RAS question
The Godavari River originates from:
Correct answer: (C) Trimbakeshwar near Nashik.
The Godavari River originates near Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district, Maharashtra.
Explanation
The Godavari rises near Trimbakeshwar, near Nashik in Maharashtra, which makes option C the precise origin statement. The cited India-WRIS basin report describes the Godavari as the biggest east-flowing river of peninsular India and says that it originates near Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district, north-east of Mumbai. It then flows for about 1465 km in a generally south-east direction before joining the Bay of Bengal. This supports the standard exam framing: the Godavari is the longest peninsular river and is often remembered as the Dakshin Ganga, but the tested fact here is its source, not its basin or mouth.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Western Ghats near Belgaum is not supported by the cited basin report, which places the Godavari's origin near Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district.
- (B) Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra is not the Godavari's source; the verified source identifies Trimbakeshwar near Nashik as the origin.
- (D) Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh does not match the Godavari origin given in the source, which locates it in Maharashtra near Trimbakeshwar.
Concept
This tests Indian drainage, especially the sources of major peninsular rivers. It recurs in RAS because river-origin facts anchor questions on basins, flow direction, tributaries and regional geography.