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Lakes in India
Important Lakes in India are covered in school-level static GK or competitive exams such as SSC and UPSC. As a result, reading Lakes of India is a vital aspect of improving your exam score. A lake is not the same as an ocean, nor is it the same as a sea. Although some lakes are massive, they do not flow in the same manner that rivers do. Lakes are a key source of natural beauty in India, with many lakes in practically every state.
What is Lake?
A lake is a huge body of water that is larger and deeper than a pond. It is a large body of water that is surrounded by land. The bulk of the world’s lakes are freshwater. Several artificial lakes and reservoirs have been constructed to generate energy, for recreation, or to use the water for agriculture, industry, or in houses. Where the water evaporates quickly and the soil around the lake has a high salt content, such as in very arid areas, the lake’s water has a high salt concentration and the lake is referred to as a salt lake. This page has given a different list of lakes in India.
Lakes of India List – Top 10 Popular
lakes of India list is given below, Check the Famous lakes of India with their corresponding states.
Lakes of India | Lakes of India State/UT |
Vembanad Lake | Kerala |
Chilika Lake | Odisha |
Shivaji Sagar Lake | Maharashtra |
Indira Sagar lake | Madhya Pradesh |
Pangong Lake | Ladakh |
Pulicat Lake | Andhra Pradesh |
Sardar Sarovar Lake | Gujarat |
Nagarjuna Sagar Lake | Telangana |
Loktak Lake | Manipur |
Wular lake | Jammu and Kashmir |
Classification of Lakes
India is well-known for its abundant natural resources. There are several resources, but water bodies have a tremendous impact on our country’s beautiful attractiveness. Lakes are classified into several types, which are mentioned below.
- Freshwater Lakes
- Saltwater Lakes
- Natural Lakes
- Oxbow Lakes
- Artificial Lakes
- Crater Lakes
Important Lakes in India
The list of important lakes in India for important exams is given below:
List of Important Lakes in India | |
Indian Lakes | State/UT |
Pulicat lake | Andhra Pradesh |
Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh |
Haflong Lake | Assam |
Deepor Beel | Assam |
Chandubi Lake | Assam |
Kanwar lake | Bihar |
Hamirsar Lake | Gujarat |
Kankaria Lake | Gujarat |
Badkhal Lake | Haryana |
Brahma Sarovar | Haryana |
Chandra Taal | Himachal Pradesh |
MaharanaPratap Sagar | Himachal Pradesh |
Dal Lake | Jammu Kashmir |
Wular Lake | Jammu Kashmir |
Agara Lake | Karnataka |
Ulsoor Lake | Karnataka |
Kuttanad Lake | Kerala |
Sasthamkotta | Kerala |
Bhojtal | Madhya Pradesh |
Shivsagar | Maharashtra |
Loktak lake | Manipur |
Umiam Lake | Meghalaya |
Tam Dil | Mizoram |
Chilika Lake | Odisha |
Harike | Punjab |
Kanjli | Punjab |
Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan |
Tsomgo Lake | Sikkim |
Chembarambakkam | Tamil Nadu |
Hussain Sagar | Telangana |
Govind Bhallabh Pant Sagar | Uttar Pradesh |
Belasagar | Uttar Pradesh |
Bhimtal | Uttarakhand |
Kaliveli | Tamil Nadu |
How Many Lakes in India
India is home to numerous lakes, both natural and artificial. It is challenging to provide an exact number of lakes in India because there are thousands of them, and new ones can form or be discovered over time. However, some estimates suggest there are more than 100,000 lakes in India. Some of the major and well-known Indian Lakes include the Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, Chilika Lake in Odisha, Vembanad in Kerala, and many others. Each state and region in India has its own set of lakes, making it a diverse and beautiful landscape for water bodies.
Lakes in India Statewise All Famous Lakes
Here’s a list of some of the Important lakes in India:
- Andhra Pradesh’s Kolleru Lake
One of India’s largest freshwater lakes.
Between the Krishna and the Godavari deltas.
The Kolleru Lake is home to the Atapaka Bird Sanctuary. - Rajasthan’s Sambhar Lake
The largest inland salt lake in India.
It is a bowl-shaped lake that encircles historical Sambhar Lake Town, which is located on National Highway 8 in Rajasthan, 96 kilometres south of Jaipur (Northwest India) and 64 kilometres north of Ajmer.
The demon king Brishparva’s dominion includes the Sambhar lake, according to the Mahabharata. - Rajasthan’s Pushkar Lake
Located in the Rajasthani town of Pushkar, in the Ajmer district.
The Hindus consider Pushkar Lake to be a sacred lake. - Jammu Kashmir’s Wular Lake
India’s largest freshwater lake.
Wular Lake has a surface size of almost 200 square kilometres, however, it varies during the year.
The Jhelum River pours into the lake and then out again, 40 kilometres downstream of Srinagar. - Andhra Pradesh’s Pulicat Lake
In India, it is the country’s second-largest brackish-water lake or lagoon.
Sriharikota, a massive spindle-shaped barrier island, separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal.
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre, which launched India’s successful maiden lunar space mission, Chandrayaan-1, is located on the island. - Manipur’s Loktak Lake
North-East India’s largest freshwater lake.
It is the final natural refuge of the endangered sangai or Manipur brow-antlered deer. Keibul Lamjao, the world’s only floating national park, floats above it. - Kerala’s Sasthamcotta Lake
Kerala’s largest freshwater lake.
The existence of a large population of larva called cavaborus, which consumes germs in the lake water, is credited with the lake’s purity for drinking purposes. - Kerala’s Vembanad Lake
Vembanad (Vembanad Kayal or Vembanad Kol) is India’s longest and largest lake, as well as the largest in Kerala.
Punnamada Lake in Kuttanad and Kochi Lake in Kochi are the two names for the lake.
A part of the lake is used for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. - Odisha’s Chilka Lake
Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon that covers approximately 1,100 km2 in the Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on India’s east coast, at the mouth of the Daya River.
It is India’s largest coastal lagoon and the world’s second-largest lagoon.
Chilika Lake is the greatest migratory bird wintering area on the Indian subcontinent. - Jammu Kashmir’s Dal Lake
Dal Lake is a lake in Srinagar that is renowned as the “Jewel in the Crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel” due to its importance in tourism.
On the banks of Dal Lake stands Asia’s largest Tulip Garden.
On the banks of Dal Lake are Mughal gardens, Shalimar Bagh, and Nishat Bagh. - Gujarat’s Nalsarover Lake
Gujarat’s Nalsarovar Lake is likely the country’s largest water bird sanctuary.
The Nalsarovar Lake is mostly populated by migrating birds in the winter and spring, and it is Gujarat’s and India’s largest wetland bird sanctuary.
In April 1969, it was designated as a bird sanctuary. - Sikkim’s Tsomgo Lake
Changu Lake, also known as Tsongmo Lake, is a glacier lake in East Sikkim.
The Guru Purnima festival is held at the lake, and Jhakris from all over Sikkim gather there to benefit from the curative properties of the lake waters. - Uttarakhand’s Bhimtal Lake
Bhimtal Lake is a lake in the town of Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, India, with a masonry dam built in 1883 that serves as a storage facility.
It is the largest lake in the Kumaon region, also known as India’s “lake district.”
Lake in the shape of a “C.” - Meghalaya’s Barapani or Umiam Lake in located in Shillong.
The Umiam Umtru Hydroelectric Power Project is responsible for the formation of Lake in 1965. - Uttarakhand’s Nainital Lake
Nainital Lake is a natural freshwater body located in the town of Nainital in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
In the shape of a kidney or in the shape of a crescent. - Kerala’s Periyar Lake
Periyar Lake was created in 1895 when a dam was built across the Mullaperiyar River.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, a well-known elephant and tiger reserve, is located on the banks of Periyar Lake. - Telangana’s Hussain Sagar Lake
The lake is located in Hyderabad and was constructed in 1562 by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali during the reign of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah.
The Hyderabad-Secunderabad Expressway connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
The 16-meter-high, 350-tonne monolithic Buddha statue atop the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’ placed in the centre of the lake is a significant attraction at Hussain Sagar. - Maharashtra’s Salim Ali Lake
It was dedicated to honor Salim Ali, a notable ornithologist and naturalist who was also known as the “Birdman of India.”
Salim Ali Sarovar (lake), also known as Salim Ali Talab, is located near Delhi Gate, Aurangabad, across from Himayat Bagh. - Bihar’s Kanwar Lake
Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary, which includes water ponds, marshes, and woodlands, is home to a variety of natural animals, birds, and plants.
Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake is the Kanwar Taal or Kabar Taal Lake. - Rajasthan’s Nakki Lake
A very old sacred lake, ‘Nakki Lake is in the Indian hill station of Mount Abu, which is part of the Aravalli range. - Madhya Pradesh’s Bhojtal Lake
Upper Lake is located on the western edge of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh’s capital city.
It is a key supply of drinking water for the city’s citizens, providing about 30 million imperial gallons of water each day to around 40% of the population.
Bhoj Wetland, which is now a Ramsar site, is made up of Bada Talab and neighbouring Chhota Talab, which means tiny lake in Hindi.
Fresh Water Lakes in India
list of some significant freshwater lakes in India:
- Wular Lake: Located in Jammu and Kashmir, it is one of the largest freshwater lakes in India.
- Dal Lake: Also in Jammu and Kashmir, Dal Lake is known for its picturesque beauty and houseboats.
- Chilika Lake: Located in Odisha, it is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world.
- Vembanad Lake: Situated in Kerala, it is the longest lake in India and the largest lake in the state.
- Loktak Lake: Located in Manipur, Loktak is famous for its phumdis (floating islands) and the Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating national park in the world.
- Sambhar Lake: The largest inland saltwater lake in India, located in Rajasthan.
- Pulicat Lake: Situated in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, it is the second largest brackish water lake in India.
- Linganamakki Reservoir: A man-made lake formed by the Linganamakki Dam in Karnataka.
- Hemavati Reservoir: Another man-made lake formed by the Hemavati Dam in Karnataka.
- Pookode Lake: Located in Kerala’s Wayanad district, this natural freshwater lake is surrounded by lush greenery.
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