The Krishna River is a river that flows through the Deccan/Deccan Plateau in the southern part of India. Krishna River flows through an area approximately 1400 kilometers long. Krishna River ranks third among the longest rivers of India. The rivers longer than Krishna river are Ganga and Godavari.
Origin – Krishna River
The origin place of Krishna is at Mahabaleshwar in Satara district of Maharashtra. Krishna Bai Temple at an altitude of 1300 meters in the Western Ghats is the origin place of Krishna. This river flows in Maharashtra for 282 kilometers from its origin in Mahabaleshwar. The Krishna River flowing through Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh falls into the Bay of Bengal. Krishna’s journey from Mahabaleshwar to the Bay of Bengal is 1400 kilometers long.
Mythology – Krishna River
According to Hindu mythology, once Lord Brahma organized a Yagya and called all the Gods and Goddesses in that Yagya. Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva also came to participate in this yagya. When everyone was preparing to start this Yagya, Goddess Saraswati, the wife of Lord Brahma, did not yet reach the Yagya place. After waiting for some time, at the behest of Vishnu, Brahma started the establishment of Yagya with his second wife Gayatri. When Saraswati reached there, she became angry after seeing this and cursed the gods. Saraswati cursed Lord Vishnu to be a river. That river is Krishna river.
In Mahabharata, Krishna is known by the name Krishna Veni.
The details of Krishna river are found in mythology. The kingdom of Satavahana and Ikshvaku dynasty of South India was spread in the basin of this river.
Tributaries – Krishna River
The main tributaries of Krishna River are Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Bhima and Musi. Tungabhadra is the largest river among these tributaries. Bhima is the longest river among the tributaries of Krishna, which flows for 831 kilometers and joins Krishna.
Apart from these, Krishna has 11 other tributaries. Their names are Venna, Urmodi, Tarali or Kali Ganga, Maand, Koyna, Varna, Dudhganga, Panchganga, Kolamba, Yerla and Doni. In India, the places of origin, confluence and merging of rivers into the sea are considered sacred and revered, hence there are often big temples and tourist places at these places.
Basin – Krishna River
The Krishna River basin has extremely fertile black and red soil which is best suited for farming. The basins of Krishna and Godavari are called the rice storehouse of India.
Minerals like oil, natural gas, coal, iron, limestone, dolomite, gold, granite, laterite, uranium and diamonds are found in the Krishna basin.
Waterfalls – Krishna River
The Krishna, along with its tributaries, flows forming many waterfalls from its source till it meets the sea. All these places are very important from tourism point of view. Ethipothala (Palandu, Andhra Pradesh), Gokak (Belagavi, Karnataka), Melela (Nagarkurnool, Telangana) and Godachinmalaki (Belgaum, Karnataka) are some of the major waterfalls that are formed by the Krishna and its tributaries.
Wildlife Reserves in Krishna
The Krishna basin is rich in flora and fauna. The mangrove forest of Krishna River has been made Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary. This will provide protection to the flora and fauna thriving in these forests. Krishna’s basin has some major wildlife sanctuaries such as Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Reserve, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandauli National Park, Kudremukh National Park, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary. Apart from these, there are many more wild life sanctuaries in the Krishna river basin areas.
Dams
Almatti Dam, also known as Lal Bahadur Shastri Dam, is on the Krishna in North Karnataka. Dhoom Dam is in Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra. Basava Sagar Dam / Narayanpur Dam is in Yadgir, Karnataka. Srisailam Dam is built in Telangana. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam falls in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Apart from these, some other dams which are built on Krishna and its tributaries are:
Hippargi Dam, Bhima/Ujjaini Dam, Jurla Dam, Tungabhadra Dam
Delta of River
The Krishna River joins the Bay of Bengal at Hamsaldevi in Andhra Pradesh. It is also known as Sagar Sangam. At Sagar Sangam, where the river meets the ocean, three colors of water can be seen. This beach is also a main attraction for tourists in Andhra Pradesh.
Tourism and Pilgrimage
In India, rivers are considered sacred and that is why temples at the origin of rivers are highly revered. The temple built at the origin of Krishna river is known as Krishna Bai Temple. In this temple, the stream of water coming out of the mouth of a cow statue further becomes a river. There are many famous tourist places on the banks of Krishna. Datta Deva Temple, Veer Bhadra Temple, Maha Ganpati Temple, Sangameshwar Shiv Temple, Kanak Durga Temple are some of the famous religious and tourist places.
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