Essay on Yamuna River: Its Importance in India
Yamuna River is India’s fifth longest river. Over the past several centuries, the river has been the important part of culture in India. It has been the major source of daily bread and butter for millions of Indians. In pursuit of spiritual significance, Yamuna has been venerated with great hope for many. Currently, the river is more in the headlines for being the most polluted river in India for all bad reasons.
The source of Yamuna River is frozen Champasar Lake in Banderpooch Glacier located at the altitude of 6387m in Har-Ki-Doon hilly ranges of Uttarkashi located in Uttarakhand. It runs through widest range of forested and snow-capped valleys in Himalayas before getting into the Indo-Gangetic North Indian plains. After flowing for 1376km, the river merges into the Ganges in Allahabad.
Sacred Places Located along Yamuna River
Yamuna River is believed to be originated from Yamunotri Shrine. It is listed as one of the four major pilgrimage places or Char Dhaam in Uttarakhand. It greets thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the world every year.
Yamunotri is known to be the first shrine to be visited on this pilgrimage site. Whole Valley of Yamuna River is loaded with several sacred shrines as well as mythological sites that are devoted to legends and saints of ancient era. River Yamuna is among the most popular rivers in North India. It is around 1370km long.
Yamuna River is also called as River Jamuna. Yamuna River flows in south way along the Himalayan Mountains on the plains of North India, and it traverses through a lot of valleys for around 200km along the border of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Yamuna River traverses along various states like Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, before it merges in Allahabad with River Ganga. Cities like Mathura and Agra are located along its banks. Yamuna River is believed to be originated at Yamunotri in Himalayan regions of Uttarakhand, positioned at the north of Haridwar located at the altitude of around 6387m over the sea level.
Cities like Noida, Mathura, Allahabad, Hamirpur, Delhi, Baghpat, Kalpi, Etawah, and Agra are located on its banks. The source of Yamuna River, Yamunotri also forms the Goddess Yamuna seat. It is supposed to be one of the four Char Dhaam sites in India.
Yamuna River witnesses very light traffic. It shrinks in Agra as a very small stream in summer, partly due to the amount of water removed for domestic consumption and irrigation by the canals.
However, the river has been one of the most polluted rivers in India. Most of its course passes through very densely populated locations where most number of sewages has been discharged on it. With financial support from Japan in the early 1990s, the Indian government has started Yamuna Action Plan, which is a multi phase project to reduce the pollution levels of the river. Passing from Delhi, Yamuna River feeds the Agra Canal. It passes Agra, Etawah, and Firozabad. It receives a lot of southern tributaries below Etawah.
