For the town of Bias, see: Beas, Punjab.

Beas River in Himachal Pradesh

Beas river and mountains as seen from Van Vihar, Manali

Beas in Himachal Pradesh

Beas river (center right) is tributary to the Satluj (Sutlej River).

The Beas River (or Vipasha, Hindi: ब्यास, Punjabi: ਬਿਆਸ, Sanskrit: विपाशा) is a river in the northern part of India. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some 470 km (290 miles) to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab.^[1]

Its total length is 470 km (290 miles), and its drainage basin is 20,303 square kilometres (7,839 sq mi) large.^[2]

Etymology[link]

The river was also known as Arjikuja of the Vedas, or Vipasa to the ancient Indians, and the Hyphasis to the Ancient Greeks.^[3]

The present name "Beas" is thought to be a corruption of the older name and original name "Vipasha" in Sanskrit. The river got this name, Vi-pasha, the "one who removed the bondage" (or pasha in Sanskrit). According to ancient texts, the river was named after sage Vasistha. Vasistha, tried to end his life due to the death of his 100 sons, by jumping into this river and tying himself. But as soon as the sage fell into the river, all the knots got untied, and he did not die. The river is also referred to as Vipasha in Himachal, especially by the scholars.

It is said that Beas is a misnomer for Vayasa (exchange of B with V and always truncation of the last vowel is common in North Indian languages) and is named after Veda Vyasa, the presiding patron of the river, he is said to have created it from its source lake, the Vyas Kund.^[4]

History[link]

The Beas River marks the eastern-most border of Alexander's conquests in 326 BC. It was also one of the rivers which created problem in Alexander's invasion towards Bharata (the ancient name of India). His troops mutinied here in 326 BCE, refusing to go any further; they had been away from home for eight years. Alexander shut himself in his tent for three days, but when his men did not change their desires he gave in. According to the Kavyamimansa ^[5] of Rajasekhara, the kingdom-territories of the Gurjara-Pratihara monarch Mahipala I extended as far as the upper course of the river Beas in the north-west.^[6]

In the 20th Century, the river was developed under the Beas Project for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation purposes. The second-phase Pong Dam was completed in 1974 followed by the first-phase 140 km (87 mi) upstream, Pandoh Dam in 1977. The Pong Dam served initially to primarily provide irrigation below Talwara but was soon developed as well for power generation; its power station has a 360 MW installed capacity. The Pandoh Dam diverts the river through a system of tunnels and channels to the 990 MW Dehar Power Station on the Sutlej River, connecting both rivers.^[7][8]

Course[link]

Beas River

(Hyphasis of the Greeks;'Arjikiya' of the Vedas;Vipasha in Sanskrit)-One of the 'five rivers' of Punjab from which the Province derives its name.Rising on the southern face of Rohtang Pass in Kullu 13,326 feet above the sea-level.The Beas traverse the Mandi District and enters Kangra District at Sanghol, 1,920 feet above sea-level.During its lower hill course the Beas is crossed by numerous ferries,at many of which the mean of communication consist of inflated skins(darais).Near Reh in Kangra District it divides into three channels, which reunites after passing Mirthal,1,000 feet above sea-level.on meeting the Sivalik Hills in Hoshiarpur, the river sweeps sharply northward forming boundary between that district and Kangra District.Then bending round the base of Sivalik Hills,it takes the southerly direction separating the district of Gurdaspur and Hoshiapur.After touching the jullundur district for a few miles the river forms the boundary between Amristar and Kapurthala district.Finally the Beas joins the river Satulej at the south-western boundary of Kapurthala district of Punjab after a total course of 290 miles.The chief tributaries are Bain,Banganga,Luni,Uhal. The Sutlej continues into Pakistani Punjab and joins the Chenab River at Uch near Bahawalpur to form the Panjnad River; the latter in turn joins the Indus River at Mithankot. The waters of the Beas (Vipasha) and Sutlej (also known as Shathadru) rivers are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan.

Dangers[link]

The Beas river is one of India's roughest rivers. Villagers in local towns accidentally slip into the river quite often, never making it back up due to the rough waters, rocks, and undertows.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beas River

• Himachal Pradesh
• The Geography of the Rigveda
• Migratory birds find new lake in Himachal
• Photos of Beaskund - where the Beas originates

v t e Hydrography of India Inland Beas Betwa Brahmaputra Chambal Chenab Chilika Lake Dal Lake Damodar Ganges Ganges Basin Ganges Delta Ghaghara Godavari Indus Indus Delta Jhelum Kali Kaveri Kerala backwaters Koshi Krishna Luni Mahanadi Malampuzha Narmada Nizam Sagar Padma Pookode Lake Powai Lake Ravi Red Hills Lake Roopkund (Skeleton Lake) Sapt Koshi Sarasvati Sharda Son Sutlej Tapti Vaigai Yamuna Coastal Arabian Sea Bay of Bengal Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Mannar Indian Ocean Laccadive Sea Palk Strait Categories Lakes of India Reservoirs and dams in India Rivers of India

v t e Geography of Himachal Pradesh Lakes Renuka Lake Maharana Pratap Sagar Gobind Sagar more... Rivers Beas Chenab Ravi Sutlej Yamuna Districts Bilaspur Chamba Hamirpur Kangra Kinnaur Kullu Lahaul and Spiti Mandi Sirmaur Shimla Solan Una Other Climate of Himachal Pradesh Protected areas of Himachal Pradesh List of peaks in Himachal Pradesh

Coordinates: 31°9′16″N 74°58′31″E / 31.15444°N 74.97528°E / 31.15444; 74.97528