Krishna

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

This article is about an Indian river. For other meanings, see Krishna (disambiguation) and Krishnaveni.

Krishna River
Map of the River
Origin	Mahabaleswar, Maharashtra, India
Mouth	Bay of Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, India
Length	1300 km

Krishna in Vijayawada in 2007

The Krishna River (Marathi: कृष्णा नदी, Kannada: ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ ನದಿ , Telugu: కృష్ణా నది), is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India (about 1300 km in length).

Course

It rises at Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra in the west and meets the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh, on the east coast. It also flows through the state of Karnataka. The delta of the river is one of the most fertile regions in Bharat and was the home to ancient Satavahana and Ikshvaku sun dynasty, kings. Vijayawada is the largest city on the River Krishna.

Ecologically, this is one of the disastrous rivers in the world, in that it causes heavy soil erosion during the monsoon season. It flows fast and furious, often reaching depths of over 75 feet (23 m). Ironically, there is a saying in Marathi (language of Maharashtra) "sunt vaahate Krishnamaai" which means "quiet flows Krishna". This term is also used to describe how a person should be, as quiet as Krishna. But, in reality, Krishna causes a high degree of erosion between June and August. During this time, Krishna takes fertile soil from Maharashtra, Karnataka and western Andhra Pradesh towards the delta region.

Tributaries

Its most important tributary is the Tungabhadra River, which is formed by the Tunga River and Bhadra River that originate in the Western Ghats. Other tributaries include the Koyna River, Bhima River (and its tributaries such as the Kundali River feeding into the Upper Bhima River Basin), Malaprabha River, Ghataprabha River, Yerla River, Warna River, Dindi River, Musi River and Dudhganga River.

The rivers Koyna River, Vasna, Panchganga River, Dudhganga, Ghataprabha River, Malaprabha River and Tungabhadra River join Krishna from the right bank; while the Yerla River, Musi River, Maneru and Bhima rivers join the Krishna from the left bank

Three tributaries meet Krishna river near Sangli. Warana River meets Krishna river near Sangli at Haripur. This spot is also known as Sangameshwar. Panchganga River meets Krishna river at Narsobawadi near Sangli. These places are very holy. It is said that Lord Dattatraya spent some of his days at Audumber on the banks of river Krishna.

• Krishna River Tributories
  • Munneru River in Andhra Pradesh
    • Akeru River in Andhra Pradesh
  • Paleru River in Andhra Pradesh
  • Musi River in Andhra Pradesh
  • Tungabhadra River
    • Vedavathi River
      • Suvarnamukhi River
      • Veda River
      • Avathi River
    • Varada River
    • Tunga River
    • Bhadra River
  • Bhima River in Karnataka and Maharashtra
    • Sina River
    • Nira River
    • Mula-Mutha River
      • Mula River
      • Mutha River
    • Chandani River
    • Kamini River
    • Moshi River
    • Bori River
    • Man River
    • Bhogwati River
    • Indrayani River
      • Kundali River
    • Kumandala River
    • Ghod River
    • Bhama River
    • Pavna River
  • Malaprabha River
  • Ghataprabha River
  • Varma River
  • Koyna River

Places and Temples

Temples like Dattadeva temple, which is very dear to the people of Maharashtra is located on the banks of Krishna at Narasoba Waadi. Also, Sangameshwar Shiva Temple at Haripur and Ramling Temple are located on the banks of river Krishna near Sangli.

Popular pilgrim spots like Audumber and Narsobawadi are located on the banks of river Krishna near Sangli in Maharashtra state. Kudalasangama is located near Bagalkot, in Karnataka which is an Aikya linga of Basaveshwara. Srisailam, one of the twelve jyotirlingas, has an ancient temple for Lord Shiva. The international Kalachakra festival was celebrated in the presence of Dalai Lama in Amaravati, the capital of imperial Satavahanas who held sway over South India for 400 years and a great seat of Buddhist learning and wisdom. Vijayawada on the left bank of the river has a famous temple situated on Indrakeeladri mountain dedicated to Goddess Kanaka Durga.

Dams

There are many dams constructed across the Krishna river.

• Basava Sagar Dam
• Almatti Dam
• Srisailam Dam
• Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
• Prakasham Barrage
• Jurala Dam
• Dhom Dam

Krishna Basin

Krishna Basin extends over an area of 258,948 km² which is nearly 8% of total geographical area of the country. The basin lies in the states of Andhra Pradesh (113,271 km²), Karnataka (76,252 km²) and Maharashtra (69,425 km²).

Krishna river rises in the Western Ghats at an elevation of about 1337 m just north of Mahabaleshwar, about 64 km from the Arabian Sea and flows for about 1400 km and outfalls into the Bay of Bengal. The principal tributaries joining Krishna are the Ghataprabha, the Malaprabha, the Bhima, the Tungabhadra and the Musi.

Most part of this basin comprises rolling and undulating country except the western border which is formed by an unbroken line of ranges of the Western Ghats. The important soil types found in the basin are black soils, red soils, laterite and lateritic soils, alluvium, mixed soils, red and black soils and saline and alkaline soils.

An average annual surface water potential of 78.1 km³ has been assessed in this basin. Out of this, 58.0 km³ is utilisable water. Culturable area in the basin is about 203,000 km², which is 10.4% of the total culturable area of the country.

Floods

In 2009 October Heavy Floods occurred, isolating 350 villages and leaving millions homeless.^[1] which are never seen in over 100 years and resulted in heavy damage to Kurnool and Krishna Districts. Entire Kurnool city is surrounded by 10 feet water for nearly 3 days.

With water inflow of 1.11 million Cusec at the Prakasam Barriage,which is surpassed previous record of 1.08 Million Cusec recorded in the year 1903

See also

• Krishna (the deity)
• Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal
• Tungabhadra River
• Godavari River

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Krishna River

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Kistna (river).

• River Krishna
• About River Krishna
• Krishna River Basin
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI): Krishna Basin
• Major Reservoirs on River Krishna
• Map of River Krishna in Andhra Pradesh