Godavari (Dakshin Ganga)
River
The Mouth of the Godavari river (East) emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Country	India
States	Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh
Region	South India, West India
Tributaries
- left	Purna, Pranahita, Indravati, Sabari, Taliperu
- right	Pravara, Manjira, Pedda Vagu, Manair, Kinnerasani
City	Rajamundry
Source
- location	Brahmagiri Mountain, Tryambakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra, India
- elevation	920 m (3,018 ft)
- coordinates	19°55′48″N 73°31′39″E / 19.93°N 73.5275°E / 19.93; 73.5275
Mouth
- location	Antarvedi into Bay of Bengal, East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	17°0′N 81°48′E / 17°N 81.8°E / 17; 81.8 [1]
Length	1,465 km (910 mi)
Basin	312,812 km2 (120,777 sq mi)
Discharge	for Polavaram (1901-1979)
- average	3,061.18 m3/s (108,105 cu ft/s) [2]
- max	34,606 m3/s (1,222,099 cu ft/s)
- min	7 m3/s (247 cu ft/s)
Path of the Godavari through the South Indian Peninsula

The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India (only after the Ganges), that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India. It originates near Trimbak in Nashik District of Maharashtra state and flows east across the Deccan Plateau into the Bay of Bengal near Yanam and Antarvedi in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.^[3]

The Godavari is a major waterway in central India, originating in the Western Ghats Trimbakeshwar, in the Nashik Subdivision or District Of Maharashtra and flowing eastwardly across the Deccan Plateau through the state of Maharashtra. It is known as dakshin ganga (Southern Ganges). It enters Andhra Pradesh at Basara in Adilabad district. While passing through telangana region of Andhra Pradesh it touches a small village called Dharmapuri which is a pilgrimage village with many ancient Hindu temples and river Godavari serving as spiritual place in true sense for bathing in Godavari river spread over rocks and sand. While crossing the Deccan Plateau and then turns to flow in a southeast direction until it empties into the Bay of Bengal through two mouths.^[4] Basara, on the banks of Godavari in Adilabad District, is home to a famous temple for Goddess Saraswati and is the second temple for the Goddess in India.

Rajahmundry, is the second largest city (Nashik is the largest city) on the banks of Godavari. At Rajahmundry, Godavari is in its widest form having a width of approximately 5 km from Rajahmundry to the other bank at Kovvur.

The Sri Ram Sagar Project which was constructed on this river (1964–69) serves the irrigation needs of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts.

Although the river arises only 80 kilometres from the Arabian Sea, it flows 1,465 km to empty into the Bay of Bengal. Just above Rajamundry, there is a dam that provides water for irrigation. Below Rajahmundry, the river divides into two streams that widen into a large river delta which has an extensive navigable irrigation-canal system, Dowleswaram Barrage that links the region to the Krishna River delta to the southwest.^[5]

The Godavari River has a drainage area of 312,812 km² that includes more than one state which is nearly one-tenth of India and is greater than the areas of England and Ireland put together. The Pravara, Indravati, Wainganga, Wardha, Pench, Kanhan and Penuganga rivers, discharge an enormous volume of water into the Godavari system. Its tributaries include Indravati, Manjira River, Bindusara River and Sabari River.^[6]

Jindhagada Peak (1,690m) is the highest point of the Godavari basin.

Major towns and cities along the river[link]

In Maharashtra:

• Nashik (Famous holy city and Kumbhamela site)
• Trimbakeshwar (10th Jyotirliga of Lord Shiva)
• Kopargaon
• Paithan (Ancient capital of Satvahan dynasty, Holy town)
• Gangakhed
• Nanded (Famous for Sachkhand Gurudwara)
• Sironcha (Town situated near the confluence of Godavari and Pranahita rivers)
• Gevrai in District Beed

In Andhra Pradesh:

• Basara, Adilabad (Gnana Saraswati Temple)
• Nirmal, Adilabad (Nirmal Toys)
• Tadpakala, Nizamabad (Armoor Toys)
• battapur, Nizamabad (Armoor Toys)
• Goodem gutta, Adilabad (Temple)
• Dharmapuri, Karimnagar (Narasimha Swamy Temple)
• Kaleshwaram, Karimnagar (Kaleswara Mukhteswara swamy (Siva) Temple)
• Manthani, Karimnagar (Gautameshwara Swami(Siva) Temple, Sri Rama, Sarswathi Temples)
• Mancherial, Adilabad
• Chennur, Adilabad
• Godavarikhani, Karimnagar
• Eturunagaram, Warangal
• Bhadrachalam, khammam
• Rajamundry, East Godavari
• Kovvur, West Godavari
• Tallapudi, West Godavari
• Narsapur, West Godavari
• Antarvedi, East Godavari(Antarvedi is famous for the Laxmi Narasimha Swamy temple constructed between the 15th and 16th centuries. There is also a temple of Lord Siva that is older than Narasimha Swamy temple. The temple's idol of Lord Siva was installed by Lord Srirama.
• Tadipudi, West Godavari

In Pondicherry:

• Yanam, Yanam

Dams and bridges along the river[link]

A barrage was built on the river at Dowleswaram by Sir Arthur Cotton in 1852. As it was damaged in 1987 floods, it was rebuilt as a barrage and roadway during 1987 and named after him. The roadway connects Dowleswaram in East Godavari and Vijjeswaram in West Godavari.

There is also a big dam built just after the source of the river at Trimbakeshwar. The dam is in the town of Gangapur, which literally means a town on a river. The dam provides drinking water to the residents of Nashik and also supplies water to the thermal power station situated downstream at Eklahare, which provides power to the town.

There is another multipurpose project on the Godavari River named Sriram Sagar Project on the borders of Adilabad and Nizamabad District. It is in the town of Pochampad, 60 km away from Nizamabad. It irrigates 4 districts of Northern Telangana Region of Andhra Pradesh and supplies power.

Sunset on the Godavari river. The Havelock Bridge can be seen in the background

The Jayakwadi dam near Paithan is one of the largest earthen dam in India. This dam was built to address the problem of drought in Marathwada region and problem of flood along the bank of river. Two 'left' and 'right' canals provide the irrigation to fertile land up to Nanded district. This dam has major contribution in industrial development of Aurangabad Maharashtra.

The Rail-Road Bridge in between Rajahmundry and Kovvur

There are 3 railway bridges spanning the river between East Godavari and West Godavari districts.

1. Havelock bridge (Named after the then Madras Governor)
2. Rail-cum-road bridge
3. New railway bridge

• Havelock bridge

Construction for this bridge started in 1876, and was completed in 1897. It was constructed under the supervision of F.T. Granville Walton who had constructed the Dufferin Bridge over the Ganges, and Granville Mills, British engineers. Spanning over 3 km in length, it linked the East Godavari and West Godavari districts. The bridge has been a vital link enabling trains to run between Chennai and Howrah. Trains continued to ply over the bridge for a century until 1997, when train services over the bridge were suspended after the construction of two additional bridges.

• Rail-cum-road bridge

This bridge constructed over a quarter of a century ago, serves as both a railway bridge and as a roadway between the East Godavari and West Godavari Districts.

• New Railway Bridge

This bridge completed in 1997, was built upstream of the earlier bridges.

Significance[link]

Religious significance[link]

The Godavari River is sacred to Hindus and has several pilgrimage centers on its banks. It has been held as a special place of pilgrimage for many thousands of years. Many famous personalities, including Baladeva (5000 years ago) and more recently Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (500 years ago) have bathed in her waters as an act of worship.

Godavari is considered the Dhakshin (Southern) Ganga and Draksharama Dhakshin Kasi. Every twelve years, Pushkaram fair is held on its banks of the river. Crores of people have a holy dip in the sacred waters of the river to purify themselves of all their sins.

Legend has it that Sage Gautama lived on the Brahmagiri Hills at Trayambakeshwar with his wife Ahalya. The rishi kept his stock of rice in a granary. Once, a cow entered his granary and ate up the rice. When the rishi tried to ward the cow away with Durbha grass, it fell dead. The rishi wanted to relieve himself of the sin of ‘Gohatya’. He worshipped Lord Shiva and requested him to bring the Ganga to purify his hermitage. Lord Shiva pleased with the rishi appeared as Triambaka and brought along the river Ganga. Since the Ganga was brought down to Triambakeshwar by Sage Gautama, it is known here as Gautami. It is also known as Godavari because the river helped Sage Gautama to relieve his sins.

Ecological significance[link]

The Coringa mangrove forests in the Godavari delta are the second largest mangrove formation in the country. Part of this has been declared as the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, renowned for its reptiles. They also provide an important habitat to a wide variety of fish and crustaceans. These forests also act as barriers against cyclones, tropical storms and tidal waves thus protecting the nearby villages.

The Krishna Godavari basin is one of the main nesting sites of the endangered Olive Ridley turtle.

Godavari is also a home to the endangered fringed-lipped carp (Labeo fimbriatus).^[7]

Godavari is the second largest river in India after river Ganges.

Other significance[link]

one of the ships of the Indian Navy has been named INS Godavari after the river.

Places of interest[link]

The Godavari flowing through Bhadrachalam.

Like any other major rivers in India, the banks of this river also has many pilgrimage sites.

• Trimbakeshwar - One of the twelve Jyotirlingas and ancient temple of Lord Shiva.
• Nashik - One of the four Sinhastha Kumbh Mela, Hindu pilgrimage place.
• Paithan - Saint Eknath's native place, famous Jayakwadi dam, and a beautiful garden name as Sant Dnyneshwar Udyan.
• Nanded - Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, One of the five most sacred places in Sikhism.
• Basar (originally, Vyasara) - Sri Gyana Saraswati temple is situated on the banks of Godavari, in Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh. It is 210 km from state capital Hyderabad and accessible by road and rail (nearest major station: Nizamabad, although Basar station also exists). It is considered that the sage Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata on the banks of Godavari at this location, and thus the place came to be known as Vyasara.
• Dharmapuri, Andhra Pradesh - Hindu Temple of Lord Narasimha. Godavari flows from North to South in Dharmapuri, hence the river is localled called 'Dakshina Vahini' [South Flowing]
• Kaleshwaram - Sri Kaleswara Mukhteswara swamy Temple is situated here on the banks of Triveni sangamam of rivers godavari and pranahita. (border of Andhra Pradesh and Maharastra). It is 125 kilometers away from Karimnagar, 115 km away from Warangal city.
• Bhadrachalam - Hindu Temple of Lord Rama.
• Rajahmundry - Center for Telugu Literature. A town that symbolises Telugu Culture. It is the native of Aadikavi Nannaya, one of the writers of kavitrayam. Famous for the Godavari Pushkaralu - an event that happens once in every 12 years, celebrated with pomp and glory and attended by lakhs of people from all round the world. A bath in Godavari during the pushkaram period is said to be equivalent to bathing in the holy River Ganges.
• Pattiseema - A village where a Hindu temple is located on a small hill on an island in the river.
• Antarvedi - Famous for Hindu temple of Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy. Also, one of the mouths of the river joins Bay of Bengal here.
• Konaseema - Picturesque delta of Godavari.

See also[link]

• Detailed list of Tributaries
• Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects
• River Basins in Madhya Pradesh
• List of reservoirs and dams in India
• Godavari Bridge
• Godavari Arch Bridge
• Old Godavari Bridge

v t e Godavari basin Rivers Godavari Pranhita Wardha Wainganga Painganga Indravati Sabari Manjira Dams, barrages Jayakwadi Dam Sriram Sagar Project Nizam Sagar Upper Wardha Dam Singur Reservoir Neher water system Dowleswaram Barrage Balimela Reservoir Devadula lift irrigation scheme Upper Dudhana Dam Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects Geographical features/ regions Marathwada Vidarbha Telangana Coastal Andhra Hyderabad State Konaseema Deccan Plateau Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Riparian districts Maharashtra Nashik Ahmednagar Aurangabad Parbhani Nanded Gadchiroli Beed Amravati Bhandara Gondia Chandrapur Wardha Nagpur Yavatmal Washim Buldhana Hingoli Madhya Pradesh Balaghat Seoni Betul Chhindwara Orissa Kalahandi Koraput Malkangiri Chhattisgarh Bastar Bijapur Karnataka Bidar Andhra Pradesh Medak Nizamabad Adilabad Karimnagar Warangal Khammam West Godavari East Godavari Languages/ people Indo-Aryan languages Marathi Bhili Khandeshi Andh Banjari Oriya Bhunjia Hindi Dravidian languages Kolami Goni Telegu Kannadiga Duruwa Multani Urdu Coalfields Godavari Valley Coalfield Wardha Valley Coalfield Kamptee Coalfield Pench Kanhan Coalfield Oil/ gas fields Krishna Godavari Basin Industries Koradi Thermal Power Station Parli Thermal Power Station NTPC Ramagundam Ramagundam B Thermal Power Station Waluj MIDC Shendra MIDC Shendra – Bidkin Industrial Park Ballarpur Industries Limited HAL Sunabeda NALCO Damanjodi Transport NH 5 NH6 NH7 Godavari Bridge Old Godavari Bridge Godavari Arch Bridge Hyderabad-Godavari Valley Railways Related topics Paithani Himroo Other basins Mahanadi-Brahmani-Baitarani Damodar Kosi Son

References[link]

1. ^ Godāvari River at GEOnet Names Server
2. ^ "Sage River Database". http://www.sage.wisc.edu/riverdata/scripts/station_table.php?qual=32&filenum=865. Retrieved 2011-06-16. 
3. ^ "River Godavari". rainwaterharvesting.org. http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Crisis/river-godavari.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-12. 
4. ^ "Ponnaiyar". Person unknown. http://www.whereincity.com/india/tamilnadu/rivers.php. Retrieved 2006-12-09. 
5. ^ "Godavari River". http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/Godavari+River. Retrieved 2006-11-12. 
6. ^ "Rivers of Western Ghats". http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/documents/rivers.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-09. 
7. ^ "Godavari". http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/article3381228.ece. Retrieved 2012-05-16. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Godavari River

• Godavari River in 1911
• Nashik City
• Contrasting Behavior of Osmium in the Godavari River Estuary, India, 2001 [1]
• River Basin Report: Godavari River [2]
• Variations of Monsoon Rainfall in Godavari River Basin [3]
• [4]
• [5]
• [6]