At a glance
- Sambhar: India's largest inland salt lake.
- Jaisamand: called the second-largest artificial lake of Asia; the heading of Rajasthan Tourism's own page says of India.
- Didwana: known for rohi, a deposit of thenardite (about 90% sodium sulphate) that is a raw material of heavy chemicals.
Salt lakes
| Lake | Place | Salt and size |
|---|---|---|
| Sambhar | Sambhar Lake town, Jaipur district; the lake in the old Nagaur district (now Didwana-Kuchaman, around Nawa), partly in Jaipur district | Common salt from brine; average brine is 88% sodium chloride, 7.5% sodium sulphate and 4.5% sodium carbonate |
| Didwana | Didwana (then Nagaur district, now Didwana-Kuchaman district) | Oval basin 8.04 km long and 6.4 km wide, 64 km from Sambhar; its salt is rich in sodium sulphate and poor as common salt, about 80% sodium chloride |
| Pachpadra | Pachpadra (then Barmer district, now Balotra district) | Long oval basin about 12.8 km long, 82.74 sq km; common salt from brine that seeps into pits 3.04 to 3.65 m deep; about 1 lakh tonnes a year |
| Lunkaransar | Lunkaransar, Bikaner district | About 4.5 sq km, 72.4 km north-east of Bikaner; common salt from pits that fill with underground brine |
| Kuchaman | Kuchaman (then Nagaur district, now Didwana-Kuchaman district) | Listed with Sambhar, Didwana and Sargot among the salt lakes of the old Nagaur district |
| Talchhapar | Talchhapar, Churu district | Named with Sambhar, Didwana and Kuchaman among the large salt lakes of the inland-drainage west |
| Phalodi | Phalodi (then Jodhpur district, now Phalodi district) | A salt tract of more than 100 sq km together with Bap; salt from brine pumped out of shallow dug wells |
Sizes and yields are as given in the Geological Survey of India's 2011 report; yields change every year.
Sambhar Lake
| Length and width | About 35.5 km long and 3 to 11 km wide |
|---|---|
| Area (sources differ) | 24,000 ha in the Ramsar record (1990); 243 sq km in the Geological Survey of India's 2011 report |
| Common salt | About 2 lakh tonnes a year (2011) |
| Dam | A stone dam about 5 km long divides the lake; the salt-evaporation ponds lie east of it |
| Name | By tradition from Shakambhari, the Chauhans' tutelary goddess |
Freshwater lakes
| Lake | Place | Built by and when | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaisamand (Dhebar) | Near Salumbar (then Udaipur district, now Salumbar) | Maharana Jai Singh, 1685 | Dam across the Gomati river; 36 sq km, 14 km long and 9 km wide |
| Rajsamand | Rajsamand, between Rajnagar and Kankroli | Maharana Raj Singh I, 1662 to 1676 | Dam across the Gomati, Kelwa and Tali rivers |
| Pichola | Udaipur | A Banjara (Pichhu Banjara), in Maharana Lakha's reign; later enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II | Islands include Jag Niwas, Jag Mandir, Mohan Mandir and Arsi Vilas |
| Fateh Sagar | Udaipur | Maharana Jai Singh, 1678; rebuilt by Maharana Fateh Singh after floods washed away its earthen bund | Three islands, the largest being Nehru Island |
| Ana Sagar | Ajmer | Arnoraj (Anaji) Chauhan, 1135 to 1150 | |
| Foy Sagar | Ajmer | Mr Foy, an English engineer, 1892 | Dug to give famine-relief wages |
| Pushkar | Pushkar, Ajmer district | By legend it formed where Brahma dropped a lotus | Semi-circular, 8 to 10 m deep, with 52 bathing ghats and over 400 temples |
| Nakki | Mount Abu, Sirohi district | Toad Rock stands close by |
- Other lakes: Bankli dam (Jalore), Tordisagar (Tonk), Sardarsamand (Pali) and Nawalakha (Bundi).
Ramsar wetlands of Rajasthan
- Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur), 1 October 1981; Sambhar, 23 March 1990.
- Menar (Udaipur) and Khichan (Phalodi) were added as Ramsar sites, announced on 4 June 2025; this took India to 91 Ramsar sites.
Traditional water-conservation structures
| Structure | Meaning | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Khadin | A long earthen or masonry bund (100 to 300 m) across a slope; the runoff it holds soaks the farmland behind it, and both rabi and kharif crops grow there | Jaisalmer; devised by the Paliwal Brahmins in the medieval period (the 15th century) |
| Nadi | A small village pond in the low parts of a sandy plain that holds rain runoff, usually 4 to 5 m deep, for people, livestock and wildlife | Mostly western Rajasthan |
| Tanka | A covered underground tank dug 5 to 6 m deep at a house or field and filled from the roof or a catchment (agor), for drinking water | Western Rajasthan, for example Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer |
| Kund (kundi) | A circular covered well in the middle of a saucer-shaped catchment (agor), for drinking water | Sandy tracts of the Thar, western Rajasthan |
| Beri (kui) | A narrow pit dug beside a talab or khadin to collect seepage, used for drinking water when the rain water dries up in summer | Western Rajasthan, Barmer and Jaisalmer |
| Johad | A store of monsoon rain for people and livestock that also recharges groundwater | Shekhawati and Haryana; Alwar |
| Talab | A larger rain-fed tank, mostly built beside a slope, for people and livestock | Hemabas (Pali), Sareri and Meja (Bhilwara), Banakiya and Senapani (Chittorgarh), Gadisar and Gajroopsagar (Jaisalmer) |
| Baori (stepwell) | A square, round or circular water source with steps leading down to the water | Almost every district; Bundi is called the 'City of Step Wells' for its many stepwells |
- Beri's depth (sources differ): 5 to 6 m deep and 2 to 3 ft across in the RBSE book; 10 to 12 m in a Central Ground Water Board paper; 5 to 12 m by the Centre for Science and Environment.
- Johad's form (sources differ): an open, round store like a larger tanka in the RBSE book; a small earthen check dam, usually semi-circular, across a slope in a Central Ground Water Board paper.
Government water-conservation campaigns
- Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: Catch the Rain: launched on 1 June 2026, joining Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari with Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain, which began on World Water Day, 22 March 2021 (as of 19 July 2026).
- Mission Amrit Sarovar: launched on 24 April 2022; each Amrit Sarovar is planned as a pond of at least one acre (0.4 ha) holding about 10,000 cubic metres; Phase 2 has run since September 2023 (as of 22 January 2026).
Remember: often mixed up
- Didwana or PachpadraDidwana is the sodium sulphate lake · Pachpadra's pits give common salt.
- Khadin or beria khadin farms the soaked bed · a beri is a narrow pit beside it for summer drinking water.
- Nadi or talaba nadi is the small, shallow pond · a talab is the larger tank.
- Foy Sagar or Ana SagarAna Sagar is the Chauhan lake · Foy Sagar the British-era famine-relief lake.
Test yourself: asked in exams
RAS Prelims 2024 · Q8
In which district of Rajasthan 'Khadin' is a popular method of water conservation ?
- (1)Nagaur
- (2)Bikaner
- (3)Jaisalmer
- (4)Pali
Show answer
✓ (3) Jaisalmer
See the full paperCET Graduation Level 2024 · Q72
Among the following places in Rajasthan, where is the Pichola lake situated ?
- (1)Udaipur
- (2)Ajmer
- (3)Bhilwara
- (4)Karauli
Show answer
✓ (1) Udaipur
See the full paperProtection Officer 2022 · Q39
In which district of Rajasthan Menar village is located, which is popularly known as 'Bird Village' ?
- (1)Udaipur
- (2)Jodhpur
- (3)Bharatpur
- (4)Jhalawar
Show answer
✓ (1) Udaipur
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