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Lakes of Rajasthan

Rajasthan's lakes fall into two clean groups, and the exam almost always tests the divide: saltwater lakes, concentrated in the Shekhawati–Marwar belt and led by Sambhar — India's largest inland saltwater lake and a Ramsar site; and freshwater lakes, mostly man-made and clustered around Udaipur, led by Jaisamand.

Key lakes at a glance

Lake	District	Note
Sambhar (salt)	Jaipur / Nagaur	India's largest inland saltwater lake; Ramsar site
Jaisamand (fresh)	Udaipur	Largest artificial lake in Rajasthan; built by Rana Jai Singh
Pichola (fresh)	Udaipur	Jag Mandir & Jag Niwas islands
Nakki (fresh)	Sirohi (Mount Abu)	Highest lake in Rajasthan
Pushkar (fresh)	Ajmer	Sacred lake; Brahma temple; Kartik Purnima fair

Saltwater lakes — Sambhar and the salt belt

Sambhar, spread across Jaipur and Nagaur districts, is India's largest inland saltwater lake and a Ramsar site. It is a major source of the country's salt and a wintering ground for flamingoes. The other salt lakes lie along the same arid belt — Pachpadra (Barmer), famous for its high-quality 'mor' salt made without brine wells, Didwana (Nagaur), and Lunkaransar (Bikaner).

Sambhar (Jaipur/Nagaur) — India's largest inland saltwater lake; Ramsar site; flamingo habitat
Pachpadra (Barmer) — famed for 'mor' salt of very high purity
Didwana (Nagaur) — salt lake; sodium sulphate production
Lunkaransar (Bikaner) and Kuchaman (Nagaur) — other salt lakes
Tal Chhapar (Churu) — a saline flat, now a blackbuck sanctuary

Freshwater lakes of the Mewar region

Most of Rajasthan's freshwater lakes are man-made reservoirs built by Mewar rulers. Jaisamand (Udaipur), built by Maharana Jai Singh on the Gomti river, is the largest artificial lake in Rajasthan. Rajsamand was built by Maharana Raj Singh and is famous for the Nauchowki embankment carrying the Raj Prashasti inscription. Pichola (Udaipur) holds the island palaces of Jag Mandir and Jag Niwas, while Fateh Sagar lies just north of it.

Jaisamand (Udaipur) — largest artificial lake in Rajasthan; built by Maharana Jai Singh on the Gomti
Rajsamand — built by Maharana Raj Singh; the Nauchowki embankment bears the Raj Prashasti
Pichola (Udaipur) — Jag Mandir and Jag Niwas island palaces
Fateh Sagar (Udaipur) — Nehru Garden island; north of Pichola
Udai Sagar (Udaipur) — built by Maharana Udai Singh

Ajmer, Jodhpur and other important lakes

Pushkar (Ajmer) is Rajasthan's most sacred lake, ringed by ghats and home to one of the few Brahma temples in the world; the Kartik Purnima camel fair is held on its banks. Ana Sagar (Ajmer) was built by Arnoraj Chauhan (Anaji), grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan. Nakki at Mount Abu (Sirohi) is the highest lake in Rajasthan. Jodhpur's water needs are served by Kaylana and Balsamand, and Alwar has the scenic Siliserh.

Pushkar (Ajmer) — sacred lake; Brahma temple; Kartik Purnima camel fair
Ana Sagar (Ajmer) — built by Arnoraj Chauhan (Anaji)
Nakki (Mount Abu, Sirohi) — highest lake in Rajasthan
Kaylana and Balsamand (Jodhpur); Siliserh (Alwar)
Foy Sagar (Ajmer) — built during a famine-relief work

How lakes are asked in the RAS exam

The salt-versus-fresh divide is the backbone of every question set. Fix Sambhar, Pachpadra, Didwana and Lunkaransar as saline; everything in the Udaipur cluster as fresh.
Match the lake to its builder — Jaisamand to Rana Jai Singh, Rajsamand to Rana Raj Singh, Ana Sagar to Anaji Chauhan. This pairing is a standard trap.
Two 'largest/highest' facts are near-certain: Sambhar is India's largest inland saltwater lake, and Nakki is the highest lake in Rajasthan.
Remember the Ramsar angle — Sambhar Lake and Keoladeo Ghana are Rajasthan's Ramsar sites, a favourite environment-section question.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the largest saltwater lake in India?

Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan (Jaipur–Nagaur) is India's largest inland saltwater lake and a designated Ramsar site.

Which is the largest artificial lake in Rajasthan?

Jaisamand Lake in Udaipur, built by Maharana Jai Singh on the Gomti river.

Which is the highest lake in Rajasthan?

Nakki Lake at Mount Abu in Sirohi district, situated in the Aravalli hills.

Which lakes of Rajasthan are Ramsar sites?

Sambhar Lake and Keoladeo Ghana (Bharatpur) are Rajasthan's Ramsar-designated wetlands.

Who built Rajsamand Lake and what is Nauchowki?

Rajsamand Lake was built by Maharana Raj Singh. Nauchowki is its marble embankment, which carries the Raj Prashasti — the longest Sanskrit inscription in India.