LUNI

river in Rajasthan state, western India. Rising on the western slopes of the Aravalli Range near Ajmer town, where it is known as the Sagarmati, the river flows generally southwestward through the hills and across the plains of the region. It then enters a patch of desert before it finally dissipates into the wastes of the northeastern part of the marsh called the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat state. A seasonal river, it receives much of the drainage of the southwest slopes of the Aravalli Range; the Jowai, Sukri, and Jojari rivers are its main tributaries. The Luni derived its name from the Sanskrit Lavanavari (Salt River) and is so called because of its excessive salinity. With a course of some 330 miles (530 km), the Luni is the only major river of the area, and it serves as an essential source of irrigation waters.