Kama, river, c.1,260 mi (2,030 km) long, E European Russia, the chief left tributary of the Volga. It rises in the foothills of the central Urals and flows N, then E, and then SW past Perm, Sarapul, and Chistopol to join the Volga below Kazan. The Vyatka is its principal tributary. The Kama is an important transportation artery. There is a large hydroelectric station at Perm.

In Indian mythology, the god of love. In the Vedic age he personified cosmic desire or the creative impulse, and he was called the first-born of primeval chaos. He was later often depicted as a handsome youth attended by heavenly nymphs, who shot love-producing flower arrows from a sugarcane bow. He was once killed by Shiva, who was enraged when Kama disturbed his meditation on a mountaintop, but the great god later relented and brought Kama back to life.

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