RIVERS OF INDIA - 2 - ANSWERS

1. A. Subarnarekha

The Subarnarekha River, which has its origin near Ranchi, Jharkhand, flows through the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. The city of Jamshedpur is located on the river. As traditionally believed, gold was mined near the origin of the river at a village named “Piska” (near Ranchi) lending its name as “Subarnarekha” meaning "streak of gold". After traversing Ranchi, Seraikela Kharsawan and East Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand, it flows for shorter distance through Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal. The river finally flows into Balasore district of Odisha where it flows for 79 kilometres and joins the Bay of Bengal near Talsari. The total length of the river is 395 kilometres.

“Subarnarekha” is a 1965 Bengali film directed by Ritwik Ghatak which dealt with the aftermath of the Partition of India in 1947 and the refugees coping with it. In the film Subarnarekha, Ghatak has rendered the very idea of "home" as a sentimental place on an elusive other side that, like the distant, opposing banks of the Subarnarekha River. The River Subarnarekha has been used both as as a part of  plot and an imagery in the film.

2. B. Krishna

The Koyna River originates in Mahableshwar, a famous hill station in the Western Ghats in Satara district of western Maharashtra. Unlike most of the other rivers in Maharashtra which flow East-West direction, the Koyna river flows in North-South direction. The Koyna River is famous for the Koyna Dam and the Koyna Hydroelectric Project near Patan in Satara District. Presently, the Koyna Hydroelectric Project is one of the largest completed hydroelectric projects in India. The reservoir – Shivasagar Lake, is a huge lake of 50 km in length. Due to its electricity generating potential through Koyna Hydroelectric Project, Koyna river is known as the "Life Line of Maharashtra".

(The Koyna Dam)

The Koyna is a tributary of the Krishna River, one of the major rivers of India. The meeting place of the two rivers is called " Pritisangam" which is near the city of Karad in Satara, Maharashtra. This place is also famous for the Samadhi of Yashwantrao Chavan, the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the fifth Deputy Prime Minister of India (in Charan Singh Govt during 1979-80).

3. B. Teesta

The Teesta River originates from the Pahunri glacier (on the border of Sikkim and Tibet, China) above 7,068 metres and flows southward through gorges and rapids in the Sikkim Himalaya. Flowing through the length of Sikkim, the Teesta River is considered to be the lifeline of the state. The river flows past the town of Rangpo where the Rangpo River joins and later it forms the border between Sikkim and West Bengal up to Teesta Bazaar. Just before the Teesta Bridge, where the roads from Kalimpong and Darjeeling join, the river is met by its main tributary, the Rangeet River.

(Coronation Bridge or Sevoke Bridge in Darjeeling Dist over Teesta River)

The river hits the plains at Sevoke, 22 kilometres northeast of Siliguri, where it is spanned by the British-era "Coronation Bridge" linking the Northeast states to the rest of India. The river then flows into Bangladesh and joins the river Jamuna (lower - Brahmaputra River) near Fulchhari in Gaibandha District of Rangpur Division of Bangladesh.

4. B. Brahmaputra

(The statue of Lachit Barphukan at Jorhat, Assam)

The Battle of Saraighat was a naval battle fought in 1671 between the Mughal Empire (led by the Kachwaha king, Raja Ramsingh I ruling over Amber, Jaipur) and the Ahom Kingdom (led by Lachit Borphukan, a legendary military commander in Assam's history) on the Brahmaputra river at Saraighat, now in the vicinity of Guwahati, Assam. Although weaker, the Ahom Army defeated the Mughal Army by brilliant uses of the terrain, clever diplomatic negotiations to buy time, guerrilla tactics, psychological warfare, military intelligence and by exploiting the sole weakness of the Mughal forces—its Navy. The Battle of Saraighat was the last major military attempt by the Mughals to extend their empire into Assam.

(The old Saraighat Bridge, still in harness)

The rail-cum-road bridge over Brahmaputra River at Saraighat known as "old Saraighat Bridge" is the first bridge over the river completed in 1962. The "New Saraighat Bridge", (also known 2nd Saraighat Bridge) a beam bridge over River Brahmaputra, was built in 2017.

5. C.  Kaveri

Srirangapatna ("Seringapatam" during the British Raj), a town in Mandya district of Karnataka near the city of Mysore (about 15 km), is of religious, cultural and historic importance. The entire town is enclosed by the river Kaveri to form a river island. The monuments on the island town of Srirangapatna has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna)

The town takes its name from the celebrated "Ranganathaswamy temple" which dominates the town, making Srirangapatna one of the most important Vaishnavite centers of pilgrimage in South India. The temple originally built by the Ganga dynasty rulers of the area in the 9th century was improved upon architecturally some three centuries later as a medley of the Hoysala and Vijayanagar styles of temple architecture. Srirangapatna became the de facto capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Srirangapatna was the scene of the last and decisive battle fought between Tipu Sultan and a combined force of Nizam of Hyderabad and the East India Company in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799. At the battle's climax, Tipu Sultan was killed within the fort of Seringapatam.

("Dariya Daulat Palace" built by Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatna is a major tourist attraction)

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, where several bird species are bred, is located near the town.