The Indravati rises at an elevation of 914 meters in the Kalahandi district of Odisha, on the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats. The hilltop village of Mardiguda, in Thuamula Rampur Block, marks the area where three small streams converge to form the river's headwaters. From here it flows westward through the districts of Kalahandi, Nabarangapur, and Koraput for 164 kilometers before crossing into Chhattisgarh. The river's total drainage area covers roughly 41,665 square kilometers, with about 7,435 square kilometers falling within Odisha. During monsoon floods, the Indravati overflows into the Sabari River through the Jaura Nallah, a natural connection that links two of the Godavari's major tributaries.

About 40 kilometers west of Jagdalpur, the Indravati plunges 29 meters over a horseshoe-shaped cliff face that stretches roughly 300 meters wide during the monsoon. This is Chitrakoot Falls, often called the Niagara of India. During the rains, the water takes on a reddish hue from the laterite soils upstream, and the roar of the cascade can be heard from a considerable distance. In summer, however, the spectacle diminishes sharply. Check dams upstream and the diversion of water through the Jaura Nallah near the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border have reduced the dry-season flow to a trickle. Environmental activists have pushed to restore the falls, but for now its full power belongs to the monsoon months alone.

Locals call the Indravati the oxygen of Bastar, and the metaphor is apt. Most of the river's course runs through the dense forests of the Bastar division, one of the greenest and most ecologically rich regions in all of India. The Indravati National Park and its associated tiger reserves occupy the forested corridor along the river in Chhattisgarh, sheltering wildlife that depends on the waterway for survival. The river's importance extends beyond ecology. It is the agricultural backbone for tribal communities along its banks, who have farmed its floodplains for generations. The Upper Indravati Hydro Power Project, built near Mukhiguda in Kalahandi, diverts water into the Mahanadi valley and generates 600 megawatts of electricity, making it one of the largest dams in eastern India.

Five hydroelectric projects were planned at various points along the Indravati: Kutru I, Kutru II, Nugur I, Nugur II, and Bhopalpatnam. None of them were built. Ecological concerns raised in various forums stalled every proposal, a rare instance in Indian development history where environmental objections carried the day against energy infrastructure. The Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal added another layer of complexity, requiring Odisha to ensure 45,000 million cubic feet of water at the state border with Chhattisgarh. Managing the Indravati's flow has become a balancing act between the water needs of multiple states, the ecological requirements of the forests and falls downstream, and the livelihoods of the tribal communities who depend on the river year-round.

After flowing 233 kilometers through Chhattisgarh, the Indravati turns south and traces the border between Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra for about 129 kilometers. It finally joins the Godavari near the village of Bhadrakali in Bijapur district, at the tri-state junction where Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Telangana converge. Fed by tributaries like the Bhaskel, Parlkota, Kotri, and Nandiraj, the Indravati delivers a substantial volume of water to the Godavari system. From the air, the confluence is unmistakable: the Indravati's forest-dark waters meet the broader, silt-laden Godavari, and the two rivers merge into a single current flowing east toward the Bay of Bengal.