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A major east-flowing peninsular river rising at Talakaveri in Karnataka and draining into the Bay of Bengal after about 800 km.
The Cauvery, also spelt Kaveri, is one of the major east-flowing rivers of peninsular India. It rises at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats in Karnataka at an elevation of about 1,341 metres and flows roughly 800 km before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Its basin covers about 81,155 square kilometres across Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, amounting to nearly 2.7 per cent of India's geographical area. Long revered as the Dakshina Ganga or Ganga of the South, it is also the subject of one of India's longest-running inter-state water disputes.
Type: PhenomenonRises at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Karnataka, at about 1,341 metres
Flows about 800 km east and drains into the Bay of Bengal
Basin area of about 81,155 sq km, nearly 2.7 per cent of India's geographical area
Basin states: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry
The river system has 21 principal tributaries, each with a catchment above 250 sq km
Unlike most peninsular rivers, it carries water in both the southwest and northeast monsoon seasons
Frequency: Peninsular river systems and their tributaries are among the most consistently tested topics in UPSC Prelims physical geography
Talakaveri, Brahmagiri range, Western Ghats, Karnataka
About 1,341 metres
About 800 km
About 81,155 sq km
Nearly 2.7 per cent
Bay of Bengal
21, each with a catchment above 250 sq km
| Bank | Tributaries |
|---|---|
| Left bank | Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati |
| Right bank | Lakshmantirtha, Kabini, Suvarnavati, Bhavani, Noyil, Amaravati |
The Cauvery irrigates the delta of Thanjavur, historically the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, and supplies drinking water to Bengaluru and Chennai, so its flows carry a weight out of proportion to the river's modest size. That is the root of the dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which is not simply about volume but about timing: Karnataka's upstream reservoirs fill during the southwest monsoon, while Tamil Nadu's delta needs water released for the samba paddy crop precisely when Karnataka wants to store it. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal issued its award in 2007, the Supreme Court modified the allocations in 2018, and implementation now rests with the Cauvery Water Management Authority and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee. Distress years, when total flows fall short, remain the recurring flashpoint.
Cauvery rises at Talakaveri, Brahmagiri range, Western Ghats, Karnataka
About 800 km long; basin about 81,155 sq km across four units
Basin: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Left tributaries: Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati
Right tributaries: Lakshmantirtha, Kabini, Suvarnavati, Bhavani, Noyil, Amaravati
Called the Dakshina Ganga; drains into the Bay of Bengal
Disputes managed by the Cauvery Water Management Authority
It rises at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, at an elevation of about 1,341 metres.
Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, along with the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The name means Ganga of the South and reflects the river's sacred status and its central role in the agriculture and settlement of peninsular India.
Because it is about timing as much as volume. Karnataka's upstream reservoirs fill during the southwest monsoon, while Tamil Nadu's delta needs releases for its paddy crop at the same time, and shortfalls in distress years sharpen the conflict.