Which of the following rivers of Madhya Pradesh flows through three states?
- (a)Ken
- (b)Sonar
- (c)Mahi
- (d)Betwa
Correct — C, Mahi. The Mahi rises on the northern slopes of the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh, then flows through the Vagad region of south-eastern Rajasthan before re-entering Gujarat and draining into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat — making it one of the few Indian rivers to pass through three states.
- (a)Ken — A tributary of the Yamuna that flows through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh only — two states, not three.
- (b)Sonar — A tributary of the Betwa system that stays entirely within Madhya Pradesh — a single-state river.
- (d)Betwa — A Yamuna tributary flowing through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh only — two states, not three.
The Mahi is one of India's few major west-flowing peninsular rivers (alongside the Narmada and Tapti), but unlike them it threads through three states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat — because its upper course loops north into Rajasthan's Vagad region before turning south again into Gujarat.
The trap is picking a river by 'sounds important' rather than tracing its actual course. Ken and Betwa are well-known MP rivers, but both stay within a two-state Yamuna-tributary system; only the Mahi's unusual northward loop takes it into three states.
- Mahi originates on the northern slopes of the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh.
- It flows through the Vagad region of south-eastern Rajasthan before curving back into Gujarat.
- It drains into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat.
- It is one of only three major west-flowing rivers of peninsular India, along with the Narmada and Tapti.
- Assuming any MP river flowing toward Gujarat must be the Narmada or Tapti — the Mahi is the multi-state outlier
- Confusing Ken/Betwa (Yamuna system, two states) with Mahi (Arabian Sea system, three states)
MPPSC likes 'which MP river flows through the most/three states' — the safe anchor fact is Mahi = Madhya Pradesh + Rajasthan + Gujarat.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Mahi River ultimately drains into the Arabian Sea through which gulf?
- (a)Gulf of Kutch
- (b)Gulf of Khambhat
- (c)Gulf of Mannar
- (d)Palk Strait
Answer(b) Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), Gujarat.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Mahi River originates on the slopes of which mountain range?
- (a)Aravalli
- (b)Vindhya
- (c)Satpura
- (d)Maikal
Answer(b) Vindhya Range — the Mahi rises on its northern slopes in Madhya Pradesh.