Lake questions are mostly about records: largest, longest, highest, saline. If you learn these “superlatives” plus a few famous names per state, you are done.
In this post (6 sections)
Record holdersLakes state-wiseTypes of lakesExam-ready one-linersRelated readingQuiz: test yourselfRecord holders
| Record | Lake | State / UT |
|---|---|---|
| Largest freshwater lake | Wular | J&K |
| Largest brackish water lagoon | Chilika | Odisha |
| Largest inland saline lake | Sambhar | Rajasthan |
| Longest lake | Vembanad | Kerala |
| Largest freshwater lake in the North-East | Loktak | Manipur |
| Second largest brackish lagoon | Pulicat | Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu |
| Meteorite crater lake | Lonar | Maharashtra |
Lakes state-wise
| State / UT | Lakes | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| J&K | Wular, Dal, Manasbal | Dal has floating gardens and houseboats (Srinagar) |
| Ladakh | Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri | Pangong is saline and shared with China |
| Himachal Pradesh | Renuka, Chandratal, Prashar, Gobind Sagar | Gobind Sagar is the Bhakra dam reservoir |
| Uttarakhand | Nainital, Bhimtal, Roopkund | Roopkund is the “skeleton lake” |
| Rajasthan | Sambhar, Pushkar, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Jaisamand | Udaipur is the “City of Lakes” |
| Odisha | Chilika | Irrawaddy dolphins; Nalabana bird sanctuary |
| Andhra Pradesh | Kolleru, Pulicat | Kolleru lies between the Krishna and Godavari deltas |
| Telangana | Hussain Sagar | Man-made lake in Hyderabad, built in the 16th century (approx) |
| Kerala | Vembanad, Ashtamudi, Sasthamkotta | Sasthamkotta is Kerala’s largest freshwater lake |
| Tamil Nadu | Pulicat, Kodaikanal, Ooty | Kodai and Ooty are man-made hill lakes |
| Manipur | Loktak | Phumdis and Keibul Lamjao, the floating national park |
| Meghalaya | Umiam (Barapani) | Man-made reservoir near Shillong |
| Sikkim | Gurudongmar, Tsomgo (Changu) | Gurudongmar is one of the highest lakes in India |
| Chandigarh | Sukhna | Man-made; now a Ramsar site (2026) |
| Maharashtra | Lonar | Formed by a meteorite impact about 50,000 years ago (approx) |
Types of lakes
- Tectonic: Wular (formed by earth movements).
- Crater: Lonar.
- Lagoon: Chilika, Pulicat, Vembanad (separated from the sea by sandbars).
- Glacial: Chandratal, Gurudongmar.
- Man-made: Hussain Sagar, Sukhna, Gobind Sagar.
Exam-ready one-liners
- Wular is India’s largest freshwater lake.
- Chilika is the largest brackish water lagoon.
- Sambhar is the largest inland saline lake.
- Vembanad is the longest lake in India.
- Lonar in Maharashtra is a meteorite crater lake.
Related reading
Quiz: test yourself
Loading the quiz…
Compiled from standard geography sources; ages and sizes are approx.
Get daily current affairs & job alerts freeJoin SyllabusBox for updates every day.