The Sura (,, Săr) is a river in Russia, a north-flowing right tributary of the Volga. Its mouth on the Volga is about halfway between Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. It flows through Penza Oblast, Mordovia, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Chuvashia and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. It is 841 km long, and has a drainage basin of 67500 km2. It is navigable for 394 km from the mouth. The city of Penza, and smaller towns Alatyr, Shumerlya, Yadrin lie along the Sura. At the confluence with the Volga lies the settlement of Vasilsursk. The principal tributaries of the Sura are the Penza, the Pyana, and the Alatyr.

Names

Sura is an epithet of the gods in Sanskrit, as well as a divine drink. In addition, Sura is the Hindu goddess of wine. The exact translation from Sanskrit is "God". "Su" - "having power", "Ra" - "The Supreme Lord". "Suras" - "having power from the Supreme Lord" Sura - so named two rivers, in the area of Simbirsk and in the basin of the Northern Dvina and two cities in the Arkhangelsk and Penza regions have such names.