Question

Which one of the following rivers originates from Amarkantak?
a. Son river
b. Mahanadi
c. Godavari river
d. Sutlej river

Answer 1

Hint:
This river is also known as The Golden River. This river can be seen flowing through three states, which are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

Complete solution:
- Origin: Amarkantak Range in Anuppur District
- End: In Ganga near Patna, Bihar
- Length: With 784 Km in total and 320 Km in the state, It is the third longest river in the state of Madhya Pradesh after Narmada (1312 Km) and Chambal (965 Km)
- Tributary: Johilla in MP
- Dams: Bansagar Project
- The river, which is 784 kilometres long, is one of the longest rivers in India.
- Its major tributaries are the Rihand River, the Kanhar River and the North Koel River.
- The river has a steep gradient (35–55 cm per km) with rapid run-off and ephemeral patterns, being a rocky river with rain-waters in the catchment area, then soon evolving into a fordable stream.
Course:
- The river originates near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, just east of the headwaters of the Narmada River, and
- Flows north-northwest through the Shahdol district in the Madhya Pradesh state until turning abruptly east to the south-northeast of the Kaimur Range.
- The river parallels the Kaimur hills stream east-northeast through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar to reach the Ganges just west of Patna.
- Geologically, the lower valley of The river is an extension of the Narmada Valley, and the Kaimur Range is an extension of the Vindhya Range.
Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note:
- The Son, being large and shallow, leaves the pools of water disconnected for the rest of the year.
- The river's canal is very wide (about 5 km in Dehri) but the floodplain is narrow, just 3 to 5 km (2 to 3 mi) wide.
- The meeting point with North Koel, the range of The river, is 5 to 8 kilometres (3 to 5 miles).
- In the past, The River was known for changing direction.