Betwa River – Orgin and location
The Betwa River originates from the Vindhya Range which is in north of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. It flows generally northeast through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and joins the Yamuna River east of Hamirpur after a 380-mile course. About half of it passes over the Malwa plateau before breaking into the uplands of Bundelkhand. Jamni and Dhasan rivers are the main tributaries of Betwa river.
Betwa river is the main attraction of Madhya Pradesh The Betwa river basin extends from 77° to 81° east longitude and 23°8’ to 26°0’ north latitude. The Betwa reaches a height of 470 meters in the Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh. The river joins Yamuna River near Hamirpur after traveling 590 kms and reaching an elevation of 106.68 metres. The total catchment area of the Betwa Nadi is 46,580 sq km, of which 31,971 sq km in Madhya Pradesh and 14,609 sq km in Uttar Pradesh.
The basin of this river has a plate-like shape surrounded by sandstone hills. The river has 14 major tributaries, 11 of which lie entirely in Madhya Pradesh and three of which lie partly in both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It will not wrong to say that this river is called the pride of Madhya Pradesh. Where on one hand this river adds to the beauty of Orchha in Madhya Pradesh, on the other hand it also irrigates some parts of Uttar Pradesh with its water.
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Tributaries of Betwa
Halali and Dhasan are the two major tributaries of The Betwa. With a length of 180.32 km, the Halali is the longest tributary. The confluence of the Betwa and Yamuna rivers is located near Orchha in Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh. In honor of the river, the Indian Navy has named one of its warships INS Betwa.
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History of Betwa River
Betwa river is known as Vetravati in Sanskrit. The mention of this river is also found in the Mahabharata epic. This river is among the one of the tributaries of Yamuna. It is believed that on the banks of this river in ancient times the capital of the Chedi kingdom was situated.
The river is 590 km long from its source to the confluence with the Yamuna, with 232 km in Madhya Pradesh and the remaining 358 km in Uttar Pradesh. In the year 1976 the Betwa River Board was established and an inter-state agreement signed in 1973 between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
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Religious and tourist attractions at Betwa river
Betwa is considered to be the most important river of Madhya Pradesh and its ancient name was Vetravati. This river is among the one of the tributaries of Yamuna which is called the revered river of Madhya Pradesh.
On the banks of this river Many religious places are equipped. This river flows through the districts of Madhya Pradesh like Bhopal, Vidisha, Ganjbasoda, Bina Kurwai, Orchha and flows in the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The Betwa River flows through the Jhansi, Chirgaon, Hamirpur region of Uttar Pradesh and joins the Yamuna River near Hamirpur district.
Also on the banks of this river Ancient pilgrimages are found. There is a major religious place located near it where the footprints of Shri Ram are seen and a beautiful view of Betwa is seen in Orchha city. The attractions of the Betwa can be seen mainly from Orchha in Mashi region.