Which one of the following is an artificial lake?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu)
Kodaikanal Lake is the artificial one: it is a star-shaped lake dug in 1863 in the hill town of Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. Kolleru and Renuka are described as natural in their Ramsar information sheets, and the district administration lists Nainital's Naini Lake under natural scenic beauty, with no source calling it man-made.
- ✓ (a) Tamil Nadu Tourism describes it as a star-shaped artificial lake, built in 1863 under the Collector of Madurai, Sir Vere Henry Levinge.
- ✗ (b) The Ramsar information sheet calls Kolleru a natural eutrophic lake between the Godavari and Krishna river basins, working as a natural flood-balancing reservoir.
- ✗ (c) The Nainital district administration lists Naini Lake under 'Natural / Scenic beauty' and notes that the Skanda Purana already refers to Nainital as Tri-Rishi-Sarovar; none of the sources describes it as built. Since Kodaikanal is the artificial lake, this option does not fit.
- ✗ (d) The Ramsar information sheet describes Renuka as a natural wetland in the Western Himalayas that has survived natural calamities and tectonic upheavals.
Remember · Kodaikanal Lake (TN) is man-made (1863); Kolleru and Renuka are natural wetlands (Ramsar sheets), and Naini Lake is listed as natural scenic beauty.
Sources
- Tamil Nadu Tourism: Kodaikanal Lake ↗ “The star-shaped artificial lake, with a depth of 3 meters, was built in 1863 under the stewardship of the Collector of Madurai, Sir Vere Henry Levinge.”
- Ramsar Sites Information Service: Information Sheet on Kolleru Lake ↗ “Lake Kolleru, a natural eutrophic lake, situated between the two major river basins of the Godavari and the Krishna.”
- Ramsar Sites Information Service: Information Sheet on Renuka Wetland ↗ “Renuka is a natural wetland located in the Western Himalayas which has survived through natural calamities & tectonic upheavals struck during the geological past.”
- District Nainital, Government of Uttarakhand: History ↗ “Nainital is referred to in the ‘Manas Khand’ of the ‘Skanda Purana’ as the Tri-Rishi-Sarovar”
- District Nainital, Government of Uttarakhand: Naini Lake (tourist category) ↗ “Naini Lake Category Adventure, Natural / Scenic beauty The nucleus of Nainital’s exquisite beauty is beautiful lake”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·