The Tapti River (or Tapi) is a river in

central India Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in alm ...

located to the south of the Narmada river that flows westwards before draining into the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

. The river has a length of around and flows through the states of Maharashtra,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

and

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital city, capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar, and Rewa, India, Rewa being the othe ...

. It flows through

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is no ...

, and is crossed by the

Magdalla The Port of Magdalla is a port in western India, located on the southern bank of the Tapi River, around 10 km from Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati an ...

, ONGC Bridge. On 7 August 1968, before the construction of the

Ukai Dam The Ukai Dam, constructed across the Tapi River, is the second largest reservoir in Gujarat after the Sardar Sarovar. It is also known as Vallabh Sagar. Constructed in 1972, the dam is meant for irrigation, power generation and flood control. Ha ...

to bring its waters under control and provide hydroelectric power, the Tapti River overflowed its banks during heavy rains during the

monsoon 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 osci ...

season. More than 1,000 people drowned in the flood, and the city of Surat was submerged beneath 10 feet of water for several days. After the floodwaters receded, at least 1,000 more people died in Gujarat during a cholera epidemic from the contamination of the drinking water. Its basin covers the parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Course

The Tapti River rises in Multai, in Madhya Pradesh, and has a total length of around . It is the second largest west flowing river in India, after the Narmada River. The Tapti travels east to west and flows though the Indian states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. It drains into the

Gulf of Khambhat The Gulf of Khambhat, historically known as the Gulf of Cambay, is a bay on the Arabian Sea coast of India, bordering the state of Gujarat just north of Mumbai and Diu Island. The Gulf of Khambhat is about long, about wide in the north a ...

, in the Arabian Sea, in Gujarat. The Tapti River has 14 major tributaries, four are right bank and ten are left bank tributaries. The right bank tributaries originate in the Satpura ranges and include Vaki, Aner, Arunawati, and Gomai. The left bank tributaries include Nesu, Amravati, Buray, Panjhara, Bori, Girna, Waghur, Purna, Mona, and Sipna. They originate in the Gawilgarh hills, Ajanta hills, the Western Ghats, and Satmalas.

Etymology

The river is supposedly named after the goddess

Tapati Tapati ( sa, तपती, tapatī) is a goddess in Hinduism. She is known also as the goddess of the river Tapati and mother-goddess of the South (home of the sun) where she brings heat to the earth. According to certain Hindu texts, Tapati wa ...

, the daughter of

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a ...

, the Sun god and

Chhaya Chhaya or Chaya ( sa, छाया, Chāyā, shadow' or 'shade) is the Hindu personification and goddess of shadow, and a consort of Surya, the Hindu sun god. She is the shadow-image or reflection of Saranyu (Sanjna), the first wife of Surya. Ch ...

. Tapati is the sister of

Shani Shani ( sa, शनि, ), or Shanaishchara ( sa, शनैश्चर, ), refers to the divine personification of the planet Saturn in Hinduism, and is one of the nine heavenly objects (Navagraha) in Hindu astrology. Shani is also a male Hindu ...

Bhadra ''Bhadra''Feminine: sa, भद्रा, Bhadrā is a Sanskrit word meaning 'good', 'fortune' or 'auspicious'. It is also the name of many men, women and objects in Hindu mythology. Male Figures King of Chedi Bhadra was a king of Chedi Kingdo ...

Yamuna The Yamuna (Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Ba ...

and

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...

References

External links

{{Authority control Rivers of Maharashtra Rivers of Madhya Pradesh Rivers of Gujarat Gulf of Khambhat Rivers of India Geography of Surat

Course

Etymology

See also

References

External links