Son River ( hi, सोन नदी, also spelt Sone River) is a perennial river located in central India. It originates near Amarkantak Hill in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district of
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...
and finally merges with the Ganges River near Patna in Bihar. Sone river is the second-largest southern tributary of the Ganges' after Yamuna River. India's oldest river bridge Koilwar Bridge over Sone River connects Arrah with Patna. Sone river is famous for its sand across country. Multiple dam(s) and hydro-electric projects run on its course towards Ganges.
Course
Sone River is called 'सोन / सोने' in Hindi, but called 'शोण' in Sanskrit, a rare instance of an Indian river having masculine name. Damodar and Brahmaputr also have masculine name. The Sone originates near
Pendra
Pendra is a nagar panchayat in the Gaurella-Pendra-Marwahi district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Geography
Pendra has an average elevation of .
Demographics
India census, Pendra had a population of 12,392. Males constitute 50% of the p ...
in
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...
, just east of the headwater of the Narmada River, and flows north-northwest through Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh state before turning sharply eastward where it encounters the southwest-northeast- Kaimur Range. The Sone parallels the Kaimur hills, flowing east-northeast through Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar states to join the Ganges just west of Patna. Geologically, the lower valley of the Son is an extension of the Narmada Valley, and the Kaimur Range an extension of the
Vindhya Range
The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...
.
Arwal
Arwal town is the administrative headquarters of Arwal district in Bihar state of India. It was earlier part of Jehanabad district. The district as formed to control the naxalism in the area. District was formed from the area of two near by ...
Rohtasgarh
The Rohtasgarh or Rohtas Fort is located in the Son River valley, in the small town of Rohtas in Bihar, India.
Location
Rohtasgarh is situated on the upper course of the river Son, 24° 57′ N, 84° 2′E. It takes around two hours from Sas ...
, Dehri, Sonbhadra and Bihta are some of the major cities situated on Sone River.
The Sone river which is long, is one of the longest Indian rivers. Its chief tributaries are the Rihand, Kanhar and the North Koel. The Son has a steep gradient (35–55 cm per km) with quick run-off and ephemeral regimes, becoming a roaring river with the rain-waters in the catchment area but turning quickly into a fordable stream. The Son, being wide and shallow, leaves disconnected pools of water in the remaining parts of the year. The channel of the Son is very wide (about 5 km at Dehri) but the floodplain is narrow, only wide. The meeting point with North Koel the width of Sone River is . In the past, the Son has been notorious for changing course. As it is traceable from several old beds near its east bank, the river changed its course more than 5 times. In modern times this tendency has been checked with the
anicut
An anicut (Originated from Tamil language அணைக்கட்டு - Aṇaikaṭṭu and Kannada language ಆಣೆಕಟ್ಟು - Āṇekaṭṭu) is a masonry check dam
A steel check dam
A check dam is a small, sometimes temporary, ...
at Dehri, and now more so with the
Indrapuri Barrage
Indrapuri Barrage (also known as the Sone Barrage) is across the Son River in Rohtas district in the Indian state of Bihar.
The Barrage
The Sone Barrage at Indrapuri is long and is the fourth longest barrage in the world. It was constructed ...
.
In Bihar, this river forms the border line between the
Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries , Oxford U ...
- and Magahi-speaking regions.
Sir John Houlton, the British administrator, described the Son as follows, "After passing the steep escarpments of the Kaimur range, it flows straight across the plain to the Ganges. For much of this distance it is over two miles wide, and at one point, opposite Tilothu three miles wide. In the dry weather there is a vast expanse of sand, with a stream not more than a hundred yards wide, and the hot west winds pile up the sand on the east bank, making natural embankments. After heavy rain in the hills even this wide bed cannot carry the waters of the Son and disastrous floods in Shahabad, Gaya, and Patna are not uncommon."Houlton, Sir John, Bihar, the Heart of India, pp. 47–48, Orient Longmans, 1949.
Dams
The first dam on the Son was built in 1873–74 at Dehri.
The
Indrapuri Barrage
Indrapuri Barrage (also known as the Sone Barrage) is across the Son River in Rohtas district in the Indian state of Bihar.
The Barrage
The Sone Barrage at Indrapuri is long and is the fourth longest barrage in the world. It was constructed ...
was constructed, upstream, and commissioned in 1968.
The Bansagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh was commissioned in 2008.
Bridges
The 1.44 Km long rail-cum-road lattice-girder concrete and steel Abdul Bari Bridge or Koilwar Bridge near Arrah in Bihar was completed in November 1862. It remained the longest bridge in India, until the Nehru Setu bridge at Dehri was opened in 1900. After Nehru Setu bridge at Dehri, Railway Bridges are present on Sone River near Chopan, Vijay Sota &
Anuppur
Anuppur is a City in northeastern Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Anuppur tehsil and Anuppur District. Previously, it was in Shahdol district.
Geography
Anuppur is located at . It has an aver ...
.
The modern Son bridge built in
Deolond
Deolond is a village in the Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh in India, situated at a distance of from Rewa.
It is also the site of construction of the high Bansagar Dam on the Son River.Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh was inaugurated by Motilal Vora and Pandit Ram Kishore Shukla then Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Madhya Pradesh on 13 February 1986.
The Government of Bihar sanctioned in 2008 a bridge across the Son River connecting
Arwal
Arwal town is the administrative headquarters of Arwal district in Bihar state of India. It was earlier part of Jehanabad district. The district as formed to control the naxalism in the area. District was formed from the area of two near by ...
and Sahar in Bhojpur district.
A four-lane road bridge, carrying
NH 30
National Highway 30 (NH 30) is a primary national highway in India. NH 30 connects Sitarganj in Uttarakhand with Ibrahimpatnam, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. The total length of this highway is . It starts at the junction of NH 9 at Sitarg ...
, parallel to the existing rail and road Koilwar Bridge, has been planned.
Gallery
File:Bateliers sur la rivière Son, Umaria district, MP, Inde.jpg, Boatmen on the Son River, Umaria district, MP
File:Son River at Aurangabad district, Bihar.JPG, Son River, from Son Nagar railway station, Aurangabad district, Bihar
File:Son River1 at Aurangabad district, Bihar.JPG, Son River, from
Son Nagar railway station
Son Nagar Junction is a railway station in Aurangabad district it serves Barun , Daudnagar towns of Bihar. It is located on the east bank of the Son River and was earlier known as Son East Bank.
History
The Upper Soane Bridge, connecting ...