List of Important Lakes in India

Lakes are a beautiful gift of nature. There are so many lakes in India. Almost every state of India has a lake but More lakes are found in the northern mountainous regions than in the plains of India. 

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This article will give you information about lakes in India. In this article, you will read what is a lake, state wise list of lakes in India, Types of Lakes in India, Artificial lakes in India,  Lakes of India included in the list of Ramsar sites, and some other important facts about lakes in India. 

Let us first know what is a lake.

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What is a lake?

"Lakes are usually a large body of water that is surrounded by land. Lakes are large bodies of slowly moving or standing water."

The lakes form, develop, gradually fill with sediment and turn into swamps and when they rise up they become equal to the nearby land.

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List of Important Lakes in India 

The state-wise list of important lakes in India is as follows -

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Types of Lakes

There are mainly two types of lakes - Natural lakes and Man-made lakes.

1. Natural lakes

Natural lakes are lakes created by nature. Types of natural lakes -

• Glacier lake
• Tectonic lake 
• Volcanic lake
• Lagoon lake
• Aeolian lake 

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1.1 Glacial lakes

When glaciers reach their final stage of melting, the glacial or moraine found in them acts as a barrier, causing the meltwater to collect in the rough terrain and form the lake. These types of lakes are found in the mountainous part of the north. 

Uttarakhand's Naini Lake, Raksatal, is an example of a glacial lake. 

1.2 Tectonic lake

Sometimes internal ditch is formed due to movement inside the earth, in which internal lakes are formed when filled with water. 

The Caspian Sea (Russia) and Wular Lake located in Jammu and Kashmir are examples of this type of lake. 

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1.3 Volcanic lake

The volcanoes or craters of inactive volcanic mountains take the form of lakes when they are filled with water.

The Lonar Lake of Maharashtra is an example of this type of lake. 

1.4 Lagoon Lake

A lagoon is a shallow water area at the edge of a wide water body such as a sea or ocean, which is partially or completely separated from the sea by a barrier (sand, coral reef). It is also called Anoop Lake. 

Chilika Lake in Orissa, Kolaru Lake in Andhra Pradesh, Pulicat Lake in Tamil Nadu, Vembanad in Kerala, and Ashtamudi Lake are examples of lagoon lakes. 

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1.5 Aeolian lake

These types of lakes are formed as a result of the erosion of the wind. They are also called playa lakes. Rajasthan's Sambhar Lake, Panchbhadra Lake, and Lunkaransar Lake are examples of this type of lake. 

2. Man-made lakes/Artificial lakes

These types of lakes are created by humans, they are also called artificial lakes. Artificial lakes are created for -

• Irrigation,
• Power generation,
• Water supply,
• Natural beauty. 

Here are some Artificial Lakes in India.

2.1 Artificial Lake in Uttar Pradesh 

Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Lake

• This lake is created by holding the water of the Rihand River.
• This lake is located in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh.
• Rihand River is a tributary of the Son River. It is the largest artificial lake in India.  

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2.2 Artificial Lake in Madhya Pradesh 

Gandhisagar Lake

• This lake is formed due to the construction of the Gandhi Sagar Dam which is built on the Chambal River. 

2.3 Artificial Lake in Rajasthan 

Jawahar Sagar Lake, and Rana Pratap Sagar Lake

• These lakes are built on the Chambal River. 

Jaisamand Lake

• This lake is located in the southeast of the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan.
• This lake is the second-largest artificial lake in Asia.
• The name of the largest island of Jaisamand Lake is Baba Ka Bhakra and the name of the smallest is Payari.

Pachpadra Lake

• Pachpadra Lake is a saltwater lake in Rajasthan, which is located in the Pachpadra village of Balotra tehsil of the Barmer district of the state.
• Salt is produced from this lake. In this lake, the people of the Kharwal caste make salt crystals from the Morli bush.
• The settlements around this lake were built by a Bhil named Pancha after drying the swamp.
• The salt obtained from this lake is of high quality as it contains up to 98% sodium chloride. 

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2.4 Artificial Lake in Himachal Pradesh 

Govind Sagar Lake

• This lake is formed due to the construction of Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River.
• This lake is named after the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Govind Singh.
• This lake is located in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. 

2.5 Artificial Lake in Tamilnadu 

Stanley Reservoir

• This lake is formed due to the construction of the Mettur dam on the river Kaveri. 

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2.6 Artificial Lake in Kerala 

Periyar Lake

• Periyar Lake is formed due to the construction of a dam on the Periyar River. 

2.7 Artificial Lakes in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana 

Nagarjuna Sagar Lake

• Nagarjuna Sagar Lake is formed after the construction of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam on the Krishna River. 

Hussain Sagar Lake

• It is an artificial lake located in Hyderabad, Telangana state.
• It separates Hyderabad from its twin city Secunderabad.

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Lakes of India: Important Facts  

• Chilka Lake is the largest coastal lake in India located in Orissa, it is a saltwater lagoon lake. The naval training center is located here. It is also the second-largest lagoon lake (brackish water) in the world. Its area is more than 1,100 square km. 
• In 1981, Chilka Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• Pulicat Lake is the second-largest saltwater lake in India located in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. This lake is spread over an area of 759 sq. km.
• Sriharikota Island is located on Pulicat Lake, which separates it from the Bay of Bengal, and the Satish Dhawan Space Center established by the Indian Space Research Institute (ISRO) is located on this island. 
• Wular Lake is the largest freshwater lake in India located in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir state. Tulbul Project is located on Wular Lake. 
• The main source of water of Wular Lake is the Jhelum River. 
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• Wular Lake is formed as a result of tectonic action. It is also an example of Gokhur Lake because its shape is similar to that of a cow's hoof. 
• Loktak Lake is the largest (freshwater lake) lake in Northeast India. This lake is located in the Chundachandpur district of Manipur state. The area of this lake is 40 sq. km. 
• The world's only floating national park, Keibul Lamjao, is located on this lake.
• Cholamu or Tso Lhamo Lake is the highest lake in India. This lake is located in the state of Sikkim. This lake is located at an altitude of 6,200 meters (20,300 ft).
• Devtal Lake is the second-highest lake in India located in the state of Uttarakhand.
• Lonar Lake is a saltwater lake located in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra. It was formed by a meteorite impact.
• Vembanad Lake is the longest lake in India. It is a lagoon lake located in the state of Kerala. This lake is famous for the annual boat race (Nehru Trophy Boat Race) held during the Onam festival.
• There are two main islands on this lake - Willingdon Island and Vallarpadam Island. 
• Willingdon Island houses the port of Kochi, the Indian Navy's architecture, the Central Institute of Fisheries Industry, and other offices. National Highway 966B connects it to the mainland.
• Manasbal Lake is located north of Srinagar in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the deepest lake in India. 
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• Sambhar Lake is a saltwater lake located near the city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Salt is produced on a large scale from this lake.
• Sambhar Lake is the largest inland saltwater lake in India. 
• Pookode Lake is the smallest lake in India located in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India. It is a freshwater lake. 
• Kolleru Lake is located on the delta of the Krishna and Godavari river. It is a freshwater lake. 
• Kolleru Lake is located in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Many birds migrate here in winter, such as the Siberian Crane, Ibis, and Painted Stork.
• Ashtamudi Lake is a lake located in the Kollam state of Kerala. Its shape is eight-sided. 

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Lakes of India included in the list of Ramsar sites 

The total number of Ramsar sites in India is 49. The lakes included in the list of Ramsar sites in India are as follows - 

Lakes of India: Conclusion

In this article, we have provided you with the state-wise full list of important lakes in India. This article will be very important for you from the exam point of view.

Hope you liked the information given by us. you can share this article with your friends also. If you have any queries related to this article you can ask in the comment box given below.

List of Important Lakes in India: FAQs

Q.1 Which is the largest saltwater lake in India?

Ans. Chilka Lake (Orissa)

Q. 2 Which is the largest freshwater lake in India?

Ans. Wular Lake (Jammu and Kashmir)

Q.3 Which is the highest lake in India?

Ans. Cholamu or Tso Lhamo Lake (Sikkim)

Q. 4 Which is the second-highest lake in India?

Ans. Devtal Lake (Uttarakhand)

Q. 5 Which is the saltiest lake in India?

Ans. Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan)

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