The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be 81,155 km2 (31,334 sq mi) and encompasses the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and the union territory of Puducherry.

The major tributaries include Amaravati, Arkavati, Bhavani, Hemavati, Kabini, Lakshmana Tirtha, and Noyyal.

There are a number of dams on the river which form part of an extensive irrigation system and are used for the generation of hydroelectric power.

Kaveri is mentioned in Sanskrit as a holy river in various Hindu religious texts including the Mahabharata and the Puranas.

As per Skanda Purana, the river arose after Ganesha took a form of a crow and toppled sage Agastya's kamandala.

In ancient Tamil literature, the river was called Ponni meaning "the golden one" in reference to the fine silt it deposits.

[13] It is also mentioned as Ardha gaṅgā meaning Half Ganga in Mahabharata and other literature, due to its purported mythology of having arisen from the Ganges.

[15] After the falls, the river flows southwards towards Mettur Dam and joins its main right bank tributary Bhavani at Kooduthurai.

[1] The largest tributary Hemavati, and Lakshmana Tirtha join the river at Krishna Raja Sagara.

[1][16] Source:[3][4] The Kaveri basin was formed in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous period during Gondwana breakup and opening of the Indian Ocean.

[20] There are many protected areas spread across the river basin including significant tiger and elephant habitats.

[21] The river also hosts a variety of avifauna including the painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala), spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis), and black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus).

It is also home to the mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), and hump-backed mahseer (Tor remadevii).

[20] An estimate at the time of the first Five Year Plan put the total flow of the river at 15 cubic kilometres (12,000,000 acre⋅ft), of which 60% was used for irrigation.

[2][27] The dispute over the sharing of Kaveri waters began in 1807 when the Madras Presidency objected to the plans of the Mysore kingdom to develop irrigation projects.

In an order passed in June 1991, the CWDT directed Karnataka to release 205 tmc ft of water per year to Tamil Nadu based on a specific schedule.

In November 1991, the Supreme Court opined that the order needs to be published by the central government in the Official Gazette, which was done on 1 December 1991.

[6] In another legend, Lopamudra becomes Agastya's wife and takes on a form of water during a severe drought in South India.

[36] Another story narrates that during the Samudra Manthana, or churning of the Ocean of Milk, Mohini and Lopamudra retrieved the nectar of immortality for the gods.

[35] As per the Tamil literature Manimekalai, Agastya drank the Ganges River in anger, when the floods destroyed his tapas and later released it in South India.

It is part of the twenty canal-systems associated with the reservoir Parakkamasamudda that existed in the Polonnaruwa region during the reign of king Parakramabahu I.