Largest Lakes in India

Geography

Pangong Tso spans the Leh district in the Indian union territory of Ladakh, and the Ngari Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The boomerang-shaped lake, is situated at an altitude of 14,200 ft (4,300 m), and is one of the highest brackish water lakes in the world. The lake stretches for 134 km (83 mi), and is about 5 km (3.1 mi) wide at its broadest point. The lake is surrounded by several mountain ranges–the Changchenmo Range to the north, Pangong Range to the west, and Gangdise Shan (Kailash Range) to the south. The Changchenmo and Pangong Ranges form the easternmost parts of the Karakoram. Mountain spurs of the Chang Chenmo range extend into the lake, forming several "fingers".

Tourism

Pangong Tso is part of the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative of the Indian Armed Forces, aimed at boosting local infrastructure and tourism, and providing information on historical battleground locations. An Inner Line Permit is required to visit the lake on the Indian side, as it lies on the Sino-Indian border. Groups are to be accompanied by an accredited guide, and no boating is permitted for security reasons. However, a surge in Indian tourists has presented environmental challenges due to inadequate infrastructure to accommodate and manage the growing number of visitors. The Pangong Frozen Lake Marathon is held annually in February to promote winter tourism at Pangong Tso.

Geography and hydrography

Vembanad Lake is 96.5 km (60 mi) long, making it the longest lake in India. The Vembanad wetland system covers an area of over 2,033.02 km2 (784.95 sq mi), thereby making it the largest wetland system in India. Of this, an area of 398.12 km2 (153.71 sq mi) is located below the mean sea level (MSL), and a total area of 763.23 km2 (294.68 sq mi) is located below 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) MSL. The lake is bordered by Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts. It is situated at sea level and is separated from the Laccadive Sea by a narrow barrier island. Canals link the lake to other coastal lakes in the north and south. The lake surrounds the islands of Pathiramanal, Perumbalam and Pallippuram. Vembanad Lake is approximately 14 km (8.7 mi) wide at its widest point.

Tourism

The lake has become a major tourist attraction. A generally safe destination, this place had just one incident of tourist harassment in 2004 as reported in The Times of India.

Vembanad Lake is at the heart of Kerala Backwaters tourism with hundreds of houseboats (kettuvallams in Malayalam) plied on it and numerous resorts on its banks.

The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake.

During the months of August and September, the rivers in and near Kottayam become centres of activity and attraction due to these boat races, a Kerala tradition. Snake boat races—the lakes and rivers come alive during Onam with this water sport.

The lake has a small island called Pathiramanal, which can be accessed only via a boat. Another major attraction is the island of Kakkathuruth.

Geography

The Sambhar Lake is India's largest inland salt lake. It is located 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Jaipur, Rajasthan. The lake is a playa, or a seasonal lake with a flat bottom. It is also the largest playa in the Thar Desert.

The Sambhar Lake is primarily fed by four ephemeral streams: Rupangarh, Mendha, Kharian and Khandel. During times of heavy rainfall, surface runoff along with three major streams, Ruprali, Bandi and Turatmati, additionally feed the lake. These streams vary in salt content which results in differing salinity levels in the lake. The lake's hypersalinity is three to four times that of sea water.

The lake has a catchment area of 5700 square km.

History

In 1884, ancient sculpture art was discovered in the area as part of small-scale excavation work done in Sambhar Lake. During that excavation, some terracotta structures, coins, and seals were found along with a clay stupa. Sambhar sculpture art appears to be influenced by Buddhism. Later on, around 1934, a large-scale systematic and scientific excavation was conducted in which a large number of terracotta figurines, stoneware, and decorated discs were found. A number of these sculptures from Sambhar are present at the Albert Hall Museum.

The lake's salt production was managed by the Mughal dynasty, after which its ownership was shared between the princely states of Jaipur and Jodhpur.

Ecology

Sambhar Salt Lake was designated as a Ramsar site in 1990. The wetland is an important wintering habitat and feeding ground for migratory birds which include tens of thousands of pink flamingos. Two species of flamingoes visit the lake, the Greater Flamingo and the Lesser Flamingo and their presence is dependent upon water levels and the availability of algae. Because of the lake's high salinity, flora and fauna mainly thrive during the rainy season when salinity levels decrease.

The specialized algae and bacteria growing in the lake provide striking water colours and support the lake ecology that, in turn, sustains the migrating waterfowl. There is other wildlife in the nearby forests, where Nilgai move freely along with deer and foxes.

Economy

The Sambhar Salt Lake is the source of most of Rajasthan's salt production. It produces 196,000 tonnes of clean salt every year, which is around 0.66% of India's salt production. Salt is produced by evaporation of brine and is mostly managed by the government-owned company Sambhar Salts Ltd. (SSL), a joint venture of the Hindustan Salts Limited and the state government. SSL owns 3% of the eastern lake.

The company is struggling to produce sufficient amount of salt but the private players are producing more than 10 times that of the company due to production from thousands of illegal borewells, which are also severely harming the ecology of the salt lake.

History

Two copper plates have been found in the lake, tracing its history to reign of the Eastern Ganga rulers, the Suryavamsi Gajapatis of Odisha at the height of their power in the 15th century under the reign of Kapilendra Deva, the first Suryavamsi Gajapati emperor, and the boundary of the Kalinga empire (Ancient Odisha). Nearby in Kolletikota is the Peddintlamma Temple, built by Eastern Ganga monarchs.

Geography

Of the two river systems which drain the Manipur state: the Barak River and the Manipur River—the Manipur River flows through the Manipur Valley. The river rises in the north at Karong, flows south of Imphal and hence is also known as the Imphal River. Along its course through the valley downstream of Imphal, the bed slope of the river is gentle. The drainage pattern is sub-dendritic, sub-parallel and sub-radial, dictated by the structure and lithology of the area. Imphal, Iril and Thoubal River valleys also exhibit a meandering river course.

Geography and topography

The lagoon's boundary limits range from 13.33° to 13.66° N and 80.23° to 80.25°E, with a dried part of the lagoon extending up to 14.0°N, with about 96% of the lagoon in Andhra Pradesh and 3% in Tamil Nadu. The lagoon is aligned parallel to the coast line with its western and eastern parts covered with sand ridges. The area of the lagoon varies with the tide, from 450 square kilometres (170 mi2) at high tide to 250 square kilometres (97 mi2) at low tide. Its length is about 60 kilometres (37 mi), and its width varies from 0.2 kilometres (0.12 mi) to 17.5 kilometres (10.9 mi). The climate of the lagoon's coastline is dominated by tropical monsoons. Its air temperature varies from 15 °C (59 °F) to 45 °C (113 °F).

Hydrology

Two rivers which feed the lagoon are the Arani River at the southern tip and the Kalangi River from the northwest, in addition to some smaller streams. The Buckingham Canal, a navigation channel, is part of the lagoon on its western side. The lagoon's water exchange with the Bay of Bengal is through an inlet channel at the north end of Sriharikota and an outflow channel of about 200 metres (660 ft) width at its southern end, both of which carry flows only during the rainy season. The lagoon acts as a buffer to retain the accumulated floodwater until the floodwater is discharged gradually to the sea during the monsoon period and cyclones. The lagoon and its river basins are located both in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

History

In the 1st century, the unnamed mariner who wrote Periplus of the Erythraean Sea recorded Podouke (Pulicat) as one of the three ports on the east coast of India. In the 2nd century, Ptolemy's list of ports on this coast included Podouke Emporion.

In the 13th century, Arabs migrated to the shores of the lagoon after they were banished from Mecca for refusing to pay tributes to a new caliph. Streets with dilapidated masonry houses once occupied by these Arab Muslims are still found in the area and resident families claim records in Arabic testifying the migration.

The Portuguese colonized the lagoon in 16th century, followed by the Dutch. The Dutch drifted to the lagoon as their ships got stuck on the shores of Karimanal village on the opposite side of the mouth of the lagoon.

Ecology

Wular Lake is an important fish habitat, the main species being the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), rosy barb (Barbus conchonius), mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), Nemacheilus species, Crossocheilus latius, and various snowtrout species in the genera Schizopyge and Schizothorax. Snowtrout species identified in the lake include the Sattar snowtrout (Schizopyge curvifrons), Chirruh snowtrout (Schizopyge esocinus), Schizothorax planifrons, Schizothorax macropogon, Schizothorax longipinus and Chush snowtrout (Schizopyge niger).

The lake sustains a rich population of birds.

Background

In ancient times, Wular Lake was also called Mahapadmasar (Sanskrit: महापद्मसरः). Nilamata Purana also mentions it as Mahapadmasaras. The lake, with its big dimensions and the extent of water, gives rise to high leaping waves in the afternoons, called Ullola in Sanskrit, meaning "stormy leaping, high rising waves". Therefore, it was also called Ullola. It is believed to have gotten corrupted over the centuries to Wulor or Wular. The origin may also be attributed to a Kashmiri word 'Wul', which means a gap or a fissure, an appellation that must have come also during this period. The word Wul (gap or fissure) is also an indicator of its origin from a fissure or gap created.

Economy

Many other families harvest the aquatic plants, such as the grass Phragmites and the waterlily-like Nymphoides, from the lake for human consumption and animal fodder.

Fish from Wular Lake make up a significant part of the diet for many thousands of people living on its shores and elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley. More than eight thousand fishermen earn their livelihood from the lake, primarily fishing for the endemic Schizothorax species and the non-native carp. Their catch comprises about 60 percent of the total yield of fish in Kashmir. Hundreds of other local villagers are employed by cooperative societies that trade the fish catch..

Boating, water sports, and water skiing have been launched by the Government of India Tourism in collaboration with Kerala Tourism and J&K Tourism.

Geography and topography

Chilika Lake is a shallow bar-built estuary with large areas of mudflats. The western and southern margins of the lake are fringed by the Eastern Ghats hill range.

Several inland rivers, which bring silt into the lake, control the northern end of the lake. A 60 km (37 mi) long barrier beach called Rejhansa, formed by northerly currents in the Bay of Bengal, resulted in the formation of this shallow lake and forms its eastern side. As an ephemeral lake, its water surface area varies from 1,165 km2 (449.8 sq mi) in the summer monsoon season to 906 km2 (349.8 sq mi) in the winter dry season.

The water spread area of the lagoon ranges between 1,165 and 906 square kilometres (450 and 350 sq mi) during the monsoon and summer respectively.

Hydrology

Three hydrological subsystems control the hydrology of the lake. The land-based system comprises distributaries of the Mahanadi River on the northern side, 52 river channels from the western side and the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side. Two of the three southern branches of the Mahanadi River that trifurcates at Cuttack, feed the lake. 61% (850 m3/s (30,000 cu ft/s)) of the total freshwater inflow into the lake is contributed by these two branches.

All the inland river systems disgorge an annual flow of about 0.375 million cubic metres (304 acre⋅ft) of freshwater which is estimated to carry 13 million metric tons of silt into the lake. On the northeast, a channel connects the lake to the Bay of Bengal.

A tropical monsoon climate prevails over the drainage basin area of the lake.

Geology

The lake is of estuarine character in an ephemeral environment. Geological studies indicate that the coastline extended along the western shores of the lake in the Pleistocene era with its northeastern region lying under the sea. That the coastline has moved eastward over the ages is supported by the fact that the nearby Konark Sun Temple, built originally on the seashore a few hundred years ago, is now about 3 km (2 mi), away from the coast.

The catchment area of Chilika lake has a rock, sand and mud substratum. It contains a wide range of sedimentary particles such as clay, silt, sand, gravel and shell banks but the major part of the catchment area is silt. Around 1.6 million metric tons per year of sediment is deposited in Chilika lake by rivers Daya and several streams.

History

Geological evidence indicates that Chilika Lake was part of the Bay of Bengal during the later stages of the Pleistocene period (1.8 million to 10,000 years BP).

Excavations were conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Golabai Sasan (20°1′7″N 85°32′54″E), north of Chilika lake in Khurdha district.

Background

Mysore, and Mandya in particular, had always been dry country, and summers regularly pushed people to migrate to wetter areas nearby. A severe drought in 1875–76 killed off a fifth of the population of the Kingdom of Mysore, and crop failures kept recurring for want of irrigation water. The Kaveri was the obvious candidate to change that. An earlier attempt already existed as a model: the Marikanive project, begun in 1897 under Diwan K. Seshadri Iyer and Queen-Regent Kempananjammanni Devi, had shown that the state could fund and build a reservoir of its own.

Geography

The Changthang Plateau in the eastern Ladakh is an extension of the western Tibetan Plateau that lies above 4,500 m (14,800 ft) msl and supports diverse but low populations of several globally threatened mammals. The lake's drainage area could also be categorised as a basin since it is a closed drainage basin that retains water and allows no outflow to other bodies of water such as rivers or oceans. The Tso Moriri lake is 20 to 50 kilometers southeast of the elevated valley of the core Rupshu Valley and falls within the greater Rupshu Plateau and valley area. The lake, with water spread area of 120 km2 (46 sq mi), 26 km north-south and 3-5 km wide, is enclosed by several peaks exceeding 6,000 m (20,000 ft) on both the east and west sides, including Mentok Kangri and Lungser Kangri.

Ecology

Despite a poor vegetation cover, relatively low standing biomass and high anthropogenic pressure, this area sustains a considerably high livestock population. Steady increase in the livestock population in the area is mainly attributed to influx of nomadic herders from Tibet during recent decades and promotion of Pashmina goat production by the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) for fine quality under wool (Pashmina). The herders and AHD officials, in recent years have begun to raise concern over degradation of pastures, resultant shortage of forage, and mass mortality of livestock during severe winters.

Tourism

The Korzok Monastery, on the western bank of the lake is 400 years old and attracts tourists and Buddhist pilgrims. Tourism during May – September attracts large number of foreign and local tourists even though tented accommodation is the facility available, apart from a small PWD guest house close to the Lake. Northeast of Tso Moriri is a small lake, Kyagar Tso in the Salt Valley, which is known locally as Lake of Joy.

Geography

Bhojtal is situated on the west central part of Bhopal city and is surrounded by Van Vihar National Park on the south, human settlements on the east and north, and agriculture fields on the west. It has an area of 31 km2, and drains a catchment or watershed of 361 km2. The watershed of the Upper Lake is mostly rural, with some urbanized areas around its eastern end. The Kolans was formerly a tributary of the Halali River, but with the creation of the lake using an earthen dam and a diversion channel, the upper reach of the Kolans River and Bada Talaab now drain into the Kaliasote River.

History

According to the local folklore, Bhojtal is said to have been built by the Paramara Raja Bhoj during his tenure as a king of Malwa (1005–1055). He is also said to have established the city of Bhopal (also named after him, then as Bhojpal) to secure the eastern frontier of his kingdom. There is a legend why they built the lake. Once king Bhoj suffered from skin disease and all Vaidyas (Doctors) failed to cure him. Then, one day a saint told the king to build a tank to combine 365 tributaries and then have a bath in it to wipe out the skin disease. Bhoj called upon his engineers to build up a huge tank. They spotted a place near river Betwa, which was 32 km away from Bhopal. It was found that it has only 359 tributaries. A Gond Commander Kalia fulfilled this shortage.

Economy and entertainment

The fishing rights to Bhopal have been given on long lease by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation to a co-operative consisting of some 500 fishermen families. Fishing is mainly done on its south-eastern shores. The lake also serves as the source of water for irrigating a large area. There are 87 villages in its catchment area in the Bhopal as well as Sehore districts. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for people in these areas and most farmers have livestock as well. While some farmers have large landholdings, many farmers are small and marginal farmers with only a few acres of land.

Bhojtal attracts tourists due to its scenery. The National Sailing School was established at the Boat Club on its eastern side.

History

Dal is mentioned as Mahasarit (Sanskrit: महासरित्, romanized: Mahāsarit, lit. 'great lake') in ancient Sanskrit texts. Ancient history records mention that a village named Isabar to the east of Dal was the residence of goddess Durga. This place was known as Sureshwari on the bank of the lake, which was sourced by a spring called the Satadhara. The name "Sureshwari" refers to the goddess Parvati, suggesting that the lake was once considered sacred and possibly associated with the goddess.

During the Mughal period, the Mughal rulers of India designated Kashmir, Srinagar in particular, as their summer resort. They developed the precincts of the Dal in Srinagar with sprawling Mughal-type gardens and pavilions as pleasure resorts to enjoy the salubrious cool climate.

Hydrology and technical details

The Sisarma stream, a tributary of the Kotra River, drains a catchment of 55 km2 from the Aravalli Mountains and contributes to the flows in the lake. The average annual rainfall in the lake basin is 635 millimetres (25.0 in). The lake has a surface area of about 696 ha. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) wide, and has depth varying from a minimum of 4.32 metres (14.2 ft) to a maximum of 8.5 metres (28 ft). In the heart of the Lake, a palace called the Lake Palace was built, which is now converted into a heritage palace hotel. This palace built in marble in 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II, 62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar, spreads across the 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres) island and is claimed to be as impressive as the Taj Mahal.

History

Lake Pichola was built by Maharaja of Parmar Rajputs, in 1362 AD. The name of the lake from nearby village Picholi, since the reign of Maharana Lakha. The Lake is said to have been occupied by Banjaras at the end of the fourteenth century, and the embankment was built by Rana Udai Singh in 1560. The lake name is driven from nearby village Picholi, during the reign of Maharana Lakha. Later, Maharana Udai Singh, impressed by the charm of this lake with the backdrop of green hills, founded the city of Udaipur on the banks of the lake and also enlarged the Lake by constructing a stone masonry dam in the Badipol region on the shore of the Lake.

History

Hussain Sagar was built across a tributary of the Musi River in 1562 AD by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. The lake was named after Hussain Shah Wali, who was the Master of Architecture in the Kingdom. It is an artificial lake that holds water perennially fed by canals from Musi river. Hussain Sagar was the main source of water supply to Hyderabad before Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar were built on river Musi.

The Buddha statue was chiselled out of a white granite rock, weighing 450 tons. It was carved by 200 sculptors for two years. The statue was transported to Hyderabad in November 1988. After initial problems, the statue was erected on 12 April 1992 on a red lotus pedestal.

Geography

Lonar Lake is located near Lonar in Buldhana district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The lake is situated at an altitude of 480 m (1,570 ft) and occupies an impact crater measuring 1.83 km (1.14 mi) in diameter and 150 m (490 ft) deep. The crater rim is raised about 20 m (66 ft) from the surrounding land, and the crater walls dip at an angle between 5 and 25°.

It is a saline and a highly alkaline lake, lying within an endorheic basin. The basin is nearly circular in shape except on its northeastern side, where silt deposition has formed raised mud flats.

Formation and geology

The impact crater on which the lake lies was formed by the hypervelocity impact of a two million tonne meteorite. The site is located in the Deccan Traps, a large igneous province in the Deccan Plateau composed of predominantly of basalt dating to about 66 Ma. The lake was initially thought to be of volcanic origin, but geological investigations established the crater's impact origin. Coarse breccia containing shatter cones and maskelynite-bearing have been recovered from drill cores beneath the crater floor, providing evidence of shock metamorphism associated with the impact. While earlier thermoluminescence analyses dated the structure to 52 ± 6 ka, subsequent argon-argon dating (40Ar/39Ar) yielded a much older age of 570 ± 47 ka.

History and religion

There are descriptions in the Skanda Purana (8th century) and Ain-i-Akbari (16th century) that have been associated with the lake, although this identification has not been conclusively established. The area surrounding the crater is home to several Hindu temples in the Chalukya and Hemadpanti architectures. These include the partially submerged Shankar Ganesha temple, Ram Gaya temple, Kamalja Devi temple, and Sita Nahani temple. The Daitya Sudan Temple is associated with the legend of Vishnu slaying the asura Lonasura, from whom the name "Lonar" is traditionally said to be derived. The crater was identified in 1823 by a British officer named C.J.E. Alexander.