The rivers and lakes of India play an important role in the lives of the Indian people since they provide irrigation, potable water, cheap transportation, electricity, as well as provide livelihoods for a large number of people all over the country. They also have an important role in Hindu mythology and are considered holy by all Hindus in the country. The Indian river system is made up of seven major rivers along with their numerous tributaries, where most of the rivers pour their waters into the Bay of Bengal. On the basis of origin, the rivers of India can be divided into Himalayan rivers and Peninsular rivers.

Many rivers pass through the Himalayas, but the main Himalayan Rivers are the Ganga, Indus and the Brahmaputra rivers. These rivers form large basins. These deep valleys with steep rock sides were formed by the down - cutting of the river during the period of the Himalayan uplift. These rivers are perennial as they get water from the rainfall as well as the melting of ice. They perform intense erosional activity up the streams and carry huge load of sand and silt. In the plains, they form large meanders, and a variety of depositional features like flood plains, river cliffs and levees.

The Peninsular rivers flow through shallow valleys. A large number of them are seasonal as their flow is dependent on rainfall, but the main peninsular rivers include the Narmada, Tapti, Godavari, Krishna,Cauvery and the Mahanadi rivers. The intensity of erosional activities is also comparatively low because of the gentler slope. The hard rock bed and lack of silt and sand does not allow any significant meandering. Many rivers therefore have straight and linear courses.

Krishna River
The Krishna is one of the longest rivers of India, which is about 1300 km in length, since it flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The traditional source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Mahabaleshwar. Its most important tributary is the Tungabhadra River, which itself is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers that originate in the Western Ghats. Other tributaries include the Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Ghataprabha, Yerla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga rivers.

Ganga River
The Ganga River is a major river in the Indian subcontinent. It flows from the east through the plains of northern India into Bangladesh. This river is 2,510 km (1, 557 meters) long and begins at the Gangotri Glacier in the state of Uttarakhand in the central Himalayas and drains into the Bay of Bengal through its vast delta in the Sunderbans. The Ganga is held sacred by Hindus and is worshipped in its personified form as the goddess Ganga.

Yamuna River
The Yamuna is again a major river and the tributory of the Ganga, with a total length of around 1370km. Having its source at the Yamunotri, the Yamuna flows through Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. According to legends, the Yamuna was the daughter of Surya, the Sun God and the sister to Yama, the God of Death. Consequently, popular belief is that those who take a dip in its holy waters are not attacked by fears of death.

Chilka Lake
The Chilka Lake is the largest brackish water lake in the country. The area of the lake varies from 1165 square kms in the monsoon season to 906 square km in the dry season. Part of the lake is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 150 migratory and resident species of birds.

Sambhar Salt Lake
This is India`s largest salt lake. Another distinctive feature of this extensive saline wetland, is that during winter, it receives tens of thousands of winged visitors, some migrating from as far north as Siberia. For such waterfowl as the flamingo, Sambhar Lake is one of the few habitats that ensure sustenance every year. It is in recognition of the urgency to protect the winter home of these `distinguished guests` that Sambhar Lake was designated as a Ramsar site in 1990.

Beas River
The Beas River is one of the "five rivers" from which the state of Punjab derives its name. The river originates in the Rohtang pass of the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh in India at a height of 13,050 feet and flows for a length of 290 miles (470 km) before uniting with the Sutlej River at Harike Pattan south of Amritsar in Punjab.

Narmada
The Narmada River is the only river in India that flows in a rift valley and is a traditional divider between North India and South India. It is one of only three major rivers in pensinsular India that run from east to west, along with the Tapti and the Mahi river.

Arkavathy River
Arkavathy River is a river, which originates at Nandi Hills of the district of Kolar. The Arkavathy River is also considered to be an offshoot of River Cauvery. After flowing through the rural districts of Bangalore and Kolar, River Arkavathy merges at the Kanakapura confluence.

Alaknanda River
The five headstreams of the Ganges including the Bhagirathi, Mandakini, Alakananda, Dhauliganga and Pindar all rise in the northern mountainous regions of the Uttarkhand region which forms a part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The Alakananda river actually begins at the confluence of the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers in Uttarkhand.

Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra River is one of the largest rivers in the world. It originates in southwestern Tibet as the Yarlung River. It flows across southern Tibet where it is known as Dihang. Then it breaks through the Himalayas in great gorge, approximately at 31°30īN and 82°0īE. Its basin covers the areas of Tibet, China, India and Bangladesh.

Sabarmati River
Sabarmati River Basin is situated in the mid-southern part of Rajasthan, between latitudes 23 degree 25` and 24 degree 55` and longitudes 73 degree 00` and 73 degree 48`. The Sabarmati River originates from the ranges of Arravalli in the Udaipur district of Rajasthan, Western India.

Hooghly
Hooghly(Hugli) is a river in the West Bengal state of northeastern India. The Hooghly River is considered to be an arm of the Ganges. It is one of the many branches of the river that are collectively known as the "Mouths of the Ganges."

Pulicat Lake
The famous Pulicat Lake is the second biggest `brackish water lagoon` in India .In Tamil , it is better known as Pazhaverkaadu, and is situated on the Coromandel Coast of south eastern parts of Indian continent. It is an ideal rearing ground for several bird species, especially endangered birds. Sixteen islands nicely enhance the topographical beauty. Almost thirty lakes are there adjacent to it.

Gomti River
The Gomti River originates from the east of Pilibhit town at a height of 200 meters. The river is also known by the names as Gumti or Gomati. The Gomti river is a a tributary of the Ganges River.

Brahmani River, Orissa
The Brahmani River originates in the vicinity of the Nagri village in the Dhenkanal district of Orissa at the confluence of the Sankh and the South Koel rivers at an elevation of about 600 m.

Buckingham Canal
The Buckingham Canal is a salt-water navigation canal with a length of 420 km. It extends parallel to the Coromandel Coast of South India from the Krishna District in the state of Andhra Pradesh to the Villupuram District in the state of Tamil Nadu.