Indian Rivers and Waterways

After annihilating Kshatriyas 21 times to avenge his father's death, Parashurama created five lakes at Kurukshetra (Samantapanchaka) filled with their blood as an offering to his ancestors. This site is in modern-day Haryana.

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra on the banks of the Yamuna River. The Mathura Oil refinery, located nearby, contributes to air pollution including acid rain that affects the marble monument. The Yamuna's pollution directly impacts the monument's preservation.

Madurai, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in India, is situated on the banks of the Vaigai River. The river has been crucial to the city's history and development, and is closely tied to the legend of the Meenakshi Temple.

The Sone River is a major tributary of the Ganga, joining it near Patna in Bihar. The Sone originates in the Maikal hills of Madhya Pradesh and flows north-northeast through Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh before merging with the Ganga. It is one of the largest southern tributaries of the Ganga river system.

Ganga is the longest river entirely within India, stretching about 2,525 km from its source in Gangotri to the Bay of Bengal. The Yamuna is a major tributary of the Ganga, while Godavari and Krishna are significant peninsular rivers but shorter in length.

The Ganga Action Plan was launched to clean the Ganga by intercepting sewage from 25 cities across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal - the three states through which the main stem of the Ganga flows. Haryana and Punjab are not on the Ganga's main course. Himachal Pradesh is the source but not one of the main target states. Orissa is not on the Ganga's route.

The Volga River, the longest river in Europe, flows into the Caspian Sea. This inland sea is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth, bordered by Russia and several Central Asian countries.

The Damodar River is called 'Bengal's Sorrow' due to its history of devastating floods that caused widespread destruction in West Bengal and Jharkhand. The river's unpredictable flooding pattern earned it this melancholic nickname before dam projects tamed its flow.

Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand is the highest dam in India at 260.5 meters. Nagarjuna Sagar is one of the largest by reservoir capacity but not the tallest. Ukai and Tunga Bhadra are also major dams but shorter than Tehri.

Hesaraghatta Lake is a manmade reservoir built on the Arkavathy River to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru. Constructed in the 1890s, it was one of the earliest major water supply sources for the city. The Arkavathy River is a tributary of the Kaveri River and originates in the Nandi Hills.

Kerala has 41 west-flowing rivers that originate from the Western Ghats and drain into the Arabian Sea. These are relatively shorter rivers compared to the east-flowing ones due to the state's topography.

Karikala Chola, an early Chola king, built the Kallanai dam across the Kaveri River around 2nd century CE, making option C correct. This ancient dam, still functional today, is considered one of the oldest water-regulation structures in the world and is an engineering marvel.

Hirakud Dam (HIRA KUND DAM) in Odisha, India, is the longest major earthen dam in Asia, with a total length of 25.79 km including earthen dams, concrete dams, and dykes. The dam stretches across the Mahanadi River and was completed in 1957. The other options listed are not recognized as major dams in India.