About the Son
The Son River rises at Amarkantak — the same sacred plateau where the Narmada rises to flow west and the Johilla also originates — making Amarkantak one of India's most remarkable hydrological nodes, the source of rivers flowing in three different directions. The Son flows northeast through the dense forests of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand before joining the Ganga near Patna. Its yellow sand gives it its name — 'Son' means gold in Sanskrit — and the river's sandy banks are important nesting sites for gharials and turtles.
The Son valley's forested upper reaches are part of the Central Indian tiger landscape, and the river corridor connects the forests of Kanha-Pench with those of Sanjay-Dubri and the Betla forests of Jharkhand. The river's flow is highly seasonal — swelling enormously during monsoon and shrinking to a narrow stream through its wide sandy bed in summer. The Ken-Betwa and the broader Son basin water transfer projects are major points of ecological controversy in central India.
Johilla · Rihand · Gopad · North Koel