“Hirakud dam is built on which river?” is the type of question that appears again and again in SSC, RRB and state PSC papers. This guide lists the major dams with their rivers and states, the record holders and quick memory tips.
Record holders
| Record | Dam | River | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest dam | Tehri (~260 m) | Bhagirathi | Uttarakhand |
| Longest dam | Hirakud (~25.8 km with dykes) | Mahanadi | Odisha |
| Oldest dam (still in use) | Kallanai (Grand Anicut), built by Karikala Chola (approx 2nd century CE) | Kaveri | Tamil Nadu |
| Highest gravity dam | Bhakra (~226 m) | Sutlej | Himachal Pradesh |
| Largest reservoir (by capacity) | Indira Sagar (approx) | Narmada | Madhya Pradesh |
| Largest masonry dam | Nagarjuna Sagar | Krishna | Telangana / Andhra Pradesh |
| Famous arch dam | Idukki (among Asia’s highest arch dams, ~169 m) | Periyar | Kerala |
Heights and lengths vary slightly by source; figures are approximate.
Major dams state-wise
| Dam | River | State |
|---|---|---|
| Tehri | Bhagirathi | Uttarakhand |
| Bhakra Nangal | Sutlej | Himachal Pradesh / Punjab |
| Pong | Beas | Himachal Pradesh |
| Pandoh | Beas | Himachal Pradesh |
| Ranjit Sagar (Thein) | Ravi | Punjab / J&K border |
| Salal | Chenab | Jammu & Kashmir |
| Baglihar | Chenab | Jammu & Kashmir |
| Hirakud | Mahanadi | Odisha |
| Sardar Sarovar | Narmada | Gujarat |
| Indira Sagar | Narmada | Madhya Pradesh |
| Omkareshwar | Narmada | Madhya Pradesh |
| Gandhi Sagar | Chambal | Madhya Pradesh |
| Rana Pratap Sagar | Chambal | Rajasthan |
| Jawahar Sagar | Chambal | Rajasthan |
| Bansagar | Son | Madhya Pradesh |
| Rihand (Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar) | Rihand (tributary of Son) | Uttar Pradesh |
| Matatila | Betwa | Uttar Pradesh |
| Nagarjuna Sagar | Krishna | Telangana / Andhra Pradesh |
| Srisailam | Krishna | Andhra Pradesh |
| Almatti | Krishna | Karnataka |
| Tungabhadra | Tungabhadra | Karnataka |
| Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) | Kaveri | Karnataka |
| Mettur (Stanley Reservoir) | Kaveri | Tamil Nadu |
| Kallanai (Grand Anicut) | Kaveri | Tamil Nadu |
| Idukki | Periyar | Kerala |
| Mullaperiyar | Periyar | Kerala (operated by Tamil Nadu) |
| Koyna | Koyna (tributary of Krishna) | Maharashtra |
| Ukai | Tapi | Gujarat |
| Maithon | Barakar | Jharkhand / West Bengal |
| Panchet | Damodar | Jharkhand |
| Farakka Barrage | Ganga | West Bengal |
| Polavaram (under construction) | Godavari | Andhra Pradesh |
Multipurpose river valley projects
| Project | River | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) | Damodar | India’s first multipurpose project (1948), modelled on the USA’s Tennessee Valley Authority; Damodar was called the “Sorrow of Bengal” |
| Bhakra Nangal | Sutlej | Called “New Temple of Resurgent India” by Nehru |
| Hirakud | Mahanadi | One of the first major projects after Independence (1957) |
| Sardar Sarovar | Narmada | Gujarat, MP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan share benefits; linked to the Statue of Unity area |
| Indira Gandhi Canal | Sutlej–Beas (from Harike Barrage) | India’s longest canal; irrigates the Thar desert in Rajasthan |
| Ken–Betwa link | Ken and Betwa | First project under the National River Linking plan (foundation laid December 2024) |
River origins to remember
| River | Origin |
|---|---|
| Ganga (Bhagirathi) | Gangotri Glacier (Gaumukh), Uttarakhand |
| Yamuna | Yamunotri Glacier, Uttarakhand |
| Brahmaputra | Chemayungdung Glacier, near Mansarovar (Tibet) |
| Indus | Near Mansarovar Lake, Tibet |
| Narmada | Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh (flows west) |
| Tapi | Multai, Betul, Madhya Pradesh (flows west) |
| Godavari | Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra (longest peninsular river; “Dakshin Ganga”) |
| Krishna | Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra |
| Kaveri | Talakaveri, Brahmagiri Hills, Karnataka |
| Mahanadi | Sihawa, Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh |
Memory tips
- “Tehri is tallest, Hirakud is huge (long).”
- Three dams on the Chambal: Gandhi Sagar → Rana Pratap Sagar → Jawahar Sagar (MP to Rajasthan, in that order).
- The Krishna trio: Almatti (Karnataka) → Srisailam → Nagarjuna Sagar.
- Kaveri trio: KRS (Karnataka) → Mettur → Kallanai (Tamil Nadu).
- Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea through rift valleys.
Exam-ready one-liners
- Tehri, on the Bhagirathi, is India’s highest dam.
- Hirakud, on the Mahanadi in Odisha, is India’s longest dam.
- Bhakra Nangal is on the Sutlej; Pong is on the Beas.
- Sardar Sarovar and Indira Sagar are on the Narmada.
- Nagarjuna Sagar is on the Krishna; KRS and Mettur are on the Kaveri.
- Idukki and Mullaperiyar are on the Periyar in Kerala.
- DVC (1948) was India’s first multipurpose river valley project.
- Kallanai (Grand Anicut) on the Kaveri is among the world’s oldest working dams.
Related reading
- Tiger reserves and national parks of India
- 50 static GK facts for SSC exams
- Important Articles of the Constitution
Quiz: test yourself
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Dimensions are approximate and vary by source.
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