Chitravathi River, Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India

Chitravati Balancing Reservoir at parnapalli

The Chitravathi is an inter-state river in

southern India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...

that is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Penna River Penna (also known as Pinakini, Pennar, Penner, Penneru (Telugu), Pennai (Tamil)) is a river of southern India. This is a unique river in world where after originating from Nandi hills, it flows as two different streams, one in North and South ...

. Rising in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, it flows into

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and its basin covers an area of over 5,900 km². The pilgrim town of

Puttaparthi Puttaparthi (IAST: ''Puṭṭaparthy'') is a municipality and district headquarters of Sri Sathya Sai district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Puttaparthi mandal of Puttaparthi revenue division. The original name of Put ...

is located on its banks.

Course

Chitravathi river originates at

Chikkaballapur Chikkaballapur is the district headquarters of the newly created Chikkaballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India, which is carved out from Kolar district. It is located within 3 km of Muddenahalli (the birthplace of eminent engine ...

and flows through the

Chikkaballapur district Chikkaballapura district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. On 23 August 2007, it was carved out of the pre-existing Kolar district which was the fourth largest district (before bifurcation) of Karnataka by moving the talukas of Ga ...

of Karnataka before entering Andhra Pradesh where it drains the districts of

Anantapur Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city is loca ...

and

Cuddapah Kadapa (colonial spelled Cuddapah) is a city in the southern part of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located in the Rayalaseema region, and is the district headquarters of YSR Kadapa district. As of the 2022 Census of India, the city had a popula ...

before joining the Penna. The Chitravathi river basin covers an area of 5,908 km². The mandals that it drains in the two states are

Bagepalli Bagepalli is a town municipal council in Chikballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India. Bagepalli is situated 100 km north of Bangalore on the Bangalore-Hyderabad National Highway. The region is just below the southern border of t ...

, Gorantla,

Hindupur Hindupur is a city in Sri Sathya Sai district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located to the edge of the Andhra–Karnataka border and is the headquarters of Hindupur mandal. Hindupur is the biggest Parliamentary Constituency i ...

Bukkapatnam Bukkapatnam is a village in Sri Sathya Sai district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Bukkapatnam mandal in Puttaparthi revenue division Geography Bukkapatnam is located at . It has an average elevation of ...

, Dharmavaram,

Tadipatri Tadipatri or Tadpatri is a city in Anantapur district of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh at the border of Kurnool district and Kadapa district. It is the mandal headquarters of Tadipatri mandal in Anantapur re ...

and

Mudigubba Mudigubba is a town and mandal headquarters in Sri Sathya Sai district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Mudigubba mandal of Dharmavaram revenue division. Geography Mudigubba is located at . It has an average elevation o ...

. The river joins the Penna at

Gandikota Gandikota is a village and historical fort on the right bank of the Penna river, 15 km from Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The fort was the centre of power for various dynasties, such as the Kalyani Chalukyas, Pe ...

in Kadapa district where the Gandikota irrigation project is being undertaken by the

Government of Andhra Pradesh Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 Member of the Legislative ...

as part of its Jalayagnam project. Chitravathi is a seasonal river that comes alive after the

monsoons A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

. Along with the Papagni, it forms a part of the middle Penna sub-basin and is a right bank tributary of the Penna. Chitravati Balancing Reservoir at parnapalli on 15th January 2018

Chitravati Balancing Reservoir at parnapalli on 15th January 2018

Paragodu project

The proposal to build a barrage at Paragodu by the

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...

has been opposed by politicians from Andhra Pradesh who argue that the move is likely to affect the availability of water for the various tank irrigation projects that exist in the Andhra districts.

Ecological issues

Sand mining Sand mining is the extraction of sand, mainly through an open pit (or sand pit) but sometimes mined from beaches and inland dunes or dredged from ocean and river beds. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in conc ...

, much of it

illegal Illegal, or unlawful, typically describes something that is explicitly prohibited by law, or is otherwise forbidden by a state or other governing body. Illegal may also refer to: Law * Violation of law * Crime, the practice of breaking the ...

, is rampant in the Chitravathi basin and this has resulted in severe depletion of groundwater resources in the region.

Religious significance

Chitravathi is also known as the ''Deva Kanya'' and it flows through the pilgrim town of Puttaparthi, the place of Indian spiritual leader

Sathya Sai Baba Sathya Sai Baba (born Ratnakaram Sathyanarayana Raju; 23 November 192624 April 2011) was an Indian guru. At the age of fourteen he claimed that he was the reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, and left his home to serve his devotees. Sai Baba's b ...

. It is considered sacred by many people on account of its association with Sathya Sai Baba.

References

{{Hydrography of Andhra Pradesh Rivers of Andhra Pradesh Rivers of Karnataka Penner River Geography of Chikkaballapur district Geography of Kadapa district Geography of Anantapur district Rivers of India