River Mahanadi
| River Mahanadi | |
| River | |
 The Mahanadi
|
|
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Parts | Chhattisgarh, Odisha |
| Regions | Dandakaranya, Dakshina Kosala Kingdom, Coastal Plains |
| Administrative areas |
Raipur, Janjgir, Bilaspur, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Boudh, Anugul, Cuttack, Banki, Kendrapada, Jharsuguda |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Seonath, Mand, Ib, Hasdeo |
| - right | Ong, parry river, Jonk, Telen |
| Cities | Rajim, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Sonepur, Birmaharajpur, Subalaya, Kantilo, Boudh, Cuttack, Banki |
| Landmarks | Satkosia Gorge, Sonapur Lanka, Hookitola Falls |
| Source | |
| - location | Sihawa, Dhamtari, Dandakaranya, Chhattisgarh, India |
| - elevation | 890 m (2,920 ft) |
| - coordinates | 20°07′N 81°55′E / 20.11°N 81.91°E |
| Mouth | |
| - location | False Point, Kendrapada, Delta, Odisha, India |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 858 km (533 mi) |
| Basin | 141,600 km2 (54,672 sq mi) |
| Discharge | for False Point, Odisha |
| - average | 2,119 m3/s (74,832 cu ft/s) |
| - max | 56,700 m3/s (2,002,342 cu ft/s) |
The Mahanadi is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 square kilometres (54,700 sq mi) and has a total course of 858 kilometres (533 mi). The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
The word Mahanadi is a compound of the Sanskrit words maha ("great") and nadi ("river").
Like many other seasonal Indian rivers, the Mahanadi too is a combination of many mountain streams and thus its precise source is impossible to pinpoint. However its farthest headwaters lie 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Pharsiya village 442 metres (1,450 ft) above sea level south of sihawa town in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh. The hills here are an extension of the Eastern Ghats and are a source of many other streams which then go on to join the Mahanadi.
For the first 80 kilometres (50 mi) of its course, the Mahanadi flows in a northerly direction and drains the Raipur district and touches eastern portions of Raipur city. It is a rather narrow river at this stage and the total width of its valley does not exceed 500–600 metres.
After being joined by the Seonath, the river flows in an easterly direction through the remaining part of its journey. It is joined by the Jonk and Hasdeo rivers here before entering into Odisha after covering about half of its total length. Near the city of Sambalpur, it is dammed by the largest earthen dam in the world, the Hirakud Dam. A composite structure of earth, concrete and masonry, the dam measures 24 kilometres (15 mi) including the Dykes. It spans two hills; the Lamdungri on the left and the Chandili Dunguri on the right. It also forms the biggest artificial lake in Asia, with a reservoir holding 743 square kilometres (287 sq mi) at full capacity, with a shoreline of over 640 kilometres (400 mi).
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Wikipedia