river in central India, rising in the hills of southeastern Madhya Pradesh state. The Mahanadi (“Great River”) follows a total course of 560 miles (900 km) and has an estimated drainage area of 51,000 square miles (132,100 square km). It is one of the most active silt-depositing streams in the Indian subcontinent. 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 generators. 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 (Bengal, Bay of) at False Point by several channels. The river supplies several irrigation canals, mainly near Cuttack. Puri, at one of its mouths, is a famous pilgrimage site.