Important Lakes in India: Largest Lake in India | UPSC Notes
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: September 20th, 2023
Lakes in India are found in several landscapes like plateaus, hilly areas, rift zones, plains, etc. India has fresh water to natural lakes in almost all the states and union territories. Most of the lakes in India have mythological importance and are a center for tourism for their beauty. Even Asia’s largest freshwater lake, Wular lake, is a part of Indian geography. The types of lakes in India include freshwater, saltwater, Oxbow, Natural, Crater, and Artificial lakes.
Vembanad is the largest lake in India located in Kerala and spread over an area of 230 square kilometres. It is highly important for the UPSC Exam concerning the geography syllabus. Below you will learn about the list of important lakes of India, and facts about Indian lakes emphasizing the largest lakes in India and their importance.
Table of content
Lakes in India
Lakes in India can be defined as water bodies surrounded by land which is used by humans to fulfil their everyday needs of water to cook food, raise cattle, wash clothes, etc. These are found in landscapes like Hilly areas, plateaus, plains, rift zones, etc. There are many lakes, of which 62 are important lakes in India, i.e., lakes in almost all the states and Union territories.
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Type of Lakes in India
India is a land with many water bodies, including lakes, rivers, and other water bodies. Lakes are significant sources that add to the land’s natural beauty. The lakes are formed from the water that comes from rain, streams, snow, melting ice, and groundwater seepage. Based on the source of water, the types of lakes in India are as follows:
- Freshwater Lakes – They are unsalted water that is usually found in low-lying areas. These are fed from rivers, streams, and runoff from the surrounding area. The largest freshwater lake in India is Wular Lake. Also, check which is the largest freshwater lake in the world here.
- Saltwater Lakes – As the name suggests, the saltwater lake contains a concentration of salts and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (at least 3 grams per litre of water).
- Artificial Lakes – It is a man-made lake that is used to store water for public use.
- Oxbow Lakes – It is formed when a wide meander of a river is cut off. A lake is then formed when the river finds a different shorter course.
- Crater Lakes – It is created from the collapse or explosive activity of volcanic eruptions.
List of Important Lakes in India [State-Wise]
By going through the list of important lakes in India, one can get to know the state-wise names and types of lakes of India. It is important to memorize these facts to score well in competitive exams such as UPSC. Here is a table of the important lakes in India with their location.
Lakes in India |
District |
State/UT |
Types of Lakes |
Pulicat Lake |
Sullurpet |
Andhra Pradesh |
Brackish Water |
Kolleru Lake |
Vijayawada |
Andhra Pradesh |
Freshwater |
Nagarjuna Sagar |
Nalgonda |
Andhra Pradesh |
Freshwater |
Haflong Lake |
Silchar |
Assam |
Freshwater |
DeeporBeel |
Kamrup |
Assam |
Freshwater (Tectonically formed) |
Son Beel |
Karimganj |
Assam |
Freshwater |
Chandubi lake |
Kamrup |
Assam |
Oxbox (Freshwater) |
Kanwar Lake |
Begusarai |
Bihar |
Oxbox (Freshwater) |
Hamirsar lake |
Kutch |
Gujarat |
Artificial |
Kankaria lake |
Ahmedabad |
Gujarat |
Artificial |
Narayan Sarovar |
Kutch |
Gujarat |
Artificial Freshwater |
Thol Lake |
Mehsana |
Gujarat |
Lentic lake |
Vastrapur |
Ahmedabad |
Gujarat |
Freshwater |
Badkal Lake |
Faridabad |
Haryana |
Freshwater |
Blue Bird Lake |
Hisar |
Haryana |
Freshwater |
Brahma Sarovar |
Thaneswar |
Haryana |
Freshwater |
Damdama Lake |
Sohna |
Haryana |
Freshwater |
Karna |
Karnal |
Haryana |
Freshwater |
Tilyar |
Rohtak |
Haryana |
Freshwater ((canal inflow) |
Chandra Taal |
Lahul and Spiti |
Himachal Pradesh |
Sweetwater lake |
Suraj Taal |
Lahul and Spiti |
Himachal Pradesh |
Freshwater (High Altitude) |
Maharana Pratap Sagar |
Kangra |
Himachal Pradesh |
Freshwater |
Prashar lake |
Mandi |
Himachal Pradesh |
Holomitic (Freshwater) |
Agara lake |
Bangalore |
Karnataka |
Freshwater |
Bellandur Lake |
Bangalore |
Karnataka |
Freshwater |
Karanji lake |
Mysore |
Karnataka |
– |
Ulsoor lake |
Bangalore |
Karnataka |
Stale water |
Kukarahalli lake |
Mysore |
Karnataka |
Freshwater |
Honnamana |
Kodagu |
Karnataka |
Freshwater |
Pampa Sarovar |
Hampi |
Karnataka |
Freshwater |
Ashtamudi Kayal |
Kollam |
Kerala |
Brackish water |
Kuttanad |
Alappuzha, Kottayam |
Kerala |
Brackish water |
Vembanad |
_ |
Kerala |
Brackish water |
Shashtamkotta |
Kollam |
Kerala |
Freshwater |
Bhojtal |
Bhopal |
Madhya Pradesh |
Freshwater |
Salim Ali |
Aurangabad |
Maharashtra |
Freshwater |
Shivsagar |
Satara |
Maharashtra |
Freshwater |
Lonar lake |
Buldhana |
Maharashtra |
Crater lake |
Loktak lake |
– |
Manipur |
Lenticular freshwater |
Umiam |
Shillong |
Meghalaya |
Freshwater |
Tam Dil |
Saitual |
Mizoram |
Freshwater |
Chilika lake |
Puri |
Orissa |
Brackish water |
Kanjia lake |
Bhubaneswar |
Orissa |
Freshwater |
Harike |
Ferozepur |
Punjab |
Freshwater |
Rupar |
Rupnagar |
Punjab |
Freshwater |
Kanjli |
Kapurthala |
Punjab |
Freshwater |
Sambhar lake |
Sambhar Lake-town |
Rajasthan |
Saltwater |
Rajsamand |
Rajsamand |
Rajasthan |
Freshwater |
Tsomgo lake |
East Sikkim |
Sikkim |
Freshwater |
Khecheoplari |
West Sikkim |
Sikkim |
Freshwater |
Ooty lake |
Nilgiris |
Tamil Nadu |
Freshwater |
Chembarambakkam |
Chennai |
Tamil Nadu |
Artificial lake |
Hussain Sagar |
Hyderabad |
Telangana |
Artificial lake |
Badrakali lake |
Warangal |
Telangana |
Freshwater |
Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar |
Sonbhadra |
Uttar Pradesh |
Man-made lake |
Belasagar |
Kulpahar |
Uttar Pradesh |
Freshwater |
Bhimtal |
Nainital |
Uttarakhand |
Freshwater |
East Calcutta wetlands |
Calcutta |
West Bengal |
Brackish water |
List of Important Lakes in Indian Union Territories
The given list provides you with a list of famous lakes in Indian Union Territories:
State |
Lakes in India |
District |
Type of Lakes |
Facts/Description |
Chandigarh |
Sukhna Lake |
Chandigarh |
Reservoir |
– |
Ladakh |
Tso Moriri or Lake Moriri |
Ladakh |
Brackish |
Known as ‘Mountain Lake’ |
Tso Kar |
Ladakh |
Fluctuating Salt Lake |
– |
|
Pangong Tso |
Leh |
– |
– |
|
Jammu & Kashmir |
Dal lake |
Srinagar |
Warm monomitic |
Remnants of the past glacial period |
Nageen Lake |
Srinagar |
Eutrophic Lake |
Seldomly considered to be a part of Dal Lake |
|
Pangong Tso |
Ladakh |
Endorheic Lake (saline water) |
Indo-China Border |
|
Wular lake |
Bandipora |
Tectonic lake (freshwater) |
The largest freshwater lake in India |
|
TsoMoriri |
Ladakh |
Saltwater |
High altitude lake |
|
West Bengal |
East Calcutta wetlands |
Calcutta |
Brackish water |
Ramsar wetland |
Puducherry |
Bahour Lake |
Puducherry |
– |
The second largest lake in Puducherry |
Ousteri Lake |
Puducherry |
Man-Made Lake (Important Wetlands in India) |
It is also called Ossudu Lake as it is located in the village named Ossudu. It is the largest lake of Puducherry. |
|
Velrampet Lake |
Puducherry |
– |
– |
|
Nallambal Lake |
Karaikal |
Artificial Lake |
Famous Lakes in India
A few of these important lakes of India are explained below:
- Kolleru Lake – It is located in one of the largest freshwater lakes located between Godavari and Krishna delta in Andhra Pradesh. It is home to many migratory birds, with Atapaka Bird Sanctuary at its belt.
- Sambhar Lake – It is the largest inland salt lake in India in Rajasthan. This lake has mythological meaning. As per Mahabharat, this lake was part of king Brishparva’s kingdom.
- Wular Lake – The Wular lake is situated in Jammu Kashmir, covering an area of 10km in breadth and 24km in length. It is the largest freshwater lake in India and stands second on the list of Asia’s largest freshwater lakes.
- Pulicat Lake – It is situated in Andhra Pradesh. Along with the lake, Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, with birds like kingfishers, flamingos, sight storks, etc., is a source of tourism.
- Pushkar Lake – It is another Hindu sacred lake in Rajasthan. It is described as the Tritha-Guru in Hindu scripts.
- Sasthamcotta Lake – It is Kerala’s largest freshwater lake that is surrounded by hills on three sides. Along with the lake, the ancient Sastha temple is the center of attraction for tourists.
- Vembanad Lake – The Aranmula temple, the Vaikom, and Thyckkal beaches along the side of the Vembanad of Kerala have importance in terms of tourism. The park along it accounts for attracting people to the beauty.
Largest Lake in India
The largest lake in India is the Vembanad Lake. It is the largest lake in India, situated in the district of Kerela, with an area of 2033 sq. km. The top 10 largest lakes in India, along with the states, are as follows:
List of Biggest Lakes in India |
State/UT |
Area covered (Increasing order) |
Wular lake |
Jammu and Kashmir |
260 sq km |
Loktak Lake |
Manipur |
285 sq km |
Nagarjuna Sagar Lake |
Telangana |
287 sq km |
Sardar Sarovar Lake |
Gujarat |
375 sq km |
Pulicat Lake |
Andhra Pradesh |
450 sq. km |
Pangong Lake |
Ladakh |
627 sq. km |
Indira Sagar lake |
Madhya Pradesh |
700 sq. km |
Shivaji Sagar Lake |
Maharashtra |
891.7 sq km |
Chilika Lake |
Odisha |
1165 sq km |
Vembanad Lake |
Kerala |
2033 sq km |
Uses of Lakes in India
India has about 4% of the global freshwater, but unfortunately, the country is facing the worst water crisis ever. In such a scenario, the lakes hold a great deal of importance to India. Here are some of the importance that the lakes in India provide to us:
- Drinking water
- Irrigation
- Navigation
- Water storage
- Livelihood (fishing, etc.)
- Home to aquatic animals
- Impact on microclimate, etc.
☛ Know More: State Some Economic Benefits of Rivers and Lakes
Lakes in India UPSC Facts
Lakes in India UPSC is an important segment of the IAS Exam. Here are some of the commonly asked questions about Lakes in India. Read the essential facts about the famous lakes in India.
Criteria | Name of the Lake | State/UT |
Largest freshwater lake in India | Wular Lake | Jammu and Kashmir |
Largest Artificial Lake in India | Govind Vallabh Pant Sagar | Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh |
Highest lake in India (Altitude) | Cholamu lake | Sikkim |
Largest Saline water lake in India | Chilka Lake | Odisha |
Longest Lake in India | Vembanad lake | Kerala |
Lakes in India UPSC Questions
A few questions have been asked in the UPSC Prelims and Mains exam from Lakes of India UPSC topic. Some of the questions asked are as follows-
Question – Which of the following is valid about lakes in India?
- Most of the lakes in the world are freshwater lakes.
- In regions of low precipitation and intense evaporation, lakes are saline.
Select the correct answer from the following codes
- Only 1
- Only 2
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer – C
Question – Consider the following statement with respect to Wular Lake.
- It is located in Kashmir
- It was created by Tectonic activity
- It is fed by the river Jhelum
Select the correct option:
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer – D
Question – What are the famous lakes in India, and how are they important? Explain any five of them. [UPSC Mains]