Kaveri
| Kaveri Cauvery | |
|---|---|
Talakaveri, the source of Kaveri Kaveri at Srirangapatna Confluence with Bhavani Kallanai Dam on the river | |
 Kaveri River basin | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| Region | South India |
| States | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Western Ghats |
| • location | Talakaveri, Kodagu district, (Coorg) Karnataka |
| • coordinates | 12°23′N 75°29′E / 12.383°N 75.483°E |
| • elevation | 1,341 m (4,400 ft) |
| Mouth | Bay of Bengal |
• location | Poompuhar, Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 800 km (500 mi) |
Basin size | 81,155 km2 (31,334 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Lower Anaicut (58.5 km upstream of mouth) |
| • average | 919 m3/s (32,500 cu ft/s) (1998–2024) |
| • minimum | 144 m3/s (5,100 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 4,075 m3/s (143,900 cu ft/s) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Grand Anicut (140 km upstream of mouth) |
| • average | 400.716 m3/s (14,151.2 cu ft/s) (1976–1979) 1,131 m3/s (39,900 cu ft/s) (1998–2024) |
| • minimum | 78 m3/s (2,800 cu ft/s) |
| • maximum | 4,916 m3/s (173,600 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati, Sarabanga, Thirumanimutharu |
| • right | Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amaravati, Moyar |
The Kaveri (anglicized as Cauvery), historically known in Tamil as Ponni (IPA: [ponːi]), is a major river flowing across southern India. It is the third-largest river in the peninsula after the Godavari and Krishna. The river basin covers an estimated catchment area of 81,155 km2 (31,334 sq mi), across the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats, at an elevation of 1,341 m (4,400 ft) in the Kodagu district of Karnataka. It traverses approximately 320 km (200 mi) across the Deccan Plateau in Karnataka before entering Tamil Nadu, flowing a further 416 km (258 mi) eastward to empty into the Bay of Bengal near Poompuhar in Mayiladuthurai district. Over its total course of roughly 800 km (500 mi), major tributaries include Harangi, Hemavati, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Shimsha, Arkavati, Bhavani, Noyyal, and Amaravati.
Multiple dams and reservoirs along the river support regional irrigation systems and hydroelectric power generation. The river has supported agriculture in the region for centuries and historically supported early agricultural states, including the Chola and Pandya kingdoms. Sharing of its waters has been a long-standing Kaveri River water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri River basin is a densely populated region, with several towns and cities located on its banks.
In Hinduism, the Kaveri is revered as one of the seven sacred rivers (Sapta Sindhu) and is personified as the goddess Kaveriamma. It is praised in Sanskrit epics including the Mahabharata and various Puranas, as well as throughout classical Sangam literature.