Many of the Western Ghats mountains’ high-altitude rivers and tributaries feed the region’s many rivers, both large and tiny. With a coastline of 300 kilometers, Karnataka has a dozen of rivers that merge into the sea. Karnataka is home to several other rivers. The list excludes all small rivers.
The Kaveri River is Karnataka’s longest with 805 kilometers and largest with a basin area of 72,000 km². It begins in Karnataka at Talakaveri (elevation=1,341 m) and ends in Tamilnadu at Poompuhar into the ocean (the Bay of Bengal). It has many tributaries including Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavathy, Lakshmana Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amaravati, Moyar. Coordination of the Talakaveri: 12°23′N 75°29′E
| River Name | District | Origin | Length (km) | Mouth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaveri | Coorg (Kodagu) | Talakaveri | 805 | Bay of Bengal |
| Tungabhadra | Chikmagalur | Kudali | 531 | merge to Krishna river |
| Penner | Chikkaballapura | Nandi Hills | 597 | Bay of Bengal |
| Kali | Uttara Kannada | Diggi | 184 | Arabian Sea |
| Palar | Kolar | Nandi Hills | 348 | Bay of Bengal |
| Arkavati | Chikkaballapura | Nandi Hills | 193 | merge to Kaveri River |
| Bhadra | Chikmagalur | Gangamoola | 147 | Bay of Bengal |
| Chakra | Udupi | Kundapura | 52 | Arabian Sea |
| Gangavalli | Dharwad | Gangavalli | 152 | Arabian Sea |
| Malaprabha | Belgaum | Soraba | 304 | merge to Krishna river |
| Kumaradhara | Dakshina Kannada | Sullia | Arabian Sea | |
| Mandovi | Belgaum | Bhimgad | 77 | Arabian Sea |
| Netravati | Chikmagalur | Gangamoola | Arabian Sea | |
| Ponnaiyar | Chikkaballapur | Nandidurg | 400 | Bay of Bengal |
| Sharavathi | Shimoga | Ambutheertha | 128 | Arabian Sea |
| Shimsha | Tumkur | Devarayanadurga | 221 | merge to Kaveri River |
| Tunga | Chikmagalur | Gangamoola | 147 | merge to Bhadra River |
| Varada | Shimoga | Vardamoola | merge to Tungabadhra |