Question

The most important river in India is ____________.
A. The Ganga
B. The Godavari
C. The Krishna
D. The Kavery

Answer 1

Hint: The most important river in India has the largest catchment area in the country, nearly 8,61,452 square kilometres. This river originates at two places, known by different names and is the third-largest river in the world.

Complete Answer: The Ganga originates at two places - one from the Gangotri glacier at Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand where it is known as Bhagirathi and the second one from Satapnath glacier in the north-west of Badrinath where it is known as Alakananda. At Dev Prayag, both these rivers converge with each other and assume the name Ganga. The Ganga river comes down in plains at Haridwar. First of all this river flows in a southerly direction and then it turns towards the east and passes through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal before entering into Bangladesh.

Now let us examine the options
Option A - The Ganga river is the most sacred river out of all the other rivers of the country. It is worshipped as Goddess Ganga by the Hindus. The total catchment area of the Ganga river and its southern tributaries is 10.86 lakh square kilometres, of which 8.61 lakh square kilometre area lies in India and the rest in Bangladesh.
Option B - The Godavari, also known as Burhi Ganga or Dakshini Ganga, is another important river situated in the Peninsular region of the country. It originates at Trimbach in Nashik district of Maharashtra.
Option C - The Krishna river is one of the most important rivers of Peninsular India. It is also the fourth-biggest river in terms of river basin area and water inflows in India. It originates from a spring near Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra and is mostly used for irrigation purposes.
Option D - The Kavery river originates at the Brahmagiri on the Coorg plateau of the Sahyadri range. It is assumed that it is the oldest river which has a youthful stage superimposed by large meanders. The river water is mostly used for irrigation, consumption and generation of electricity.

Thus, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: The main tributaries of the most sacred river are Yamuna, Ramganga, Ghagara, Gandak, Bagmati, Kosi and Son. It is the most important river of the Himalayan region and has created the world’s largest delta, the Sundarban delta.