101 Sacred And Important River Names In India

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Jan 15, 2024 By Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason
Originally Published on Jun 07, 2022
Edited by Shubhra Shukla
Fact-checked by Nishtha Dixit
The list of river names in India also features names of seven sacred rivers in India.
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Age: 0-99
Read time: 9.2 Min

Ganga River, Brahmaputra River, Mahanadi River, Chenab River, Yamuna River, and Sutlej River are some of the most important river names in the Indian River system.

Be it central India, southern India, or the western ghats mountain range, the river basin area is the center of economic growth in the region. Some of the most important rivers flowing through the country are the Ganga river, Sabarmati river, Indravati River, Tapi River, Narmada River, Girna River, and Jhelum River, among others.

Look through the following list containing some of the most fascinating baby names as well as the important river names in India. You may also look at Bengali fish names and Scottish river names for more inspiration.

Names Of The Major River Names In India

Most of the rivers in India are considered to be revered in Hindu mythology. Tungabhadra river, Chambal river, Kaveri river, and Indus river are some of the major rivers of India, including the ones mentioned below: 

Brahmaputra (Indian origin) means ‘Son of Brahma'. Brahmaputra river flows in Arunachal Pradesh, and then the Brahmaputra river enters Assam. It is one of the most important Himalayan rivers in India.

Cauvery (Indian origin) means ‘significant river’; it is one of the most vital rivers that flow in the south of India.

Chambal (Indian origin) means ‘chloasma’; the river flows northeast to the Jumna. 

Chenab (Indian origin), the river is formed by the confluence of two rivers, the Chandra and Bhaga rivers.

Ganga (Indian origin) means ‘bargain or a good deal’. Ganga river is one of the most sacred and revered rivers in India; people across the world come to take a dip in it. It is one of the most revered Himalayan rivers in India.

Godavari (Indian origin) means ‘sacred river of India'. Godavari river rises in the western ghats and flows southeast to the Bay of Bengal. Godavari river basin is rich in mineral deposits.

Indus (Indian origin) means ‘Indian’ and is one of the longest rivers in the world. Indus river paved the way for the Indus valley civilization. Indus River originates in the northern slopes of the Kailash range.

Jhelum (Indian origin) means ‘pure water and snow’. It derives its name from its origins in the snow-capped Himalayas. 

Krishna (Indian origin) means ‘to all attractive'. Named after one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu, the Krishna river, also called Krishna Veni, is the fourth-biggest river in India. 

Mahanadi (Indian origin) means ‘great river’. Mahanadi river rises in Chhattisgarh and flows north to the east to the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the most important peninsular rivers in India.

Narmada (Indian origin) means ‘the river of pleasure’. Narmada River is also known as the lifeline of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. 

Ravi (Indian origin) means ‘sun’ and is an important river flowing through the Punjab state.

River Beas (Indian origin) means ‘five rivers’. Beas River flows through Kulu and Manali; basically, it flows all over Himachal Pradesh. 

Sabarmati (Indian origin) means ‘wakal’ is its old name. The river flows from Aravalli to the city of Udaipur in Rajasthan. 

Subernarekha (Indian origin) means ‘goddess Lakshmi'. Ths river flows in Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha. 

Sutlej (Indian origin) means ‘Sutudri’. Sutlej river is also called the red river. It also happens to be one of the longest of the five rivers in Punjab. 

Tapti (Indian origin) means ‘daughter of the sun’. Tapti River is one of the rivers that take birth in the Betul district, Madhya Pradesh. 

Tungabhadra (Indian origin) name comes from the confluence of two rivers. The river is very popular in Karnataka.

Yamuna (Indian origin) means ‘twin’. Kumbh Mela is a religious event held once every 12 years on the coast of this river. However, the Yamuna river starts in Uttarakhand and ends at Prayag. 

 

Beautiful River Names In India

Rivers are also considered to be the elixir of life for people. Tapti river, Godavari river, Tapi river, Kali Sindh river, and Purna river are some of the most beautiful names, along with several others mentioned below:

Bagmati River (Nepali origin) means ‘Hyder mahal’. This beautiful river is one of the peninsular rivers that flows through Kathmandu of Nepal. 

Damodar River (Indian origin) ‘cord and belly’ in Sanskrit. It is a river that is flowing in Jharkhand and West Bengal. 

Gandaki River (Indian origin) means ‘female Richnocerous’ and is also an important river in Nepal.

Gori Ganga (Indian origin) is a river that flows at a higher altitude in Uttarakhand. 

Gumti River (Indian origin) is a river that flows through northeastern Indian states. 

Ichamati River (Indian origin) means ‘name of the river’. It is one of the most beautiful transboundary rivers in India. 

Jhanavi River (Indian origin), a tributary river of Bhagirathi, is one of India's oldest and most beautiful rivers. 

Kamla River (Indian origin) means ‘lotus’. Although the river flows in Nepal, it originates from the state of Bihar. 

Kushiyahara River (Indian origin) Kushi roughly means 'happy' and is one of the important Indian rivers.

Mahananda River (Indian origin) means ‘big cow’ roughly. This river flows in the states of West Bengal and Bihar. 

Manu River (Indiana origin) is a river that rises in Tripura. In Sanskrit, Tripura also means beautiful. 

Padma River (Indian origin) means ‘lotus’. This river comes under the Meghana river basis and is also one of the major rivers in Bangladesh. 

Punarbhaha River (Indian origin) is a beautiful river in Bangladesh and flows in scenic places Bangladesh. 

River Churning (Indian origin) means roughly the name of the river. The river is a tributary of the river Bhagirathi. 

River Phalguna (Indian origin) means ‘redwood fig tree’. This river flows past one of the sacred towns in India, Gaya, which is in Bihar. 

Son River (Indian origin) is a river that is the tributary of the Ganga river, and it flows in Madhya Pradesh.

Surma River (Indian origin) is another major river in Bangladesh. This river is a part of the Surma and Meghna rivers. 

Teesta River (Indian origin) is the short form is the word 'Trisrota'. However, a destructive flood in 1787 changed its course. 

The Sharda River (Indian origin) means ‘goddess Saraswathi's'. The river is also known as Mahakali in Nepal. 

Umngot River (Indian origin) is a river that flows in the small town of Dawki of Meghalaya. 

West Rapti (Indian origin) is a river that flows in Nepal.

The Narmada river flows through Central India and is the fifth-longest river in India.

Sacred River Names In India

Here is the list of sacred rivers of India: -

Bhima River (Indian origin). 'Bhima' is the name of one of the characters of Mahabharata, the great epic.

Brahmaputra (Indian origin) means ‘son of Brahma' and is one of the longest rivers in India. 

Chandan River (Indian origin) is also known as Malini and Chamba.

Gandak River (Indian origin) also goes by the name of Saligramini and is also mentioned in Ramayana

Ghaghara River (Indian origin) the word originated from the Sanskrit language meaning 'the gurgling sound of the water'. 

Hooghly River (Indian origin). During the period of Shahjahan, it was called 'Oglee,' but it was then renamed.

Kosi River (Indian origin), the river is famous for changing its course. In the epic Ramayana, however, it is called river Koushik. 

Lohit River (Indian river) means 'the red river' in Sanskrit. The river is also called 'Luit' in the  Assamese language.

Mahi River originated in India, Hindu mythology to be precise. This river is also called the 'Mahatma' in the Vayu Purana. 

Penna River (Indian origin) means 'penna'. It is one of the important rivers of the Bay of Bengal. 

Pun River (Indian origin) means 'again and again' in English. The river is mentioned in Gaya Mahatma and Padma Purana.

Saraswathi River (Indian origin) means goddess in English. It is one of the most sacred rivers in India. 

Sarayu River (Indian origin) was also called 'Sarah'. The river was mentioned by Ptolemy and Megasthenes. 

Sindhu (Indian origin) means ‘sea’. It is one of the sacred rivers of India, and its tributary is the Indus river. 

Sipra River (Indian origin) in Hindu mythology was believed that the river flowed with milk. 

Sone River (Indian river) the river has another name called 'Amarkosha'. In Hindi, 'Sona' means 'gold'. 

Teesta River (Indian origin) means 'desire' in English and is a river that is believed to help people in achieving their desires. 

 

Inspiration Of River-Based Baby Names In India

Here is the list of inspirations for river-based baby names in India.  

Ajay (Indian origin) is one of the important local rivers.

Alaknanda (Indian origin) means flawless in English and is a river in the Himalayas which makes up for beautiful baby boy names. 

Atrai (Indian origin) is regarded by the people as an important river of India.

Dibang (Indian origin) is a rare river name in India.

Dihing (Indian origin) is one of the important local rivers.

Dikhow (Indian origin) is regarded by the people as an important river in India.

Dwarakeswar (Indian origin) is considered an important river in India.

Ganga (Indian origin) means the Ganges in English is a sacred river in India and also makes up for great baby names. 

Gangotri (Indian origin) is a popular Indian river name for a baby girl. 

Ichamati (Indian origin) is one of the important local rivers.

Jalangi (Indian origin) is a rare river name in India.

Janhawi (Indian origin) means ‘goddess Parvati' and happens to be one of the tributaries of the river Ganga. 

Kameng (Indian origin) is one of the important rivers of India.

Koyana (Indian origin) is one of the rivers in western ghats.

Mahananda (Indian origin) is considered an important river in India.

Manasi (Indian origin). It is a popular girl's name in India, and this river is the tributary of the river Ganga. 

Mayurakshi (Indian origin) is considered an important river in India.

Meghna (Indian origin) is one of the important rivers of India.

Mundeswari (Indian origin) is regarded by the people as an important river of India.

Pavani (Indian origin) means 'sacred' in English. This is one of the great names for your baby girl child. 

Peeyali (Indian origin) means a 'tree' in English. It is one of the rivers in Bengal. 

Punarbhaba (Indian origin) is a rare river name in India.

Churni (Indian origin) is considered an important river in India.

Meghna (Indian origin), meaning 'cloud', is the river and tributary of the Ganga. 

Rupnarayan (Indian origin) is regarded by the people as an important river of India.

Shubhra (Indian origin) means 'white' in English. It is one of the rivers of Ganga.

Sudha (Indian origin) means ‘nectar’ and ‘pure’. It is also a tributary of the river Ganga. 

Tista (Indian origin). It is a river is one of the rivers and tributary of the Ganga river located in the northern part of India. 

Varada (Indian origin) is an Indian river that makes up for the popular river girl name. 

Vashishta (Indian origin) means 'unique' in English. It also happens to be one of the sacred rivers, 

Wipasa (Indian origin) means the Beas river. It is one of the popular names of the river in India. 

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Written by Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason

Bachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

Adekunle Olanrewaju Jason picture

Adekunle Olanrewaju JasonBachelor of Science specializing in Mass Communication.

With over 3+ years of professional experience, Olanrewaju is a certified SEO Specialist and Content Writer. He holds a BSc in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. Throughout his dynamic career, Olanrewaju has successfully taken on various roles with startups and established organizations. He has served as a Technical Writer, Blogger, SEO Specialist, Social Media Manager, and Digital Marketing Manager. Known for his hardworking nature and insightful approach, Olanrewaju is dedicated to continuous learning and improvement.
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Fact-checked by Nishtha Dixit

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

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Nishtha DixitBachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

Nishtha is an experienced SEO writer and editor, with a passion for writing and self-expression. She is currently pursuing an undergraduate major in Literature and Communication and a minor in Political Science from the University of Delhi. Nishtha has completed a certificate master course in English from the British Council and has been appointed as the editor for the bi-monthly magazine of the University of Delhi.

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