The Brahmani is a major seasonal river in the Orissa

Orissa

Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

 state of Eastern India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The Brahmani is formed by the confluence of the Sankh

Sankh River

The Sankh River flows across Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Orissa states in India. The river flows for a distance of 240 km before it meets the Koel River in Orissa.- Course :...

 and South Koel

Koel River

South Koel River runs across Jharkhand and Orissa states in India. It originates on the Ranchi plateau a few miles east of Ranchi, and conjoins the Belsiangar and Singbum Rivers. The Koel is fed by three streams in Jharkhand, namely the North Karo, South Karo and Koina...

 rivers, and flows through the districts of Sundargarh, Kendujhar

Kendujhar District

Kendujhar District, also known as Keonjhar District, is an administrative district of Orissa state in eastern India. The town of Kendujhar or Kendujhargarh is the district headquarters....

, Dhenkanal

Dhenkanal District

Dhenkanal District is an administrative division of Orissa, India. It is bordered by Kendujhar in the north, Jajpur in the east, Cuttack in the south and Anugul in the west. Dhenkanal town, the district headquarters has a cluster of temples, archaeological remains and a mediaeval fort. A former...

, Cuttack

Cuttack District

Cuttack district is one of the 30 districts in Orissa state in eastern India. Its administrative headquarters is the city of Cuttack. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Orissa , after Ganjam.-Geography:...

 and Jajapur

Jajpur District

Jajpur is a district of Orissa, India, and an historic place of pilgrimage. As Jajpur was once the capital of the Kalinga kingdom, it is now an area of archeological wealth, including the famous Saktipitha of the Goddess Biraja, as well as the shrines of the Goddess Biraja , Sveta Baraha , Sapta...

. Together with the rivers Mahanadi

Mahanadi River

The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...

 and Baitarani

Baitarani River

The Baitarani River or River Vaitarani is one of six major rivers of Orissa, India. Venerated in popular epics and legends, the Baitarani River is a source of water for agricultural irrigation. Most of the potentially arable land in the area is not under cultivation. The coastal plain of Orissa...

, it forms a large delta before entering into the Bay of Bengal

Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...

 at Dhamra.

Course

The Brahmani is formed by the confluence of the rivers South Koel and Sankh near the major industrial town of Raurkela at 22 15'N and 84 47' E. The Sankh has its origins near the Jharkhand

Jharkhand

Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...

-Chhatisgarh border, not far from the Netarhat

Netarhat

Netarhat is a town in Latehar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.Referred to as the “Queen of Chotanagpur”, it is a popular hill station. -Geography:Netarhat is located at , at a height of ....

 Plateau. The South Koel too arises in Jharkhand, near Lohardaga

Lohardaga

Lohardaga is a town and the district headquarters of Lohardaga district in the Indian state of Jharkhand, west of Ranchi, the state capital. Earlier Lohardaga was the commissionary headquarters for Chotanagpur. It was only later that the commissionary of Chotanagpur was shifted to Ranchi...

, on the other side of a watershed that also gives rise to the Damodar River

Damodar River

Damodar River originates near Chandwa village, Palamau district, on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Jharkhand state in eastern India, and flows eastward for about 592 km through the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the estaury of the River Hooghly...

. Both of these sources are in the Chota Nagpur Plateau

Chota Nagpur Plateau

The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...

. The site of the Brahmani's origin is mythologically reputed to be the place where Sage Parashara

Parashara

' is a Rigvedic Maharishi and author of many ancient Indian texts. Parāśara was the grandson of Vashista, the son of Śakti Maharṣi, and the father of Vyasa. There are several texts which give reference to Parāśara as an author/speaker...

 fell in love with the fisherman's daughter, Satyavati

Satyavati

Satyavati was the queen of the Kuru king Shantanu of Hastinapur and the great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes . She is also the mother of the seer Vyasa, author of the epic...

 who later gave birth to Ved Vyasa, the compiler of the Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

. The place is thus called Ved Vyasa.

After assuming the name of Brahmani, the river crosses the Tamra and Jharbera forests, skirting along National Highway 23. It then passes the town of Bonaigarh in Angul district

Angul District

Angul is a district of Orissa state in India. The city of Angul is the district headquarters.-History:A bridge between western and coastal areas of Orissa where the prehistoric and protohistoric relics are found in village Bhimakund, Kankili, Kulei, Samal, Sanakerjang, Kaliakata, Paranga, Kerjang,...

 before being dammed at Rengali. A large reservoir of the same name is created as a consequence. It then flows through the cities of Talcher

Talcher

Talcher is one of the 4 sub-divisions of Anugul district in the Indian state of Orissa . Situated on the right bank of the river Brahmani, the capital of the erstwhile Talcher State is one of the fastest growing industrial and mining complexes of the country.-Geography:Talcher is located at...

 and Dhenkanal

Dhenkanal, India

Dhenkanal is a city and a municipality in Dhenkanal district in the state of Orissa, India.-Geography:Dhenkanal is located at . It has an average elevation of 80 metres .-Demographics:...

 before splitting up into two streams. The main stream flows by the town of Jajapur

Jajapur

Jajapur is a city and a municipality in Jajpur district in the Indian state of Orissa. It is popularly known as Biraja Khetra, which translates as "the place sacred to Goddess Biraja", and is located on the banks of the Baitarani River. It was the capital of Orissa during the Kesari dynasty,...

 Road beyond which it is crossed by National Highway 5 and the Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

-Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

 mainline of East Coast Railway

East Coast Railway

The East Coast Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones of Indian Railways came into existence from 1 April 2003.The geographical jurisdiction of this railway zone extends over three states encompressing almost all parts of Orissa along with parts of Srikakulam, Vizainagaram and Visakhapatnam...

. The branch stream called Kimiria receives the waters of the Birupa (a distributary of the Mahanadi

Mahanadi River

The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...

, Kelo and Genguti before re joining the main stream at Indupur. The river then receives the Kharsua, on its left bank before merging with the Baitarani, a major river, to form the Dhamra estuary. A distributary called Maipara branches off here to join the Bay of Bengal a short distance away while the main stream proceeds northward for a few km more before ultimately meeting the sea near Chandbali at Palmyras Point

Palmyras Point

Palmyras Point or Point Palmyras is a low headland in the Bay of Bengal.It is located at the eastern end of the Brahmani River delta in the state of Orissa, India, close to the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary, an area of mangroves....

. The Brahmani delta is the site of the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary, famous for its estuarine crocodiles.

Length and Catchment

At about 480 km long, the Brahmani is the second longest river in Orissa after the Mahanadi

Mahanadi River

The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...

. However if its constituent rivers are included its length extends to about 799 km, 541 of which is in Orissa. It has a catchment area of about 39,033 km² in Orissa alone.

Irrigation Projects

Apart from the Rengali dam

Rengali Dam

Rengali dam is located in Orissa. It is constructed across Brahmani River in Rengali village located 70 KM from Angul in Angul district, Orissa in India.- Construction :The dam was constructed in 1985...

 mentioned above, there also exists a barrage shortly before Talcher

Talcher

Talcher is one of the 4 sub-divisions of Anugul district in the Indian state of Orissa . Situated on the right bank of the river Brahmani, the capital of the erstwhile Talcher State is one of the fastest growing industrial and mining complexes of the country.-Geography:Talcher is located at...

 called Samal Barrage. The Jokadia and the Jenapur anicuts are the other irrigation projects on the river. Near its mouth

River delta

A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...

, the river is also crossed by the Orissa Coast Canal that takes water from it.