The Ken River originating near a village named Ahirgawan travels a distance of apparently 427 km before meeting the Yamuna river at the Chilla village in close proximity to Fatehpur district in UP. The Ahirgawan village is among the north western slopes of Kaimur Range in Jabalpur. Having a drainage basin of 28058 sq km basin from which, 12620 sq km goes to the Sonar river, the largest tributary of the river. Throughout its course, the river gets water from its tributaries like Bawas, Kaith, Dewar and the Baink.

History

Having been contaminated for ages due to pollution in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, due to population growth, the river, as a tourist place is losing its prominence. Urbanization along with the formation of factories and emerging Thermal Power projects have caused massive pollution and contamination of the river over the ages and this has made it typically unfit for any kind of domestic usage, especially, for drinking, agricultural use and washing. Some of the attractive tourist options attached to this river are the Raneh Falls and the Ken Ghariyal Sanctuary. The river also crosses across the Panna National Park which also is a well known tourist attraction. Finally, this river is most famous for its rare Dendritic Agate stone. The Banda city is placed on the banks of the Ken River.

Course

Emerging from the Ahirgawan village (also the north west slope of Kaimur Range), Ken River travels for apparently 427 km before joining the Yamina River at the Chilia village located near Fatehpur, UP. Out of the total drainage basin of 28058 sq km, almost 12620 sq km goes to Sonar river, the largest tributary, with its basin lying in Madhya Pradesh. Throughout its path, this river gets maximum water from its tributaries. Its prime tributaries are Kaith, Bawas, Baink and Dewar along the left bank, while Bearma and Kopra are tributaries to the right bank. Out of the total 427 km, for 292 km the river flows within Madhya Pradesh for in Uttar Pradesh for 84 km and 51 km remains within both the states. While crossing the Bijawar-Panna hills, the river cuts through a distance of 60 km and forms a gorge which, is 150 - 180 deep. There are countless streams joining this river at the gorge and this leads to the formation of various waterfalls.

Tributaries

There are numerous tributaries of the Ken River and among them the Sonar River is the largest. The tributaries on the left bank are the rivers Dewar, Baink, Bawas and Kaith, while in the right bank, you will come across the tributaries like Bearma and Kopra. The Ken Valley also acts as a barrier for the Rewa Plateau.