8 Most Beautiful Lakes in Odisha - Odisha Tourist Places

              Among the biggest attractions of the state of Odisha are some beautiful and pristine lakes, which remain crowded by tourists all year round. Here I have listed some top Lake of Odisha with details.


Image Credit: Mayfair hotels Blog



1. Chilika Lake

The Chilika lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda, and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km2. It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest coastal lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef in New Caledonia. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. The lake is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals.



2. Anshupa Lake

The Ansupa Lake is a horseshoe-shaped freshwater lake on the left bank of the Mahanadi river, opposite Banki in Cuttack district, Odisha, India. Ansupa Lake in Banki is 40 km from the city of Cuttack, which also acts as a shelter for the migratory birds during the wintry weather season. It is a freshwater lake situated amidst the Saranda Hills and enclosed by bamboo tree greenery and mango trees. To visitor's delight, there are boating and fishing facilities in the Ansupa Lake. This small but extremely picturesque Ansupa lake holds a prominent position in the tourist map of Odisha for its beauty, proximity This eye-catching tourist attraction is about 50 km from Bhubaneshwar. 


3. Sorada Reservoir


About 80 km from Berhampur, Sorada holds in its bosom a reservoir amidst uncommon scenic charm. Popularly known as Sorada Ghai, it lends itself beautifully into an enchanting picnic spot. At times, the water of this reservoir is channelized to Rushikulya river for irrigation. Reach: By air - The nearest airport is at Bhubaneswar, 180 km from Gopalpur-on-sea. Bhubaneshwar is a one-hour flight from Kolkata. By rail - The nearest railhead is Berhampur (16 km from Gopalpur-on-sea ) on the Kolkata-Chennai line. 



4. Hirakud Reservoir



Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from Sambalpur in the state of Odisha in India. Behind the dam extends a lake, Hirakud Reservoir, 55 km (34 mi) long. It is one of the first major multipurpose river valley projects started after India's independence. Hirakud Reservoir, which is the largest artificial lake in Asia, covering an area of 746 km. Located 16 km north of Sambalpur, this huge lake is a part of the Hirakud Dam, which has been built over River Mahanadi and is the longest dam in the world. You can witness some unusual migratory birds at the lake.



5. Kanjia


The Kanjia Lake is a natural lake on the northern outskirts of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. While the main lake covers 75 hectares (190 acres), the total wetland covers an area of 105 hectares (260 acres) with the scuba diving facility. It has a rich biodiversity and is a wetland of national importance which is helpful for maintaining the city's ecology. The lake's ecosystem consists of 37 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, 46 species of fish and three species of prawns, 10 species of submerged macrophytes, 14 species of floating macrophytes and 24 species of emergent macrophytes. The lake is facing threat from uncontrolled quarrying, the dumping of solid waste and haphazard real estate construction on its fringe areas. The lake is a part of the Nandankanan Zoological Park and is used for recreational boating by visitors.



6. Indravati Reservoir


The Indravati Dam is a gravity dam on the Indravati River, about 90 km from Bhawanipatna in the state of Odisha in India. It is connected to the main Indravati reservoir via 4.32 km long and 7 m dia head race tunnel designed for a discharge capacity of 210 cumecs and terminating in a surge shaft. Currently, it is the largest power producing dam in eastern India with a capacity of 600 MW. The Upper Indravati Project envisages diversion of water from the Indravati river in its upper reaches into the Mahanadi river basin for power generation and irrigation. In addition to the powerhouse, the project involved the construction of 4 dams across the Indravati and its tributaries, 8 dikes and two inter-linking channels to form a single reservoir with a live capacity of 1,435.5 Million m3 and a barrage across Hati river in Mahanadi river basin.


7. Rengali Reservoir


The Rengali dam is located in Odisha. It is constructed across Brahmani River in Rengali village located 70 km from Angul in Angul district, Odisha in India. Rengali dam is 70.5 m tall and 1040 m wide. The reservoir formed by the dam is the second largest reservoir in Odisha with 37, 840 hectares at full level and 28,000 hectares in mean level. The reservoir has a catchment area of 25,250 km2 mostly forests and wasteland. The dam is also used to generate electricity by 5 units with a capacity of 50MW each. The dam holds 3412 million cubic meters of water at Full Reservoir Level (FRL). A barrage is constructed across the Brahmani river 35 km downstream of Rengali dam. The barrage is used to store the flood releases from the dam and divert it through two canal systems. It has a free catchment area of 4780 km2 and between the dam and barrage. The area records an annual rainfall of 1570 mm on average.


8. Balimela Reservoir


The Balimela Reservoir is located in Malkangiri district, Odisha, India on the river Sileru which is a tributary of the Godavari river. The gross storage capacity of Balimela reservoir is 3610 million cubic meters. Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Odisha states entered into agreements to construct Balimela dam as a joint project and share the Sileru river waters available equally at Balimela dam site. Odisha developed the 360 MW (6 × 60 MW units) powerhouse by diverting the Balimela waters to the Potter sub-river basin. A barrage at Surlikonda across the Potters stream was constructed to redirect the discharge from Balimela Power House into two main canals for irrigation; one on the right side named Tamasha Main Canal and the second on the left side named Gompakonda Main Canal. These two canals were constructed under the Potteru Irrigation Project for irrigation in Malkangiri district, the most backward district of the state and thereby lifting the living standard of the inhabitants. Two more power generation units 75 MW each were added under stage-2 to increase the installed capacity up to 510 MW.



Information Source: Onlytravelguide, Wikipedia, Google
Image Source: Google Images, Wikipedia

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