Apart from snow-laden mountain peaks, deep gorges, lush green valleys, enchanting lakes, and flower meadows what makes Himachal Pradesh nothing less than heaven is its fast flowing rivers.

In this article we will discuss about the famous rivers of Himachal Pradesh as well as their origin and the dams built on them. Following are the famous rivers that run through this mountainous state.

Beas: Vedic name: Aarijika; Sanskrit name: Bipasha. The river rises from the Beaskund in the Pir Panjal range near the Rohtang Pass. The Beas runs for about 260 km in Himachal Pradesh before entering Punjab at Murthal. The tributaries that form River Beas are Parbati, Spin, Hurla, Malna, Chakki, Sainj, Uhl, Phung, Binwa, Banganga and Mankhad. Thanks to its snow-fed tributaries, water levels of this river increases greatly during the monsoons, sometimes resulting in floods. Pandoh Dam and Pong Dam are the major dams built on River Beas.

Ravi: Vedic name: Parushini; Sanskrit name: Irawati. Ravi River originates at Bara Bangal of Kangra district, and flows through Bara Bansu, Tretha, Chanota and Ulhansa. It covers a distance of 158 km in Himachal Pradesh before entering Punjab state. Its famous tributaries are Budhil, siul, Baljeri, Chatrari and Baira. Barmaur, Madhopur and Chamba towns are situated on the banks of the river.

Chenab: Vedic name: Askini. Popularly known as Chandra Bhaga, the River Chenab originates from Tandi in Lahul Spiti where two rivulets namely Chandra and Bhaga meet to form this river. It is the largest river of the state in terms of the density of water. It flows for 122 km in the state before leaving it at Sansari Nullah and then entering Kashmir. The river runs through barren land where there is no human settlement.

Yamuna: Vedic name: Kalindi. It rises from Yamnotri in Uttar Kashi, Uttarakhand and enters Himachal at Khadar Majri in Sirmaur district. Yamuna’s main tributaries are the Tons, Giri, Pabbar and Bata. The river itself is the largest tributary of the Ganga. The catchment area of Yamuna in Himachal is 2320sq.km.

Satluj: Vedic name: Shutudri; Sanskrit name: Sathdru. It rises from Mansrovar Lake in Tibet. It enters at Shipki in Kinnaur district of Himachal. Sutlej flows through Shimla, Bilaspur before exiting from Bhakra village to enter into Punjab. The world’s largest dam, Bhakhra Dam, has been constructed on Sutlej River.

For more information about Himachal water bodies you can browse through online sources that are providing guidance, description and complete information about Himachal rivers and their origins. Arm yourself with a lot of information about Himachal Pradesh before planning a trip to this mesmerizing hill station.

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