Mahanadi river in central India, rising in the hills of
Pradesh state. Its upper course runs north as an insignificant
stream, draining the eastern Chhattisgarh Plain. After receiving the
Seonath River, below Baloda Bazar, it turns east and enters Orissa
state, its flow augmented by the drainage of hills to the north and south.
At Sambalpur the Hirakud Dam on the river has formed a man-made lake 35 miles (55-km) long; the dam has several hydroelectric plants. Below the dam the Mahanadi turns south along a tortuous course, piercing the Eastern Ghats through a forest-clad gorge. Bending east, it enters the Orissa plains near Cuttack and enters the Bay of Bengal at False Point by several channels.
The great river of Mahanadi follows a total course of 560 miles i.e.900-km and has an estimated drainage area of 51,000 square miles (132,100-sq-km). It is one of the most active silt-depositing streams in the Indian subcontinent. The river supplies several irrigation canals, mainly near Cuttack. At one of its mouths is situated the famous pilgrimage site of Puri .
Brahmani river in northeastern Orissa state, eastern India. Formed by the confluence of the Sankh and South Koel rivers in southern Bihar state, the Brahmani flows for 300 miles i.e. (480-km), winding generally the southeast part of Bonaigarh and Talcher and then turning east to join northern branches of the Mahanadi River and emptying into the Bay of Bengal at Palmyras Point.