river in central India. It rises in the Maikala Range in east-central Madhya Pradesh state and follows a tortuous course through the hills near Mandla. It then enters the structural trough between the Vindhya (Vindhya Range) and Satpura (Satpura Range) ranges at Marble Rocks Gorge and flows westward across Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat (Gujarāt) states, entering the Gulf of Khambhat (Khambhat, Gulf of) through an estuary 13 miles (21 km) wide, just below Bharuch. Draining the northern slopes of the Satpura Range along its 800-mile (1,300-km) course, it flows through the Hoshangabad plains, the Dhar upland, the Mahishmati plains, and the gorges at Mandhata and Murakta. The river has numerous waterfalls and tributaries. Some important cities and towns on its banks include Hoshangabad, Jabalpur, Handia, and Mandhata. Called Namade by the 2nd-century-CE Greek geographer Ptolemy, the river has always been an important route between the Arabian Sea and the Ganges (Ganga) River (Ganges River) valley.

Hindus believe the Narmada River sprang from the body of the god Shiva, and in sanctity the Narmada ranks after only the Ganges. The pradaksina (pradakṣiṇa) pilgrimage takes pilgrims from Bharuch to Amarkantak, up one bank of the river and down the other.