Himalayan River

Ravi

Iravati / Purushni
🏔️ Bara Bhangal, Kullu-Kangra watershed, Himachal Pradesh (4000 m) → Chenab River, Pakistan
720 kmTotal Length
14,442Basin km²
PerennialFlow Type
3States
Snow TroutFlagship Species

About the Ravi

The Ravi is one of the five rivers of Punjab and the river on whose banks the ancient Harappan city of Harappa (c.2600–1900 BCE) flourished in one of the world's earliest urban civilisations. The river rises in the high Himalayas of Kullu and Chamba districts in Himachal Pradesh before entering Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty. The Chamba valley — which the river flows through before descending to the plains — is one of Himachal Pradesh's finest landscapes, with ancient temples, remote trekking routes, and exceptional wildlife.

The Ravi's upper watershed hosts some of Himachal Pradesh's rarest wildlife — the critically endangered Western Tragopan (the rarest pheasant in the world), the Himalayan brown bear, and the snow leopard all inhabit the high reaches of the Ravi catchment in the Kullu-Chamba border hills. The river is also central to India's claims in the Indus Waters Treaty dispute with Pakistan — India has argued for rights to utilize the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Ravi) to their full potential under the treaty.

States along this river
Himachal PradeshJammu & KashmirPunjab
Length (vs Ganga, 2525 km)
720 km — 28% of India's longest river
Key tributaries

Budhil · Siul · Bairari · Chakki

Wildlife along this river
Snow Trout 🐟Brown Bear 🐻Himalayan Monal 🐦Western Tragopan 🐦Snow Leopard 🐆
Best time to explore
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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