.

The merging of the two rivers, the Tunga River and the Bhadra River at Koodli in Shimoga district of Karnataka, gives birth to the Tungabhadra River. The Tunga and the Bhadra Rivers flow down the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats located in the state of Karnataka. After its birth, the Tungabhadra River takes a northeast direction where it flows through uneven ridges formed by boulders, which is the Deccan Plateau. Granite stones in varied colors like grey, ochre and pink covers the entire region. The river flows towards Hampi where it creates a narrow ravine. As the river flows in the south direction, it enters a broad plain, which ends with the rising slopes of the Sandur hills. It is here where Hospet is located. The Tungabhadra River then flows in the east direction where it joins the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. The Krishna River continues in the east direction and evacuates in the Bay of Bengal. The locked land that lies in the north of Tungabhadra River between the Tungabhadra and the Krishna River is called the Raichur Doab.

Hampi, the capital of the ancient Hindu dynasty of Vijayanagar stands on its right bank. There are several sacred places on the banks of the river. In Harihara there is a temple dedicated to Harihareshwara. There is a dam at Hospet built across Tungabhadra River called the Tungabhadra dam. The dam controls the flow of water and generates hydroelectricity.