[citation needed] The river originates in the Nandi Hills in the Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

It has a catchment area of 1,424 square miles (3,690 km2) located in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.

[2] A substantial part of Bangalore's sewage enters this river via Bellandur and Varthur Lakes and other channels.

Mentions of the river are found in Sangam and medieval (Tevaram - Bhakti cult era) literature, where it is depicted as rich with lush vegetation on its banks.

As the water flow will be only in monsoon seasons, the river is dry in remaining parts of the year.