1. The Brahmaputra River

The mighty Ganges may get all the glory as India's iconic waterway but the Brahmaputra River, which originates in Bhutan, is just as spectacular. "All Indian rivers are female except this one. It means Son of God and it carries more water than the Ganges. In some places it is so wide you cannot see the other bank," says A.R. Ghanashayam. Whereas the Ganges frequently carries the ashes and corpses of Indians to ensure safe passage into the Holy Land, the Brahmaputra carries fresh bales of tea from plantations in the north.

For more information: The Brahmaputra River