Rajasthan State Exam Study Notes: Lakes of Rajasthan

By Trupti Thool|Updated : December 14th, 2021

Hello students, 

River System and Lakes of Rajasthan is one of the favorite and important topics of RPSC. In this topic know all about the Lakes in Rajasthan, all-important water bodies in Rajasthan. Read it thoroughly. 

LAKES OF RAJASTHAN

Rajasthan is the aridest state of India with average yearly rainfall of less than that 100 cm.  However, Rajasthan has a large number of lakes mostly artificial as well as historical, signifying a tradition of conserving natural resources and respecting nature.

The lakes of Rajasthan can be divided into two categories –

  • Salt (Saline) water lakes, and
  • Sweet (Fresh) water lakes

Salt (Saline) Water Lakes

These lakes are found in the western desert and inland drainage areas of the state. These are natural and shallow lakes. Sambhar (Jaipur), Deedwana (Nagaur), Pachpadra (Barmer), Lunkaransar (Bikaner), Kuchaman (Nagaur) are the main salt water lakes. Salt production from these lakes is done on a commercial basis. Some other saltwater lakes in the state- Talchapar (Churu), Degana (Nagaur), Falaudi (Jodhpur), Revasa (Sikar), Kavod (Jaisalmer) etc.

1. Sambhar Lake- Sambhar, Located in Jaipur district covering an area of about 145 sq km is India’s second-biggest saltwater lake, after Chilka Lake. However, it is the biggest salt-producing lake in the country. In the Bijolia inscription, the lake is said to have been constructed by Ruler Vasudev Chauhan.  In this four rivers come and fall- Khari River(Nagaur), Khandela River(Sikar), Rupangarh River(Ajmer) and Mentha River(Jaipur). It is estimated that Aravalli ranges silt filled in the troughs of Gneiss and Gneiss is the source of salt. The soluble sodium compound located in the silt enters the rainwater and reaches the lake through the rivers and after evaporation of the water remains in the lake as salt. Sambhar Salt Limited (40%) and Hindustan Salt Limited (60%), are the two main Companies which produces salt from sambhar. In 1990, Sambhar lake was included in Ramsar site.

2. Panchpadra Lake- It is located in  Pachpadra village of Balotra tehsil of Barmer district of the state. Due to the Presence of 98% of NaCl maximum brine salt is obtained from this lake. In this lake, people of the Kharwal caste make salt rhinestone by using "morli bush".

3. Didwana Lake- It is located in Nagaur district of the state. Maharana Kumbha of Mewar and imposed a tax on salt during his regime which is mentioned in the inscription of Kirti stambha.  Na2SO4 is obtained in place of NaCl therefore poorest quality salt is produced from this lake.

Sweet Water Lakes 

These lakes are very important as sources of drinking water and irrigation. Jaisamand (Udaipur), Rajsamand (Rajsamand), Pushkar (Ajmer), Silised (Alwar), Ramgarh (Jaipur), Kolayat (Bikaner), Nakki (Mt. Abu), Kaylana (Jodhpur), Anasagar (Ajmer), Pichola Lake(Udaipur), Fatehsagar(Udaipur), Udaisagar(udaipur), Foysagar(Ajmer) etc. are the main sweet water lakes. A number of dams have been constructed on some rivers. The lakes and dams attract tourists due to their scenic natural beauty.

1. Jaisamand Lake- It is also known as Dhebar Lake. It is India's first and world's second oldest historical and largest artificial sweet water lake. It is located in the Udaipur District of the state. It was constructed by the Maharana Jaisingh (1685-92 AD) on Gomati River. There are 7 big islands inside this lake, in which Baba Ka Bhaga is the largest and Pyaari is the smallest. and the tribe of Bhil Minas inhabits all. The lake also has the “Taj Mahal Palace and “Ruthi Rani Ka Mahal”. Shyampura and Bhat canals took out from this lake for irrigation purposes. 

2. Pichola Lake- It is situated in Udaipur city of the state. It was named after the nearby Picholi village. Sisarma and Bujhda Rivers contribute to the flows in the lake. Pichola Lake was built in 1388 AD by Banjara during the reign of Maharana Lakha.  Jag Niwas, Jag Mandir Palaces and Natani ka Chabutra are located within Pichola Lake. Shah Jahan who rebelled against Jahangir sought the refuge of the Mewar King Maharana Karan Singh II in 1623 and was housed in the partially completed Jag Mandir Palace.

3. Fateh Sagar Lake- Fateh Sagar Lake is located in Udaipur city of the state. Debali village was here in ancient times in place of Fatehsagar Lake that is why it is also called Debali Talab. It is also called Connot Dam. It was constructed by Maharana Jai Singh first but later it is reconstructed by Maharana Fateh Singh and named after him. This lake is connected to Pichola Lake through Swaroop Sagar Link Lake. There is an island on the Fatehsagar Lake on which Nehru Park has been developed. Also, a solar observatory has been established in the lake.

4. Udaisagar Lake- Udaisagar Lake, one of the five prominent lakes of Udaipur. This lake was constructed by Maharana Udai Singh on Berach River. Recently this lake has been declared as “Conserved Lake” of Rajasthan.

5. Rajsamand Lake- This Lake is located in the Rajsamand district. It is the second-largest artificial lake in India. This lake is spread over an area of 88 sq km. Maharana Raj Singh built this lake in 1662 AD by constructing a dam on the Gomti River. On its embankment, there is a monument of marble on which Maharana Raj Singh wrote the famous inscription Raj Prashasti which was engraved by Ranchod Bhatt Tailang. Nau Chauki Pal, Ghevar Mata Temple and Dwrkadeesh Temple have been built near this lake.

6. Nakki Lake- It is located near the temple of Raghunathji is the Mount Abu Sirohi district of the state. It is the highest lake in Rajasthan. It is said that a Hindu god made this lake by digging it with his nails. Ashes of dead persons are immersed in this lake by the Garasiya tribe.

7. Anasagar Lake- It is an artificial lake located in the Ajmer district of the state.  It was built by Arnoraja, the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan, and is named after him. The Baradari or pavilions were built by Shahjahan in 1637 and Daulat Bagh Gardens by Jahangir. There is a Circuit house on a hill near the lake that used to be British Residency.

8. Pushkar Lake- It is a sacred Hindu lake located in the Pushkar town of Ajmer district of the state. Thus according to Hindus, it is a pilgrimage. From the mythological point of view, this lake was built by Lord Brahma ji, due to this a temple of Brahma ji has also been built near the lake. Pushkar Lake is surrounded by 52 bathing ghats, where pilgrims throng in large numbers to take a sacred bath on Kartik Poornima when the Pushkar Fair is held. A dip in the sacred lake is believed to cleanse sins and cure skin diseases. This Lake is described as ‘Tirath Raj’, ‘Konkan Tirath’, ‘Tiratho ka Mama’ and ‘Fifth Thirath’.

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