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Beas River

The Punjab state has received its name from the five rivers that flows in the state and among these rivers one river is Beas. The river initiates from the Rohtang Pass that is a part of the Himalayan range located in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It flows through 13,050 feet of height and is as long as 290 miles or 470 kms. Later, this river merges with the River Sutlej that is in Harike Pattan located in the southern part of city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab. The River finally merges into Arabian Sea. During the ancient times in India, the Greeks named this River as Arjiki or Vipas. The existing name of the River Beas has been modified from its older name Vyas. The name Vyas was given after Veda Vyas who belonged to the era of Mahabharata. The book name of this River is Vipasha that is common in the region of Himachal Pradesh.

History and Etymology

The first name given to this river was a Sanskrit name called “Vipasha” that was later modified and named as Beas. The meaning of the name is from the word “Vi-Pasha” that stands for the one who eliminates the oppression. The story that is linked with the name of this river is based on the event that happened in the life of Saint Vasistha. Saint Vasistha was hurt after the death of his 100th son and so he strived to take off his life by trying to drown himself in the river tying to a twine. While he was trying to take his life the river got softened to him and freed him from the tether of the rope and threw him on the banks of the river.

Course

The river starts from south of the Rohtang Pass located in Kullu and it flows through the height of 13,326 feet. The river then follows the path through district of Mandi and further goes to district of Kangra at Sanghol that is located at a height of 1920 feet. The river then divides into three different tributaries at Reh located in Kangra that later merges at a height of 1000 feet in Mirthal. Once reaching Shivalik hills near Hoshiarpur, the river changes its course to a sharp northern turn and passes through the Kangra district. Later, it takes another sharp curve at foot of Shivalik hills and turns the path to southern direction while extricating Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur districts. As it reaches the Jalandhar district, it separates the districts of Amritsar and Kapurthala. The Beas River ends before merging into Sutlej River taking the course through the southern west route of district Kapurthala in the state of Punjab traversing the total path of 290 miles. Few of the major tributaries that this river forms through the entire course are Bain, Luni, Banganga and Uhal.

Tributaries

The melted snow contributes in making the eastern and northern streams of River Beas and thus makes it persistent while the streams in the southern are only for few months in the year. Few of the streams that are formed from the water of River Beas have been explained below:-

Awa River

This tributary is part of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh while it receives water from Dhauladhar range. The source of water for this stream is either from the melting snow or from the rain water. Before merging into River Beas, the stream runs through the southern-west direction.

Banner River

The common name of this stream is Baner Khad. The initial end of the stream begins from the southern inclination from the Dhauladhar range that is close to Palampur while it gushes to the southern-west course while passing along the Kangra valley.

Banganga River

The land surrounding the entire course of River Banganga is very fertile. The course of the river begins from the slopes of southern range of Dhauladhar before it joins the River Beas that is in the valley of Kangra.

Chakki River

This stream follows the course that begins from the range of Dhauladhar southern slant. The flow of the river is from Himachal Pradesh southern west direction that further goes to River Beas in the state of Punjab.

Gaj Khad

The water in the stream is received from melted snow that can be seen on the slopes in the Southern Dhauladhar range that from the part of district of Kangra and later flows into streams of Pong Dam Lake.

Harla River

The stream is formed from the melted snow of that can be seen on the valley of Kullu in its north western slopes. This stream merges with Beas River in Bhuntar.

Luni River

The stream of water originates from southern slopes of Dhauladhar that is located in valley of Kangra while it further joins the River Beas that flows in the center of Kangra valley.

Manuni River

The origination of the stream is the southern slant that is part of Dhauladhar range that further merges into the Beas River. The vertical slants are part of the River Manuni upper range. The sheer slope on either sides of the river is majorly used as cultivation land.

Parbati River

This stream flows in the foot of Himalayas that are seen in the district of Kullu while it further merges with Beas River that flows in Kangra valley.

Patlikuhal River

This stream of water flows in the area of Mandi that is located in Kullu district. The water received by this tributary is from the snow of southern inclination that is part of Pir Panjal range and goes on to join the upper stream of the Kullu Valley.

Sainj River

This stream is formed due to the partition of River Beas and River Sutlej that flows through the lower ranges of Himalayas located towards the east of Kullu. This stream then goes through the southern west direction and then it merges with the main River Beas.

Suketi River

The origination of this stream begins with the slant that exists in the ranges of Dhauladhar and merges with River Beas in the valley of Kangra. The cultivation land can also be seen all along the path of the river flowing on the terraces of the river.

Tirthan River

The stream originates from the foot range of Himalaya and further to the Southern east of the Kullu valley and then it goes through the southern west direction. Later the stream merges with River Beas in Larji.

UHL River

This stream of water before merging to the River Beas is segmented into two water channels one of it comes from the northern direction in Dhauladhar range that is the part of Himalayan range while the second stream navigates a longer path before curving through the southern east direction and them merging into River Beas that flows through Mandi.

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