Ravi River in Himachal

Ravi river rises from the Bara Banghal ( a branch of Dhauladhar ) as a joint stream formed by the glacier-fed Badal and Tant Gari. The right bank tributaries of the Ravi are the Budhil, Tundahan Beljedi, Saho and Siul; and its left bank tributary worth mentioning is Chirchind Nala. Town Chamba is situated on the right bank of the river Ravi. In later Sanskritic period it came to be known by the name of Irawati. The Ravi river flows by the foot of Dalhousie hill, through the famous Chamba valley. The river with its length of about 158 km. in Himachal has a catchment area of about 5,451 sq. km. As the Ravi river flows down from the heights, it passes hill sides with terraced fields. Sometimes the hill seems to move away and the river comes out into lovely green valleys. The ravanging river looks devastating in its fury. It carries away even sturdy trees. The Ravi river first flows Westward through a trough separating the Pir Panjal from Dhauladhar range and then turns Southward, cutting the deep gorge through the Dhauladhar range. It flows nearly 130 km. in Chamba region, before leaving it finally at Kheri.

The Ravi river forms the biggest sub-micro region of Chamba district. From Bara Bangal of Kangra district, it flows through Bara Bansu, Tretha, Chanota and Ulhansa. The Ravi river merges with the Chenab in Pakistan. The well known human settlement along the river are Barmaur, Madhopur and Chamba town. Its total length is 720 km.

Important Tributaries of river Ravi are as follows

It rises from the snowy range of the area lying between the Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges in the Bara Banghal area of the Central Himachal Pradesh. It flows in a Westerly direction before merging with the Tant Gari river to form the mainstream of the Ravi. Bhadal river's catchment is made up of U shaped valleys, waterfalls, moraines, cirques and towering peaks.

It is the tributary of the Ravi river. It rises rfom the tract between the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges near Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh border. Thereafter this river flows towards East, takes a U turn and attains a South-Westerly course before flowing into the Ravi river downstream of Chamba. River Baira is the prominent tributary of the Siul river. This river is fed by both snow melt waters and spring waters.

It rises from the snows on Southern slopes of the Pir Panjal range in Himachal Pradesh. Numerous tributaries of the Baira river are also fed by the snow and so make it a Perennial river before it joins the Siul river, which is a tributary of the Ravi river. Its catchment consists of steep slopes, deep valleys and terraces that have been laid down by the river since a long time.

It is a tributary of the Ravi river. This river rises as a small stream from the slopes of an off-shootof the Pir Panjal range in the area East of Bharmaur in Chamba district. The Tant Gari valey is U shaped. Its bottom is strewn with boulders and morainic deposits laid down by the glaciers in the past.