The correct sequence of the major east-flowing rivers of peninsular India, from north to south, is:

From north to south, the four major east-flowing peninsular rivers that drain into the Bay of Bengal are the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri.

Mahanadi (northernmost):

• Rises in Chhattisgarh and flows through Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
• Length: about 851 km.
• Enters the Bay of Bengal in Odisha, forming a delta.

Godavari:

• The longest river of peninsular India (about 1,465 km).
• Rises in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and flows through Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Forms a large delta in Andhra Pradesh.

Krishna:

• About 1,400 km long.
• Rises in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Forms a delta adjoining the Godavari delta in Andhra Pradesh.

Kaveri (southernmost):

• About 800 km long.
• Rises in the Western Ghats and forms a large, fertile delta on the east coast, known as the "Garden of South India".

Why these rivers flow east:

• The Peninsular Plateau slopes gently from west to east, because the Western Ghats are higher than the Eastern Ghats.
• So, most rivers rising in the Western Ghats flow east into the Bay of Bengal.

Features of east-flowing rivers:

• They are long, with large basins and many tributaries.
• They form large deltas at their mouths, because the Bay of Bengal coast is relatively flat and has low tidal range.
• They are mostly rain-fed (seasonal), with high flow in the monsoon and low flow in summer.

Other east-flowing rivers:

Subarnarekha, Brahmani, Baitarani, Penner (Pennar), Palar and Vaigai.

West-flowing rivers:

• Narmada, Tapi, Sabarmati and Mahi, along with many short, swift rivers of the Western Ghats, flow west into the Arabian Sea.
• Good to know
• The other sequences put the rivers in the wrong north-south order.