RAS question
The Indus River originates near:
Correct answer: (A) Lake Mansarovar (Tibet).
The Indus River originates near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, from a glacier near Bokhar Chu in the Kailash Mountain range.
Explanation
Option A is right because the Indus originates near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, and NCERT specifies that the Indus, also known as the Sindhu, originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu in the Tibetan region, in the Kailash Mountain range. NCERT also notes its Tibetan name, Singi Khamban, or Lion's mouth. The route detail helps fix the river in memory: after rising in Tibet, the Indus passes through Ladakh and then continues through Pakistan before discharging into the Arabian Sea. The other options point to sources or glaciers linked with different river systems, not the Indus source.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Gangotri glacier is associated with the Ganga system, so it cannot be the source of the Indus.
- (C) Siachen glacier feeds the Nubra River, a tributary of the Shyok, rather than marking the origin of the Indus.
- (D) Yamunotri glacier is the source of the Yamuna, so it belongs to a different Himalayan river system.
Concept
This tests the Himalayan drainage system, especially source-location mapping for major rivers. RAS repeats such questions because river origins, tributaries and outflow directions are core physical-geography facts used across India and Rajasthan geography.