List of major lakes of India:

What is the lake called?

A lake is a stable body of water that is surrounded by landmasses on all sides. Another characteristic of the lake is its stability. Generally, lakes are those wide pits on the ground floor which are filled with water. The water in lakes is usually stagnant. An important characteristic of lakes is their salinity, but many lakes are also freshwater. Lakes can be on any part of the crust. They are found on high mountains, are also found on plateaus and plains and are also found below sea level at land.

Types of Lakes in India:

Different types of lakes are found in India, whose types are as follows:-

  • Tectonic lakes: Lakes formed due to geological movements are kept under tectonic lakes. Wular Lake of Kashmir and many lakes located in Kumaon Himalayas.
  • Crater Lakes or Lakes Formed by Volcanic Action: Such lakes are formed due to water filling in large mouths or craters of calm volcanoes. The prime examples of this are Lonar Lake in Buldhana district of Maharashtra and Victoria Lake in Africa.
  • Lagoons or Anoop Lakes: Chilka Lake (Orissa), Pulicat Lake (Andhra Pradesh), Kolleru Lake (Andhra Pradesh)
  • Glacial lakes: Fresh or freshwater lakes in which there is a continuous flow of fresh water through rivers are freshwater lakes because they do not contain the accumulation of different types of salts. Most of the lakes of Kumaon Himalaya are of this type. Examples of these are: Raksatal, Nainital, Sattal, Bhimtal, Naukuchia Tal, Khurpatal, Samtal, Poonatal, Malvatal etc.
  • Lakes formed by wind: Sambhar, Didwana, Panchabhadra, Lunkaransar etc. of Rajasthan.
  • Lakes formed by faulting: Such lakes are formed as a result of flooding of basins formed due to subsidence or uplift of a part of the surface due to geologic movements.
  • Rift Valley Lakes: Such lakes are formed as a result of the sinking and filling of water in the middle of two parallel fissures of the surface. The Dead Sea of ​​Israel is an example of this.
  • Salt water lakes: The lakes in which water comes in from outside but does not go out after getting it, they are usually saline lakes. The Caspian Sea is the largest salt water lake in the world.

List of major lakes of India and respective states:

Name of the lake Concerned state Important facts
Anantnag Lake Jammu and Kashmir -
Kolleru Lake Andhra Pradesh -
Khurpatal Lake Uttarakhand -
Govind Sagar Lake Punjab
  1. It is the largest artificial lake in India.
  2. It is constructed from the Bhakra Nangal Dam on the Sutlej River.
Chilka Lake Odisha
  1. It is the largest lake in India.
  2. It is a salt water lagoon lake.
  3. There is also a naval training center on this lake.
Jaisamand Lake Rajasthan -
Dal Lake Jammu and Kashmir -
Didwana Lake Rajasthan It is a salt water lake in the eastern part of the Thar Desert.
Devtal Lake Uttarakhand -
Nagin Lake Jammu and Kashmir -
Nainital Lake Uttarakhand -
Naukuchiatal Lake Uttarakhand -
Panchpokhri Lake Uttarakhand It is the highest lake in India.
Pichola Lake Rajasthan -
Pulicat Lake Tamil Nadu -
Fatehsagar Lake Rajasthan -
Bembanad Lake Kerala -
Barinag Lake Jammu and Kashmir -
Manas Bal Lake Jammu and Kashmir -
Malatal Lake Uttarakhand -
Raksatal Lake Uttarakhand -
Rajsamand Lake Rajasthan -
Lunkaransar Lake Rajasthan -
Loktak Lake Manipur -
lonar lake Maharashtra This lake is a lake formed by volcanic eruption.
Wular Lake Jammu and Kashmir It is the largest freshwater lake in India.
Sheshnag Lake Jammu and Kashmir -
Sambhar Lake Rajasthan It is a salt water lake in the eastern part of the Thar Desert.
Sattal Lake Uttarakhand -
Hussainsagar Lake Andhra Pradesh -

Interesting information related to the major lakes of India:

  • Wular Lake in Kashmir Gokhur Lake is a freshwater lake on the Jhelum River, it is the largest freshwater lake in India.
  • Chilka Lake is the largest brackish water lake in India. This lagoon lake also houses the Naval Lake Center.
  • Lonar Lake in Buldhana, Maharashtra is a crater lake formed by volcanic action.
  • Ukai (Gujarat) is a man-made lake located on the Tapti River.
  • Stanley Reservoir is a lake behind the Mettur Dam on the Kaveri River in Tamil Nadu.
  • Wellington Island in Bembanad Lake (Kerala) is where boating competitions are also held.
  • Kolleru Lake is situated between the Krishna and Godavari rivers.
  • Pulicat Lake is located on the border between the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
  • The lagoon lakes of Kerala are locally known as Kayals.
  • The Gokhur Lake is formed by rivers, in other words, the Jhelum River has created the Wular Lake. Wular Lake is an example of a bunk lake.
  • Most of the lakes in the state of Rajasthan are saline. The lakes of Rajasthan state are formed by the winds.
  • The saltiness of the lakes of Rajasthan proves that there must have been Tethys
  • Sea here which is now left as a remnant, hence the water of these lakes is saline.
  • Loktak Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Northeast India, it is located in the state of Manipur.
  • Kebullamjao is a floating national park located in the state of Manipur.
  • Stanley Lake has been created by holding the water of river Kaveri in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Now practice related questions and see what you learnt?

Major Lakes of India GK Questions and Answers 🔗

Read also:

Lakes of India FAQs:

Sambhar Lake is located in Rajasthan state, India. It is situated between Jaipur and Ajmer districts of Rajasthan. Sambhar Lake is the largest mud lake in India and is recognized as an important waterway development area.

Chilika Lake is located in the state of Odisha, India. It is the largest lake in the Indian subcontinent and is famous for its natural beauty. Chilka Lake extends between Balukhali and Chilka Port. This lake is an important site which is home to different species of birds, sea creatures and other fauna.

Sambhar Salt Lake is located in Rajasthan state, India. This lake is situated between Jaipur and Nagaur districts. Sambhar Salt Lake is the largest salt-lake of Rajasthan and a major salt producing site. This lake is famous for its natural beauty and salt production.

The lake is located in South Tibet, which has been declared by China as the 'Tibetan Residential Area'. Lake Mansarovar holds religious significance due to its sanctity and is considered extremely important in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Nagin Lake is about 6 km from Dal Lake in Srinagar city of Jammu and Kashmir. m. Is located at a distance. This lake is well known in the surrounding area as 'Jewel in the Ring', which is surrounded by trees on all sides.

  Last update :  Tue 23 Aug 2022
  Post Views :  13123
  Post Category :  Physical Geography of India