Lakes and Lagoons

37 lakes and lagoons — Wular to Vembanad, saline, crater, ox-bow and artificial lakes, Ramsar and the lake → river traps.

On this map (37)

Wular Lake · Jammu & Kashmir — Freshwater · Jhelum · Ramsar. Largest FRESHWATER lake of India; the JHELUM passes through it ✓ (UPSC 2010, 2023)
Dal Lake · Jammu & Kashmir — Srinagar. Houseboats and floating gardens (rad) in Srinagar
Hokera (Hokersar) Wetland · Jammu & Kashmir — Ramsar · near Srinagar. Ramsar wetland near Srinagar, a stop for birds from Siberia
Pangong Tso · Ladakh — Brackish · India–China LAC. A long, brackish high-altitude lake; about a third in India, the rest in Tibet
Tso Moriri · Ladakh — High-altitude · Ramsar. Brackish high-altitude lake of Changthang; Ramsar site; bar-headed geese
Tso Kar · Ladakh — Saline · Ramsar 2020. Saline lake in Changthang; Ramsar site since 2020
Chandratal · Himachal Pradesh — Glacial · Lahaul–Spiti · Ramsar. Crescent-shaped glacial lake near the source of the Chandra; Ramsar site
Renuka Lake · Himachal Pradesh — Sirmaur · Ramsar. Largest natural lake of Himachal; Ramsar site
Naini Lake · Uttarakhand — Kumaon lake district. Kidney-shaped natural lake of the Kumaon lake district (with Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal, Sattal)
Roopkund · Uttarakhand — Glacial · Chamoli. High glacial lake known for hundreds of ancient human skeletons
Harike Wetland · Punjab — Beas + Sutlej · Ramsar. Man-made wetland at the Beas–Sutlej confluence; Ramsar site
Sambhar Lake · Rajasthan — Saline · near Jaipur · Ramsar. Largest INLAND SALINE lake of India — Rajasthan ✓ (UPSC 2009); nearest city Jaipur (UPSC 2004)
Didwana Lake · Rajasthan — Saline · Nagaur. One of the salt lakes of Rajasthan (UPSC 2021); salt mining (UPSC 1998)
Pushkar Lake · Rajasthan — Aravalli · Ajmer. Sacred lake with the Brahma temple, in the Aravalli — not the Mahadeo hills (UPSC 2015)
Nakki Lake · Rajasthan — Mount Abu. Lake at Mount Abu in the Aravalli
Jaisamand (Dhebar) Lake · Rajasthan — Artificial · Udaipur. Built in the 17th century by damming the Gomati; one of Asia’s largest old artificial lakes
Nal Sarovar · Gujarat — Ramsar · near Ahmedabad. Shallow lake; Ramsar site; flamingos and pelicans
Kanwar Jheel (Kabartal) · Bihar — Ox-bow · Begusarai · Ramsar. An ox-bow lake left by the BURHI GANDAK — so “meandering of the Gandak” ✗ (UPSC 2023)
Bhoj Wetland (Upper + Lower Lake) · Madhya Pradesh — Artificial · Bhopal · Ramsar. Bhopal’s Upper Lake was made by Raja Bhoj in the 11th century; Ramsar site
Lonar Lake · Maharashtra — Meteor crater · Buldhana · Ramsar. Saline, alkaline lake in a crater made by a meteorite hitting Deccan basalt
Hussain Sagar · Telangana — Artificial · Hyderabad. Made in 1562 under the Qutb Shahis; Buddha statue in the middle
Kolleru Lake · Andhra Pradesh — Freshwater · Krishna–Godavari · Ramsar. Freshwater lake between the Krishna and Godavari deltas; Ramsar site
Pulicat Lake · Andhra Pradesh — Lagoon · AP–TN. India’s second-largest brackish lagoon; Sriharikota island shuts it off from the sea
Chilika Lake · Odisha — Lagoon · Ramsar (1981). Largest brackish-water LAGOON of India — Odisha (UPSC 1988)
East Kolkata Wetlands · West Bengal — Sewage-fed fisheries · Ramsar. Treats Kolkata’s waste water through fish ponds and farms — a model of wise use; Ramsar site
Deepor Beel · Assam — Guwahati · Ramsar. Old Brahmaputra channel near Guwahati; Assam’s only Ramsar site
Loktak Lake · Manipur — Phumdis · Ramsar · Montreux. Largest freshwater lake of the North-East — Manipur (UPSC 1988); near the Barail range (UPSC 2013)
Umiam Lake · Meghalaya — Artificial · near Shillong. Reservoir made by the Umiam hydro dam (1960s)
Tsomgo (Changu) Lake · Sikkim — Glacial · East Sikkim. Glacial lake on the road to Nathu La
Gurudongmar Lake · Sikkim — North Sikkim · ~5,180 m. Among the highest lakes in India; a source stream of the Teesta
Rudrasagar Lake · Tripura — Neermahal · Ramsar. Ramsar lake with the Neermahal water palace
Vembanad Lake · Kerala — Lagoon · longest lake · Ramsar. Longest lake of India; backwater lagoon from Kochi to Alappuzha; Vembanad–Kol Ramsar site
Ashtamudi Lake · Kerala — Lagoon · Kollam · Ramsar. “Eight-braided” backwater lagoon of Kollam; Ramsar site
Sasthamkotta Lake · Kerala — Freshwater · Kollam · Ramsar. Largest freshwater lake of Kerala; drinking water for Kollam; Ramsar
Periyar Lake (Thekkady) · Kerala — Artificial · Mullaperiyar reservoir. Artificial lake made by the Mullaperiyar dam, inside Periyar Tiger Reserve
Kodaikanal Lake · Tamil Nadu — Artificial · Palani hills. Star-shaped lake made in 1863 — the artificial one among Kodaikanal, Kolleru, Nainital, Renuka ✓ (UPSC 2018)
Ooty Lake · Tamil Nadu — Artificial · Nilgiris. Made in 1824 by John Sullivan

Asked in exams

UPSC 2023Jhelum passes through Wular ✓
UPSC 2010Wular Lake — Jhelum ✓
UPSC 1988Wular → Jammu and Kashmir
UPSC 2022Hokera Wetland – Punjab ✗
UPSC 2022Renuka Wetland – Himachal Pradesh ✓
UPSC 2018Renuka is not the artificial lake
UPSC 2018Nainital is not the artificial lake
UPSC 2014Harike Wetlands – Beas and Satluj ✓
UPSC 2009Largest inland saline wetland → Rajasthan
UPSC 2004Sambhar is nearest to → Jaipur
UPSC 2021Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol, Khatu → saline lakes
UPSC 1998Salt → Didwana
UPSC 2015Pushkar – Mahadeo Hills ✗
UPSC 1988Nakki → Rajasthan
UPSC 2006Jaisamand → Udaipur
UPSC 2012Gujarat has the largest wetland area ✓; coastal > inland wetlands ✓
UPSC 2023Meandering of the Gandak formed Kanwar ✗
UPSC 2010Kolleru Lake — Krishna ✗
UPSC 2023Krishna directly feeds Kolleru ✗
UPSC 2014Kolleru – Musi and Krishna ✗
UPSC 2017Pulicat Lake is spread over two states only ✓
UPSC 2002Pulicat is a lagoon
UPSC 1988Chilka → Orissa
UPSC 2002Chilka is a lagoon
UPSC 1999First marine sanctuary: Chilka ✗ (Gulf of Kachchh)
UPSC 2017Gharials: Deepor Beel ✗ (Chambal)
UPSC 2013Loktak Lake – Barail Range ✓
UPSC 1988Loktak → Manipur
UPSC 1998Floating islands → phumdis
UPSC 2022Rudrasagar Lake – Tripura ✓
UPSC 2002Not a lagoon → Periyar (Ashtamudi is one)
UPSC 2022Sasthamkotta Lake – Tamil Nadu ✗
UPSC 2002Not a lagoon → Periyar lake
UPSC 2018Artificial lake → Kodaikanal

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