India is a country rich in natural resources. There are many large and small rivers. They play an important role in providing food for millions of people in Africa. They are also sacred to the inhabitants of this country. Now here we talking about the biggest rivers and lakes in India.
The most popular river is the Ganges, located in the north of the country. But the Yamuna and Indus rivers are also important rivers. The name of this country originated from the Indus. But now it is mostly located in Pakistan. This is due to the division of India.
The Ganges, the Yarlung Zangbo River and many of its tributaries are equally important, and there are also large rivers. Rivers began to survive in the peaks of the Himalayas, and all brought water to the Bay of Bengal. Thanks to the waters of these rivers, agriculture in the country is maintained.
Due to the hot climate, about 60% of India’s land is artificially irrigated. Most rivers are fed only by rainwater. During the driest period, the river level began to drop, and flooding began in the rainy season. Both of these factors have a negative impact on agriculture.
As for lakes, India has almost none. Glacier nutrition alone is not enough to maintain the water level of the lake.
In India, there are Niugong Lake in the Great Bow Valley and glacial lakes in the Himalayas. The largest lake is Sambhar, which is used for salt evaporation.
Table of Contents
Major rivers of India
1. Brahmaputra
The total length of the river is 2,900 kilometers. The river flows through China, India and Bangladesh. The Yarlung Zangbo River is the left tributary of the Ganges. It has such a name only in India, and in Bangladesh, it is called Jamuna. This river enjoys a high reputation in India. Due to frequent earthquakes, the river bed often changes downstream. In summer, the water level of the Yarlung Zangbo River usually rises to 8-12 m and floods the surrounding territory, which causes great damage to the residents. Used for navigation (downstream of the river, Tibet).
The length of the river is 2,900km, in India – 955 km
2. Ganges
In India, the Ganges is the longest river. Among the world’s rivers, its fullness ranks third. Only Amazon and Congo lead. The length of the Ganges is 2,700 kilometers. It originated from the Gangotri Glacier in the western Himalayas. This Ganges River flows into the Bay of Bengal. This river is rich in fish resources. The Ganges is a holy place for Hindus.
The length of the river is 2700 km, in India – 2400 km
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3. Godavari
Like the Ganges, this river flows into the Bay of Bengal and begins its source near Trimbak in Maharashta. Godavari is the second largest river after the Ganges in India. In the respect of the local people, many tourists make pilgrimages to its temples. It has many tributaries, mainly Varda (Vardha), Vainganga (Vainganga), Indravati (Indravati), Manjira (Manjira), Pranahita (Pranahita), Kinarasani ( Kinnerasani) and Sileru (Sileru).
River length – 1465 km
4. Krishna
The river starts in Maharashta and is 1,300 kilometers long. It ends the journey with the waters of the Bay of Bengal. Like the rivers mentioned above, Krishna is also a sacred river with many temples and shrines built along its banks.
River length – 1300 km
5. Indus
The length of the river is 3180 kilometers. It is the longest river in South Asia. It originated from the peaks of the Himalayas. It flows not only to India, but also to Pakistan. The mouth of the Indus River has established the world’s largest delta with an area of 41,000 square meters. Kilometers Today, due to lack of precipitation, rivers that were originally overcrowded are becoming shallower and shallower.
The length of the river is 3180 km, in India 502 km
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6. Mandovi
The length of Mandovi is 77 kilometers. It is recognized as the largest river in Goa. This river flows from the Western Ghats and brings water to the Arabian Sea. On the way, the Mandovi River forms a waterfall, and the water flows quite fast.
The length of the river is 77 km
7. Zuari
The Zuari River flows into Goa, India, with a total length of 34 kilometers. Zuari flows into the Arabian Sea. The beach of the river is picturesque and there are many fish in the depths.
8. Sal
This river is one of the largest rivers in the country after Mandovi and Zuari. It flows through the South Goa region. A distinctive feature of this river is its flow from north to south. There are many small islands in the Saar River.
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9. Vembanad Lake
It is known as the longest lake in India. Located in Kerala. The lake seems to be divided into several parts by the Thanneermukkom dam. It was established to avoid flooding downstream of Kuttanad. The lake area is over 2,000 square kilometers, 96 kilometers long and 14 kilometers wide. The islet and peninsula are adjacent to the lake.
10. Periar
The lake is a reservoir made by artificial means. The surrounding area is a nature reserve, named after a lake. Periyar Nature Reserve is the largest nature reserve in southern India. The lake was created to relieve the thirst of wild animals.
11. Kankaria Lake
The largest lake in Ahmedabad, which was created back in 1451, is located in the Maninagar region, in the southeast of the city. It has a round shape. The perimeter of the lake is 2.3 km. Lake Kankaria is adapted for holidaymakers, which attracts the attention of locals and tourists.
12. Hussein Sagar
It was created artificially in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The lake in India is also very old because it was created in 1562. The lake area at that time was 5.7 square meters. In the middle of the lake, a huge Buddha statue 18 m high was built. Hussein Sagar united the Twin Cities (Secunderabad) and Hyderabad (Hyderabad).
13. Sambhar Lake
Sambhar is the largest salt lakein India, established in northwestern India. The lake is a vast swamp. It is very shallow. During dry periods, the depth is only 60 cm. After a period of rainfall, the depth increases to 3 m. The Sambhar area covers an area of 190-230 square meters. Kilometers. , It all depends on weather conditions. A sand-rock dam was built in the lake basin. There is a railway here, which is the connection point between the city and the salt mining area. The salt factory produces approximately 196,000 tons of salt per year.
14. Wular Lake
Wular Lake is one of the Asia’s largest freshwater lakes located in Jammu and Kashmir. It spans 24 kilometers and is surrounded by towering mountains. The green water of Lake Ngurah is an important natural habitat for fish, a large number of birds and wildlife. Thousands of people live on its coast and elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley, relying on fishing in Lake Wular for their livelihoods.
15. Dal Lake
The Kashmir valley has exotic natural beauty and water bodies. One of the best is Dal Lake. Dal Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in India and the second largest lake in the J&K Valley. This is one of the most famous lakes in India and a symbol of Kashmir tourism. In addition to the natural scenery, the attractions of Dal Lake also include floating gardens, colorful shikaras and boat houses. To the east of Dal Lake is the residence of the goddess Maa Durga.
16. Loktak Lake
This Lake is the Northeast India largest freshwater lake , located in Manipur. Because of the floating phumdis, it is also known as the only floating lake in the world. It is used as a water source for hydroelectric power generation, irrigation drinking water supply and wildlife. Keibul Lamjao National Park (Keibul Lamjao National Park) is the last natural refuge of the endangered Sangha and is now only found in Manipur.
17. Lake Chilka
Lake Chilka is a saltwater lake and the largest coastal lakes in India. Chilka Lake is located in Orissa and is the largest inland saltwater lake in Asia. Brackish water is water with a higher salinity than fresh water, but not more than sea water. Lake Chilika (commonly known as Chilka) is the queen of natural beauty in the tribal country Orissa, which is also known as the Swiss lake on the mainland. T
18. Pulicat Lake
This is a saltwater backwater lakes in India located on the coast of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. It extends to Chenalpattu District in Tamil Nadu. With an area of 481 square kilometers, it is the second largest saltwater lagoon in India after Lake Chirka in Orissa.
Major Lakes in India
| S.No | Name | State | District | Type of Lakes | Facts/Description |
| 1 | Son Beel | Assam | Karimganj | Freshwater (Tectonically formed) | Largest wetland in Assam |
| 2 | Kolleru Lake | Andhra Pradesh | Vijayawada | Freshwater | Home to migratory birds |
| 3 | Nagarjuna Sagar | Andhra Pradesh | Nalgonda | Freshwater | Artificially constructed; Krishna river |
| 4 | Haflong Lake | Assam | Silchar | Freshwater | High altitude lake |
| 5 | DeeporBeel | Assam | Kamrup | Freshwater | Under Ramsar Convention |
| 6 | Pulicat Lake | Andhra Pradesh | Sullurpet | Brackish Water | It encompasses Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary; Satish Dhawan Space Centre located here |
| 7 | Chandubi lake | Assam | Kamrup | Freshwater | Migratory Birds (winter); formed by 1897 earthquake |
| 8 | Kanwar Lake | Bihar | Begusarai | Oxbow (freshwater) | Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake; |
| 9 | Hamirsar lake | Gujarat | Kutch | Artificial | Situated in centre of Bhuj |
| 10 | Kankaria lake | Gujarat | Ahmedabad | Artificial | During 14th century by Muhammed Shah II |
| 11 | Narayan Sarovar | Gujarat | Kutch | Artificial freshwater | Pilgrimage site for Hindus |
| 12 | Thol Lake | Gujarat | Mehsana | Lentic lake | Constructed for irrigation purpose |
| 13 | Vastrapur | Gujarat | Ahmedabad | Freshwater | Narmada River; Picnic spot |
| 14 | Badkal Lake | Haryana | Faridabad | Freshwater | Man made |
| 15 | Blue Bird Lake | Haryana | Hisar | Freshwater | Migratory Birds, Wetland Habitat |
| 16 | Brahma Sarovar | Haryana | Thaneswar | Freshwater | Ancient water pool sacred to Hinduism |
| 17 | Damdama Lake | Haryana | Sohna | Freshwater | Constructed by British government for Rainwater Harvesting |
| 18 | Karna | Haryana | Karnal | Freshwater | Connected to great epic Mahabharata |
| 19 | Tilyar | Haryana | Rohtak | Freshwater (canal inflow) | Located inside Tilyar Zoo |
| 20 | Chandra Taal | Himachal Pradesh | Lahul and Spiti | Sweetwater lake | Ramsar wetland site |
| 21 | Suraj Taal | Himachal Pradesh | Lahul and Spiti | Freshwater (High Altitude) | Bhaga River inflow |
| 22 | MaharanaPratapSagar | Himachal Pradesh | Kangra | Freshwater | Ramsar site |
| 23 | Prashar lake | Himachal Pradesh | Mandi | Holomitic (Freshwater) | It has a floating Island |
| 24 | Dal lake | J &K | Srinagar | Warm monomitic | Remnants of past glacial period |
| 25 | Pangong Tso | J &K | Ladakh | Endorheic Lake (saline water) | Indo-China Border |
| 26 | Wular lake | J &K | Bandipora | Tectonic lake (fresh water) | Largest freshwater lake in India |
| 27 | TsoMoriri | J &K | Ladakh | Saltwater | High altitude lake |
| 28 | Agata lake | Karnataka | Bangalore | Freshwater | Located in southwest part of the city |
| 29 | Bellandur Lake | Karnataka | Bangalore | Freshwater | – |
| 30 | Karachi lake | Karnataka | Mysore | – | Butterfly park |
| 31 | Ulsoor lake | Karnataka | Bangalore | Stale water | It has several islands |
| 32 | Kukarahalli lake | Karnataka | Mysore | Freshwater | Recreational |
| 33 | Honnamana | Karnataka | Kodagu | Freshwater | Holy lake, place for various festivals |
| 34 | Pampa Sarovar | Karnataka | Hampi | Freshwater | Tungabhadra river |
| 35 | Ashtamudi Kayal | Kerala | Kollam | Brackish water | Ramsar wetland site |
| 36 | Kuttanad | Kerala | Alappuzha, Kottayam | Backwater paddy cultivation | |
| 37 | Vembanad | Kerala | – | Brackish water | Ramsar wetland; boat race |
| 38 | Shashtamkotta | Kerala | Kollam | Freshwater | Ramsar wetland |
| 39 | Bhojtal | Madhya. Pradesh | Bhopal | Freshwater | Ramsar site; largest artificial lake in India |
| 40 | Salim Ali | Maharashtra | Aurangabad | Freshwater | Birdwatching |
| 41 | Shivsagar | Maharashtra | Satara | Freshwater | Koyna dam |
| 42 | Lonar lake | Maharashtra | Buldhana | Crater lake | National Geo-Heritage monument |
| 43 | Loktak lake | Manipur | – | Lenticular freshwater | Ramsar wetland; Phumdis (Floating Islands); Multipurpose project |
| 44 | Umiam | Meghalaya | Shillong | Freshwater | Famous for cycling and boating |
| 45 | Tam Dil | Mizoram | Saitual | Freshwater | – |
| 46 | Chilika lake | Orissa | Puri | Brackish water | India’s largest brackish water lake; lagoon |
| 47 | Kanjia lake | Orissa | Bhubaneswar | Freshwater | Wetland of national importance |
| 48 | Harike | Punjab | Ferozepur | Freshwater | Ramsar wetland site |
| 49 | Rupar | Punjab | Rupnagar | Freshwater | Manmade riverine lake |
| 50 | Kanjli | Punjab | Kapurthala | Freshwater | Ramsar wetland site |
| 51 | Sambhar lake | Rajasthan | Sambhar Lake-town | Saltwater | Ramsar wetland; largest inland saltwater lake in India |
| 52 | Rajsamand | Rajasthan | Rajsamand | Freshwater | – |
| 53 | Tsomgo lake | Sikkim | East Sikkim | Freshwater | Winter frozen |
| 54 | Khecheoplari | Sikkim | West Sikkim | Freshwater | Sacred lake for Hindus and Buddhists |
| 55 | Ooty lake | Tamilnadu | Nilgiris | Freshwater | Boat House |
| 56 | Chembarambakkam | Tamilnadu | Chennai | Artificial lake | – |
| 57 | Hussain Sagar | Telangana | Hyderabad | Artificial lake | Artificial Gibraltar rock island |
| 58 | Badrakali lake | Telegana | Warangal | Freshwater | Artificial lake |
| 59 | Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar | Uttar Pradesh | Sonbhadra | Man-made lake | Rihand dam |
| 60 | Belasagar | Uttar Pradesh | Kulpahar | Freshwater | Irrigation lake |
| 61 | Bhimtal | Uttarakhand | Nainital | Freshwater | Medium altitude lake |
| 62 | East Calcutta wetlands | West Bengal | Calcutta | Brackish water | Ramsar wetland |
