The River Krishna, meaning "dark" (feminine) in Sanskrit, is also called the Krishnaveni. It is about 1300 km in length. Krishna River originates in the Western Ghats at an altitude of about 1300m above sea level in Mahabaleshwar. It passes through Sangli and conjoins the sea in the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaledevi in Andhra Pradesh. It flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The Tributaries of Krishna
Three tributaries meet Krishna River near Sangli. Warana River meets Krishna River near Sangli at Haripur. This place is also known as Sangameshwar. Panchaganga River meets Krishna River at Narsobawadi near Sangli. These places are thought to be one among the most sacred places in Hindu mythology. It is said that Lord Dattatraya had spent some of his days at Audumber on the banks of river Krishna. Tungabhadra River is the principal tributary of Krishna River, which is formed by the Tunga River and Bhadra River that start off in the Western Ghats. Other tributaries of Krishna river include the Koyna River, Bhima River (and its tributaries such as the Kundali River feeding into the Upper Bhima River Basin), Malaprabha River, Ghataprabha River, Yerla River, Warna River, Dindi River, Musi River and Dudhganga River.

Tungabhadra River
The Tungabhadra River which is the main tributary of Krishna, starts and flows through the state of Karnataka during maximum of its course, before flowing along the border between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It ultimately joins the Krishna River near Sangameswaram village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. In the epic Ramayana, the Tungabhadra was known by the name of "Pampa".

Bhima River
Bhima River originates in Bhimashankar hills in Maharashtra and flows southeast for 861 km through Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is a major tributary of the Krishna River. The bank of the river forms a fertile agricultural area. During its 861km course, many small rivers flow into it. Kundali River, Kumandala River, Ghod river, Bhama, Indrayani River, Mula River, Mutha River and Pavna River are the major tributaries of Bhima.

Malaprabha River
This river flows in Karnataka. It rises at Kanakumbi in the Belgaum district and joins Krishna at Kudalasangama in Bagalkot. It also flows through Dharwar District. Hubli city gets its drinking water from this river. Bennihalla, Hirehalla and Tuparihalla are the major tributaries of Malaprabha.

Ghataprabha River
Ghataprabha is an important tributary of Krishna. It flows in Karnataka. The Ghataprabha Project at Hidkal is a hydroelectric and irrigational dam constructed across the river. Hiranyakeshi and Markandeya rivers are the tributaries of Ghataprabha.

Koyna River
The Koyna River is a tributary of the Krishna River which originates in Mahableshwar. Unlike most of the other rivers in Maharashtra which flow in the East-West direction, Koyna flows in North-South direction. The Koyna River is famous for the Koyna Hydroelectric Project. Today the project is the largest completed hydroelectric project in India. The reservoir is Shivasagar Lake. It is a huge lake, 50 ckm in length. Due to its electricity generating potential Koyna river is known as the Life Line of Maharashtra. The river meets the Krishna River at Pritisangam in Karad.

Dindi River
The Dindi River in Telengana, is an important tributary of the Krishna River. The river flows through Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts and finally converges with the Krishna River. The Dindi Reservoir is a medium water reservoir constructed across the river. It serves the areas: Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar and Khammam.

Musi River
Musi River is a tributary of the Krishna River flowing through Telangana. It lies in the Deccan Plateau. Hyderabad stands on the banks of Musi river. The river divides the historic old city and the new city. Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar are dams constructed across Musi. The river was also known as Nerva during Qutub Shahi period. The Musi river was the cause of frequent floods in the Hyderabad city until the early decades of the 20th century.

Dudhganga River
This river is a right bank tributary of the Krishna in western India. It rises in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra and flows eastward through Kolhapur and Belgaum in Karnataka before joining Krishna. During its course it forms a part of the boundary between Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Kalammawadi reservoir in the west of Kohlapur district is constructed by the Dudhganga river.