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IMPORTANT LAKES IN INDIA

29th July, 2021 Prelims

 

Name

State

Type

Details

Pulicat Lake

Andhra Pradesh

Brackish Water

It encompasses Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary;
Satish Dhawan Space Centre located here

Kolleru Lake

Andhra Pradesh

Freshwater

Home to migratory birds

Nagarjuna Sagar

Andhra Pradesh

Freshwater

Artificially constructed;
Krishna river

Haflong Lake

Assam

Freshwater

High altitude lake

DeeporBeel

Assam

Freshwater

Under Ramsar Convention

Son Beel

Assam

Freshwater (Tectonically formed)

Largest wetland in Assam

Chandubi lake

Assam

Freshwater

Migratory Birds (winter);
formed by 1897 earthquake

Kanwar Lake

Bihar

Oxbow (freshwater)

Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake;

Hamirsar lake

Gujarat

Artificial

Situated in centre of Bhuj

Kankaria lake

Gujarat

Artificial

During 14th century by Muhammed Shah II

Narayan Sarovar

Gujarat

Artificial freshwater

Pilgrimage site for Hindus

Thol Lake

Gujarat

Lentic lake

Constructed for irrigation purpose

Vastrapur

Gujarat

Freshwater

Narmada River;
Picnic spot

Badkal Lake

Haryana

Freshwater

Man made

Blue Bird Lake

Haryana

Freshwater

Migratory Birds, Wetland Habitat

Brahma Sarovar

Haryana

Freshwater

Ancient water pool sacred to Hinduism

Damdama Lake

Haryana

Freshwater

Constructed by British government for Rainwater Harvesting

Karna

Haryana

Freshwater

Connected to great epic Mahabharata

Tilyar

Haryana

Freshwater

Located inside Tilyar Zoo

Chandra Taal

Himachal Pradesh

Fresh water

Ramsar wetland site

Suraj Taal

Himachal Pradesh

Freshwater

Bhaga River inflow

MaharanaPratapSagar

Himachal Pradesh

Freshwater

Ramsar site

Prashar lake

Himachal Pradesh

Holomitic

It has a floating Island

Renuka lake

Himachal Pradesh

Freshwater

It is designated as the Ramsar site

Dal lake

J &K

Warm monomitic

Remnants of  past glacial period

Pangong Tso

Ladakh

Endorheic Lake (saline water)

Indo-China Border

Wular lake

J &K

Tectonic lake (fresh water)

Largest freshwater lake in India

TsoMoriri

Ladakh

Saltwater

High altitude lake

Agata lake

Karnataka

Freshwater

Located in southwest part of the city

Bellandur Lake

Karnataka

Freshwater

 –

Karachi lake

Karnataka

 –

Butterfly park

Ulsoor lake

Karnataka

Stale water

It has several islands

Kukarahalli lake

Karnataka

Freshwater

Recreational

Honnamana

Karnataka

Freshwater

Holy lake, place for various festivals

Pampa Sarovar

Karnataka

Freshwater

Tungabhadra river

Ashtamudi Kayal

Kerala

Brackish water

Ramsar wetland site

Kuttanad

Kerala

 

Backwater paddy cultivation

Vembanad

Kerala

Brackish water

Ramsar wetland; boat race

Shashtamkotta

Kerala

Freshwater

Ramsar wetland

Bhojtal

Madhya. Pradesh

Freshwater

Ramsar site; largest artificial lake in India

Salim Ali

Maharashtra

Freshwater

Birdwatching

Shivsagar

Maharashtra

Freshwater

Koyna dam

Lonar lake

Maharashtra

Crater lake

National Geo-Heritage monument

Loktak lake

Manipur

Lenticular freshwater

Ramsar wetland; Phumdis (Floating Islands); Multipurpose project

Umiam

Meghalaya

Freshwater

Famous for cycling and boating

Tam Dil

Mizoram

Freshwater

 –

Chilika lake

Orissa

Brackish water

India’s largest brackish water lake; lagoon

Kanjia lake

Orissa

Freshwater

Wetland of national importance

Harike

Punjab

Freshwater

Ramsar wetland site

Rupar

Punjab

Freshwater

Manmade riverine lake

Kanjli

Punjab

Freshwater

Ramsar wetland site

Sambhar lake

Rajasthan

Saltwater

Ramsar wetland; largest inland saltwater lake in India

Rajsamand

Rajasthan

Freshwater

 –

Tsomgo lake

Sikkim

Freshwater

Winter frozen

Khecheoplari

Sikkim

Freshwater

Sacred lake for Hindus and Buddhists

Ooty lake

Tamilnadu

Freshwater

Boat House

Chembarambakkam

Tamilnadu

Artificial lake

 –

Kodaikanal Lake

Tamilnadu

Artificial lake

Boat club, boathouse, and boat service

Hussain Sagar

Telangana

Artificial lake

Artificial Gibraltar rock island

Badrakali lake

Telegana

Freshwater

Artificial lake

Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar

Uttar Pradesh

Man-made lake

Rihand dam

Belasagar

Uttar Pradesh

Freshwater

Irrigation lake

Bhimtal

Uttarakhand

Freshwater

Medium altitude lake

East Calcutta wetlands

West Bengal

Brackish water

Ramsar wetland

Details of some lakes

  1. Kolleru Lake – Andhra Pradesh
  • One of the Largest fresh water lake in India.
  • Located between Krishna and Godavari delta.
  • Atapaka Bird Sanctuary is a located on the Kolleru Lake.
  1. Sambhar Lake – Rajasthan
  • India’s largest inland salt lake.
  • It is a bowl shape lake encircles historical Sambhar Lake Town located 96 km south west of the city of Jaipur (Northwest India) and 64 km north east of Ajmer along National Highway 8 in Rajasthan.
  • Mahabharata mentions the Sambhar lake as part of the kingdom of the demon king Brishparva.
  1. Pushkar Lake – Rajasthan
  • Located in the town of Pushkar in Ajmer district of the Rajasthan.
  • Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus. 

  1. Wular Lake – Jammu Kashmir
  • Largest Freshwater lake in India.
  • Wular lake can spread over nearly 200-sq-kms but its actual surface area tends to vary during the year.
  • The Jhelum River flows into the lake, 40-km downstream from Srinagar, and then out again.
  • Lake basin was formed as a result of tectonic activity and is fed by the Jhelum River.
  1. Pulicat Lake- Andhra Pradesh
  • Second largest brackish – water lake or lagoon in India.
  • The large spindle-shaped barrier island named Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal.
  • The island is home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre,the launch site of India’s successful first lunar space mission, the Chandrayaan-1.
  1. Loktak Lake -Manipur
  • Largest freshwater lake in North -East India.
  • Keibul Lamjao the only floating national park in the world floats over it,which is the last natural refuge of the endangered sangai or Manipur brow-antlered deer. 
  1. Sasthamcotta Lake – Kerala
  • Largest fresh water lake in kerala.
  • The purity of the lake water for drinking use is attributed to the presence of large population of larva called cavaborus that consumes bacteria in the lake water. 

  1. Vembanad Lake -Kerala
  • Vembanad (Vembanad Kayal or Vembanad Kol) is the longest lake in India, and the largest lake in the state of Kerala.
  • It is known as Punnamada Lake in Kuttanad and Kochi Lake in Kochi.
  • The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is conducted in a portion of the lake.
  1. Chilka Lake -Odisha
  • Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km2.
  • It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world.
  • Chilika Lake is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds, on the Indian sub-continent.
  1. Dal Lake – Jammu Kashmir
  • Dal Lake is a lake in Srinagar and is integral to tourism known as the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel”.
  • Asia’s largest Tulip garden is on the banks of Dal Lake.
  • Mughal gardens, Shalimar Bagh and the Nishat Bagh are on the banks of Dal Lake. 
  1. Nalsarover Lake- Gujarat
  • The Nalsarovar Lake in Gujarat is probably the largest water bird sanctuary in the country.
  • The Nalsarovar Lake is mainly inhabited by migratory birds in winter and spring, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat, and one of the largest in India.
  • It was declared a bird sanctuary in April 1969.

  1. Tsomgo Lake – Sikkim
  • Tsongmo Lake or Changu Lake, is a glacial lake in the East Sikkim.
  • The lake is the venue for the Guru Purnima festival in which Jhakris of Sikkim assemble at the lake area to derive benefits from the healing qualities of the lake waters.
  1. Bhimtal Lake – Uttarakhand
  • Bhimtal Lake is a lake in the town of Bhimtal, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, with a masonry dam built in 1883 creating the storage facility
  •  It is the largest lake in Kumaon region, known as the “lake district of India”.
  •  “C” shaped lake.
  1. Barapani Lake- Meghalaya
  • Barapani or Umiam Lake is in Shillong .
  • The origin of Lake in 1965 is due to the Umiam Umtru Hydro Electric Power Project ,the first Hydel power project in the North-east region of India. 
  1. Nainital Lake – Uttarakhand
  • Nainital Lake, a natural freshwater body, situated amidst the township of Nainital in Uttarakhand State of India
  • Kidney shaped or crescent shaped.

  1. Periyar Lake -Kerala
  • Periyar Lake is formed by the construction of the dam across the Mullaperiyar River in 1895.
  • The notable elephant reserve and a tiger reserve, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the banks of Periyar lake.
  1. Hussain Sagar Lake – Telengana
  • The lake is in Hyderabad, built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562, during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah.
  • Connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
  • A major attraction at the Hussain Sagar is the 16 meter high, 350 tonne monolithic Buddha statue on the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ installed at the center of the lake. 
  1. Salim Ali Lake – Maharashtra
  • It has been renamed after the great ornithologist, naturalist Salim Ali and also known as birdman of India.
  • Salim Ali Sarovar (lake) popularly known as Salim Ali Talab is located near Delhi Gate, opposite Himayat Bagh, Aurangabad. 
  1. Kanwar Lake- Bihar
  • Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary comprising water ponds, marshes and forests is a home for different species of wild animals, birds, plants etc.
  • The Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake is Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake.

  1. Nakki Lake – Rajasthan
  • It is a very ancient sacred Lake, according to the Hindu legend. It is called by this name because it was dug out from Nails (Nakh).
  • ‘Nakki Lake is situated in the Indian hill station of Mount Abu in Aravalli range.
  • Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in this Holy Lake on 12 February 1948 and Gandhi Ghat was constructed.
  1. Bhojtal Lake- Madhya Pradesh
  • Also known as Upper Lake lies on the western side of the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal.
  • It is a major source of drinking water for the residents of the city, serving around 40% of the residents with nearly 30 million imperial gallons (140,000 m3) of water per day.
  • Bada talaab, along with the nearby Chhota Talaab, meaning small lake in Hindi, constitute Bhoj Wetland, which is now a Ramsar site.
  • Largest artificial lake in Asia.

Key Facts

Fact

Name of the Lake

Deepest lake in the world

Baikal (fresh water) in Russia

Largest fresh water lake

Lake Superior, between Canada and the USA

Largest lake in the world

Caspian Sea, bounded by Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan

Saltiest lake in the world

Dead Sea bounded by Israel, Jordan and West Bank

Lowest lake in the world

Dead Sea between Israel and Jordan

Largest lake in India

Sambhar lake in Rajasthan

Largest fresh-water lake in India

Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh

Largest coastal lagoon in India

Chilka lake in Orissa

Sriharikota island is located in

Pulicat lake in Andhra Pradesh

Country known as land of thousand lakes

Finland