Important Lakes in India: Lake is a surface water Body which is surrounded by Land. Lakes are found in various landscapes like Hilly areas, Plains, Plateaus, rift zones, etc. In this article, we will read the state wise list of Natural Lakes in India and these are Useful for UPSC, State PSC, SSC and all competitive exams. India is known for its diverse natural resources. There are many resources out of which water bodies have a significant hold on the scenic beauty of our country. Lakes are one of the major sources of natural beauty in India and there are many lakes in almost every state.
Natural Lakes in India (State Wise)
A) There are various types of lakes which can be classified based on different criteria- They are Fresh Water Lakes, Salt Water Lakes, Natural Lakes, Artificial LAKES, Oxbow Lake, Crater Lake etc.
Note –
- Crater Lake – Formed due to volcanic activity.
- Oxbow Lake -Formed by River Deposits.
B)Lakes have various applications like drinking water, irrigation, navigation, water storage, livelihood (fishing. Etc), impact on microclimate, etc.
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Important Facts
- Largest freshwater lake in India – Wular Lake, Jammu and Kashmir
- Largest Saline water lake in India – Chilka Lake, Orissa
- Highest lake in India (Altitude) – Cholamu Lake, Sikkim
- Longest Lake in India – Vembanad Lake, Kerala
- Largest Artificial Lake in India – GovindVallabh Pant Sagar (Rihand Dam)
List of Important Lakes in India
| Sr.No | Name | State | District | Type of Lakes |
| 1. | Pulicat Lake | Andhra Pradesh | Nellore | Brackish |
| 2. | Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh | West Godavari | Freshwater |
| 3. | Nagarjuna Sagar | Telangana | Nalgonda | Freshwater |
| 4. | Haflomg Lake | Assam | Silchar | Freshwater |
| 5. | Deepor Beel | Assam | Kamrup | Freshwater |
| 6. | Son Beel | Assam | Begusari | Oxbow |
| 7. | Chandubi Lake | Assam | Kamrup | Freshwater |
| 8. | Kanwar Lake | Bihar | Begusari | Oxbow |
| 9. | Hamirsar Lake | Gujarat | Kutch | Artificial |
| 10. | Kankaria Lake | Gujarat | Ahmedabad | Artificial |
| 11. | Narayan Sarovar | Gujarat | Kutch | Artificial Freshwater |
| 12. | Thol Lake | Gujarat | Mehsana | Lentic |
| 13. | Vastrapur | Gujarat | Ahmedabad | Freshwater |
| 14. | Badkal Lake | Haryana | Faridabad | Freshwater |
| 15. | Blue Bird Lake | Haryana | Hisar | Freshwater |
| 16. | Brahma Sarovar | Haryana | Thaneshwar | Freshwater |
| 17. | Damdama Lake | Haryana | Sohna | Freshwater |
| 18. | Karna | Haryana | Karnal | Freshwater |
| 19. | Tilyar | Haryana | Rohtak | Freshwater |
| 20. | Chandra Taal | Himachal Pradesh | Lahuland spiti | Sweetwater |
| 21. | Suraj Tall | Himachal Pradesh | Lahul and spiti | Freshwater |
| 22. | Maharana Pratap Sugar | Himachal Pradesh | Kangra | Freshwater |
| 23. | Prasar Lake | Himachal Pradesh | Mandi | Holomitic |
| 24. | Dal Lake | J &K | Srinagar | Warm Monomitic |
| 25. | Pangong Tso | J& K | Ladakh | Endorheic |
| 26. | Wular Lake | J& K | Bandipora | Tectonic |
| 27. | TsoMoriri | J& K | Ladakh | Saltwater |
| 28. | Agata Lake | Karnataka | Bangalore | Freshwater |
| 29. | Bellandur Lake | Karnataka | Banagalore | Freshwater |
| 30. | Karachi Lake | Karnataka | Mysore | – |
| 31. | Ulsoor Lake | Karnataka | Bangalore | Stale Water |
| 32. | Kukarahali Lake | Karnataka | Mysore | Freshwater |
| 34. | Honnamana | Karnataka | Kodagu | Freshwater |
| 35. | Pampa Sarovar | Karnataka | Hampi | Freshwater |
| 36. | Ashtamudi Kayal | Kerala | Lollam | Brackish |
| 37. | Kuttanad | Kerala | Alappuzha | – |
| 38. | Vembanad | Kerala | – | Brackish |
| 39. | Shashtamkotta | Kerala | Kollam | Freshwater |
| 40. | Bhojtal | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | Freshwater |
| 41. | Salim Ali | Maharashtra | Auranagabad | Freshwater |
| 42. | Shivsagar | Maharashtra | Satara | Freshwater |
| 43. | Lonar Lake | Maharashtra | Buldhana | Crater Lake |
| 44. | Loktak Lake | Manipur | – | Lenticular Freshwater |
| 45. | Tam Dil | Mizoram | Saitual | Freshwater |
| 46. | Chilka Lake | Orrisa | Puri | Brackish |
| 47. | Kanjia Lake | Orrisa | Bhubaneswar | Freshwater |
| 48. | Harike | Punjab | Ferozpur | Freshwater |
| 49. | Rupar | Punjab | Rupanagar | Freshwater |
| 50. | Kanjli | Punjab | Kapurthala | Freshwater |
| 51. | Sambhar Lake | Rajasthan | Sambhar Lake | Saltwater |
| 52. | Rajsamand | Rajasthan | Rajasamand | Freshwater |
| 53. | Tsongpo Lake | Sikkim | East Sikkim | Freshwater |
| 54. | Khecheoplari | Sikkim | West Sikkim | Freshwater |
| 55. | Ooty Lake | Tamilnadu | Nilgris | Freshwtaer |
| 56. | Chembarambakkam | Tamilnadu | Chennai | Artificial |
| 57. | Kodaikanal Lake | Tamilnadu | Dindugai | Artificial |
| 58. | Hussain Sagar | Telengana | Hyderabad | Artificial |
| 59. | Badrakali Lake | Telangana | Warangal | Freshwater |
| 60. | Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar | UP | Sonbhadra | Man made |
| 61. | Belasagar | UP | Kulpahar | Freshwater |
| 62. | Bhimtal | Uttarakhand | Nainital | Freshwater |
| 63. | East Calcutta Wetlands | West Bengal | Calcutta | Brackish |
| 64. | Umiam | Meghalaya | Shillong | Freshwater |
Important MCQs – Lakes in India
1. Which of the following is NOT true about Kolleru Lake?
(a) It a lake of fresh water.
(b) It is located in the Odisha
(c) It is associated with the Krishna and Godavari Rivers.
(d) Its surface area is 245 km square
Ans. (b)
2. Which of the following is NOT matched correctly?
(a) Pulicat lake: Andhra Pradesh
(b) Maharana Pratap Sagar Lake: Himachal Pradesh
(c) Badkhal Lake: Haryana
(d) Tso Moriri Lake: Nagaland
Ans. (d)
3. Which of the following statement is NOT rue about Wular Lake?
(a) It belongs to Indus River
(b) Its a Fresh-Water lake
(c) It is in Jammu & Kashmir
(d) Its surface area is spread in the range of 30 – 260 km square
Ans. (a)
4. Which of the following is CORRECT about Loktak Lake?
(a) It is in Mizoram state.
(b) It is a salt water lake.
(c) It is the largest fresh water lake in north eastern states of India
(d) Its surface area is 587 Km square
Ans. (c)
5. Which of the following is not true about Pushkar Lake?
(a) It is in Rajasthan state.
(b) It is a natural lake.
(c) It belongs to Luni River
(d) Its surface area is 22 km square
Ans. (b)
6. Where is Dal Lake?
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Himachal Pradesh
(c) Jammu & Kashmir
(d) Odisha
Ans. (c)
7. Which of the following is matched correctly?
(a) Chilka Lake: Andhra Pradesh
(b) Vembanad Lake: Tamil Nadu
(c) Parichu Lake: Tibet
(d) Lonar Lake: Madhya Pradesh
Ans. (c)
8. Which of the following is the largest lake of Tibbet?
(a) Kokonoor
(b) Parichu lake
(c) Kolleru Lake
(d) None of these
Ans. (a)
9. Which of the following is the largest fresh water lake of India?
(a) Pulicat lake
(b) Chilka lake
(c) Wular
(d) Vembanad
Ans. (c)
10. Which of the following statement is not true?
(a) Sambhar lake is used for salt production.
(b) Vembanad lake is a lagoon lake in Kerala
(c) Parichu lake was created due to tectonic activities
(d) Rajasthan has the largest numbers of lakes in India
Ans. (d)
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