Rivers of Rajasthan :

The rivers of Rajasthan can be divided into three main types based on their drainage pattern, they are rivers that drain into arabian sea, rivers that drain into bay of bengal and rivers with inland drainage. The most characteristic feature of the drainage system of Rajasthan is that nearly 60.2% of the area of the state has an inland drainage system.  Most of the Rivers originate from the Aravali hills and flow either in east or west.

Rivers that drain into Arabian Sea :

Mahi River :

Mahi River originates at Minda Village in Dhar Madhya Pradesh District and joins Gulf of Khambat. It rises in Madhya Pradesh and, after flowing through the Vagad region of Rajasthan, enters Gujarat and flows into the Arabian Sea. It is one of three west-flowing rivers in India, along with Tapti River and the Narmada River.

Total drainage area of this basin is 34842 km² out of which only 6700 km² lies in Madhya Pradesh. Total length of the river is 583 km of which 158 km traverses in Madhya Pradesh. Anas is the major tributary of Mahi in the State.

Sabarmati River :

The Sabarmati river is one of the major west-flowing rivers in India. It originates in the Aravalli Range of the Udaipur District of Rajasthan and meets the Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea after travelling 371 km in a south-westerly direction across Rajasthan and Gujarat. 48 km of the river length is in Rajasthan, while 323 km is in Gujarat

Luni River :

Luni River is located in the western side of Rajasthan state; has its origin in the Arravalli Ranges at Naga hills nearby the Pushkar valley. The river begins its course in the Ajmerregion and then continues to flow in the peaty areas of Rann of Kutch in the state of Gujarat. The river covers 530 kilometers from Rajasthan to Gujarat state. This river has many names depending upon the place from where it changes its course.

Tributaries - Famous tributaries of Luni River are: Jawai, Sukri and Jojari which merge with this river during the course of its flowing from Rajasthan state to Gujarat state. Although this river has several tributaries in Rajasthan itself but the notable ones are in the adjacent state of Gujarat. The tributaries in left side include Sukri, Mithri, Bandi, Khari, Jawai, Guhiya and Sagi while Jojari tributary is one of the key tributary from right side of this river. Such factors are notable while you explore this river. This River is also known as Lavanavari which means Salt River in Sanskrit.

Rivers that drain into Bay of Bengal :

Banas River :

Banas is a river that originates in Rajasthan and joins Chambal. Khamnor hills in the Aravalli mountain range (about 5 km from Kumbhalgarh in Rajsamand district in Rajasthan) are the source of this river. The river flows through the Mewar region finally meeting Chambal at the village of Rameshwar in Sawai Madhopur district.

During its journey of 512 km, rivers like Berach, Menali, Kothari, Khari, Dai, Dheel, Sohadara, Morel and Kalisil join it.

West Banas River originating in Rajasthan and flowing down to the little wetlands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. The Banas too is known to be of seasonal nature; nevertheless it is vital for the lives of people living in the areas like Sirohi Rajasthan, Mount Abu, Banaskantha and Patan. The only source of flowing water in these regions; the Banas River is also responsible for the filling of several ponds in the area of its basin. The Banas River has several ongoing projects, but one of the most important dams on the river is the Dantiwada Dam, that is a source of water for about 111 villages in the region and also is the chief source of irrigation water.

Chambal River :

Chambal is one of the main rivers of central Indian and one of the major tributaries of Yamuna. It originates in Janapav near Mhow (Madhya Pradesh) in the Vindhaya mountain range in West Central India. In the epic Mahabharata, Chambal is mentioned as Charmanyavati.

Tributaries - In its long journey, the river is joined by many smaller rivers like the Banas and Mej rivers which join it on the left bank and the Parbati, Kali Sindh and Shipra rivers which join it on the right bank. Sipra - Also known as Kshipra, this is a sacred river of the Hindus with the holy city of Ujjain located on its banks. The Vindhya Range is where the source of the river is located.

The Gandhi Sagar Dam at the border of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam in Chittorgarh district and the Jawahar Sagar Dam near Kota have successfully catered to the electricity requirements of this region while the Kota Barrage diverts the water from the three dams for irrigation.

Banganga River :

Banganga River originates from the Bairath hills in Jaipur. It passes through Modhapur, Bharatpur and Fatehabad and drains into Yamuna. Jamwa Ramgarh dam has been constructed across the river in Jaipur. The river Banganga has its multiple tributary rivers like Gomti Nala, and Suri rivers on the right side banks and Palasan and Sanwan rivers are on the left bank. Water levels have now dropped to a very low level with nearby areas suffering from water shortages.

Rivers with Inland drainage :

Kantli River :

The Katli River is a rainfed seasonal river of Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. It originates from Aravalli Range and empties in center of its Inland drainage basin in northwest region of Churu district. Its length is little more than a hundred Kilometers and mostly flows through Jhunjhunu District for entire of its length. The Katli river is the main source of coarse sand used for construction in its nearby region.

Sabi River :

It is an ephemeral, rain-fed river flowing through Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi states in India. It drains into Yamuna in Delhi, where its channeled course is also called the Najafgarh drain, which also serves as Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary. Sabi is a seasonal river which is 300 km long and flows from Aravalli hills in Rajasthan to Haryana, of which 100 km is in Haryana.

The Sabi River originates from the eastern slopes of the Saiwar Protected Forest hills in Aravalli Range near Jitgarh and Manoharpur in Sikar district of Rajasthan state. After covering about 157 km distance in the Rajasthan state. After gathering volume from a hundred tributaries, the Sabi River forms a broad stream around Alwar and Kotputli.