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Rivers System of Himachal Pradesh : |
| The himalayan mountain chain has a dominant
influence on the climatic conditions prevailing over Indian sub-continent.
They lie in the path of rain-bearing monsoon winds and thus bring
rain to a large part of India. The Himalaya houses a vast reservoir
of moisture both in the form of ice, fresh-water and underground water.
The rivers draining the Himalayas sustain life in the Northern part
of the Indian sub-continent. The drainage system of Himalaya is very
complex. It is composed both of rivers and glaciers. Himalayan river
criss-croos the entire mountain chain. In fact a number of rivers
are older than the mountain system. They have cut across the various
mountain ranges. |
Indus River System :- The river Indus rises from
the Tibetan plateau and enters the Himalaya in Ladakh. It enters the
Kashmir region near its confluence with the river Gurtang, at an elevation
of about 4200 metres. The drainage basin of the Indus river system
extends from the Naga Parbat mass in the extreme North-Western part
of the country to the Western slopes of the Shimla ridge in Himachal
Pradesh. It includes the whole of Jammu and Kashmir and most of Himachal
Pradesh. The extreme Northern tract of the Indus basin comprises of
the cold desert of Ladakh, Lahaul Spiti and Pooh. South of this tract
lies the higher Himalayan mountain wall. The lower and middle Himalayas
occupy the central part of the Indus basin. The low rolling Shivalik
hills occur along its Southern periphery.
Climatic conditions in the Indus river system vary from arctic to
sub-tropical. The cold desert area remains devoid of rainfall and
experiences heavy snowfall. The important rivers of this system are
the Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum. Out of
these five, four flow through Himachal Pradesh and along with their
tributaries draining parts of Himachal Pradesh. |
Ganga River System :- The drainage
basin of the Ganga river system covers about one third of the
Western Himalaya and the entire Central Himalaya. This basin extends
from the Eastern face of the Shimla ridge in Himachal Pradesh
to the South-Western slopes of the Kanchanjunga massif on the
Nepal-Sikkim border, thereby including parts of Kinnaur, Shimla,
Solan and Sirmaur district of Himachal and Garhwal, Kumaun and
Nepal.
The Ganga is the most sacred river of India. The story of the
Ganga from her source to sea, from ancient times to the modern
period is the story of India's civilization and culture. The Ganga
has its source near Gomukh glacier, near Gangotri ( Uttar Pradesh
). The Ganga is formed by two head streams namely Alaknanda and
Bhagirathi. It enters the plains near Haridwar. The Yamuna meets
this river at Allahbad known as Sangam. The Ganga is the master
stream of the area. South of Farakka, the river divides into a
number of channels to form Sunder Ban Delta ( Largest in the world
). The main tributaries of the Ganga system are the Yamuna, Bhagirathi
and Alaknanda, Kali and its tributaries, the Ghagra, the Gandak
and the Kosi river. The important settlements between its bank
are - Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkata.
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| A legend from the Ramayana speaks of King Bhagirath
who once meditated before Lord Brahma for a thousand years for the
salvation of the souls of his ancestors. Pleased with his devotion
Brahma granted him a wish. He requested the Lord to send the river
Ganges down to earth from heaven so that she could flow over his ancestors'
ashes and wash their curse away and allow them to go to heaven. Brahma
granted his wish but asked him to pray to Shiva, for he alone could
support the weight of her descent. Accordingly he prayed to Shiva
and he allowed the Ganges to descend on his head, and after meandering
through his thick matted locks, the holy river reached the earth.
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