RAS question
The Chambal River, a major tributary of the Yamuna, originates from:
Correct answer: (C) Janapav Hills near Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
The Chambal River originates in the Janapav Hills near Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, in the Vindhyan range.
Explanation
The Chambal is a major Yamuna tributary, and its source is the Janapav Hills near Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. The India-WRIS Yamuna River System page supports the core location by placing the Chambal's rise in the Vindhyan range near Mhow in Indore district and treating it as the biggest Yamuna tributary. This is why option C is more precise than a generic Vindhyan-range answer: the exam is asking for the named origin, not only the broad physiographic belt. From there, the Chambal flows through Madhya Pradesh, enters the Rajasthan system, forms stretches of inter-state boundary, and finally joins the Yamuna in Etawah district.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Vindhya Range is the broader physiographic setting, but 'near Bhopal' is not the cited origin; the required source location is Janapav Hills near Mhow.
- (B) Mount Abu belongs to Rajasthan's Aravalli landscape, whereas the Chambal source is near Mhow in Madhya Pradesh.
- (D) Amarkantak is associated here with the Narmada's origin, not with the Chambal.
Concept
This tests river-system mapping: matching a major tributary with its exact source, physiographic region and confluence. RAS repeats such questions because Rajasthan's drainage, inter-state rivers and Chambal-project geography are core parts of Indian and Rajasthan geography.