Yamuna River is one of the most prominent rivers of northern India. This river is about 1370 kilometres long. Yamuna River is also known as `Jamuna`. Yamuna River flows in a southerly way through the Himalayan Mountains, on the northern Indian plain, and traverses through a series of valleys for about 200 kilometres along the border of two states - Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Yamuna traverses through several states like Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, before it merges with the Ganges at Allahabad. Cities like Agra and Mathura are situated along its banks.

Origin of Yamuna River
Yamuna River is said to be at Yamunotri, in Uttarakhand Himalaya, which is positioned at the northern region of Haridwar in the Himalaya Mountains at an elevation of about 6387 metres above the mean sea level. Cities like Mathura, Noida, Hamirpur, Allahabad, Baghpat, Delhi, Etawah, Kalpi and Agra, are on its banks. Yamunotri, source of River Yamuna also forms the seat of Goddess Yamuna. This spot is considered as one of the four sites in the `Char Dham` pilgrimage in India.

Religious significance of Yamuna River
The river has great value in Indian mythology. A number of ancient evidences states that Yamuna River in the past was a tributary of Ghaggar River but with the due course of time this river changed its course. The goddess of the River Yamuna, also known as Goddess Yami, is the sister of Lord Yama, God of death, and the daughter of Lord Surya or Sun god. It is also said that Lord Krishna blessed this river, when Vasudeva was crossing it with baby Lord Krishna. When the baby fell down in the river, the dust of Krishna`s lotus feet sanctified the river at once. A hot water pool at Yamunotri is used for the preparation of `Prasad.` As per popular beliefs, people who undertake a dip in the sacred waters of Yamuna River are not besieged by death or fear.

Geography of Yamuna River
Yamuna River is a river of northern India and it is the longest tributary of Ganges, having a length of approximately 1,380 kilometres. The source of Yamuna River happens to be in the western Himalayan ranges. Yamuna River originally traverses south and then southeast and hence running parallel to and just west of the Ganges.

Tributaries of Yamuna River
Tons River, Betwa River, Chambal River, Ken River and Sindh River are the prime tributaries of Yamuna River among which Tons is the biggest. Yamuna River unites with River Ganga after receiving water from all the major tributaries. It also merges with underground Saraswati River in Allahabad.

Geology of Yamuna River
The geology of Yamuna River is known from the silt deposits it have all through the riverbed. The sediments collected from Delhi and Agra urban centres were examined for concentration and distribution of nine heavy metals by means of atomic adsorption spectrometry. This river actually begins from Champasar Glacier in Uttarakhand. According to beliefs, the source of this river is the Saptarishi Kund, a glacial lake. There is a temple dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, which remains closed from November to May. At Hanuman Chatti, the Hanuman Ganga converges with the Yamuna River. According to various legends, this remote mountainous spot was the home of an ancient sage, the Asit Muni.

Wildlife and Surroundings of Yamuna River
The wildlife and surroundings of River Yamuna is a serene frontier of fabulous greenery. The surroundings of this river are abundant in wildlife and ecological species. The boundary line of River Yamuna has the rare collection of Asian Elephants.

Significance of Yamuna River
Significance of Yamuna River is increased by several canals especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. These canals irrigate the vast tract of lands of the country. Thus, Yamuna River is used in the country for huge agricultural activities. Besides, irrigation purposes Yamuna River has other significances too. Like for instance, the cities which are located on its bank extort huge quantities of water for several uses such as industrial use as well as for discharging the pollutants in the river.

Triveni Sangam is the meeting point of three legendary rivers of the country - Ganga River, Yamuna River and Saraswati River near Allahabad. This spot has become a well-known pilgrimage spot in India and today unfortunately this river has been polluted, particularly, the river banks near New Delhi. A huge percentage of the city`s garbage is dumped into this river. However, a number of attempts have been taken by the Government of India to clean this river.