Northeast India is home to many magnificent mountains and lakes. From the famous Madhuri Lake in Arunachal Pradesh to the beautiful floating Loktak Lake in Manipur, here is a compilation of 8 lakes from the all the states in the Northeast that is worth a visit
#1 GURUDONGMAR LAKE – SIKKIM
Gurudongmar Lake or Gurudogmar Lake is one of the highest lakes in the world located at an altitude of 17,100 ft. It lies in the district of North Sikkim in the state of Sikkim in India, about 5 kilometres south of the Chinese border.
#2 LOKTAK LAKE (FLOATING LAKE) – MANIPUR
Loktak Lake, also known as the Floating Lake, is one of the largest fresh water lakes in India and the largest in North East India. The floating phumdis is exclusive to this lake making it the most beautiful aspect of it. Phumdi is a heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil, and organic matters at various stages of decomposition. Loktak Lake is the only floating lake in the world.
#3 UMIAM LAKE (BARA PANI) – MEGHALAYA
Umiam Lake was created by damming the Umiam River in the early 1960s. The lake is a scenic place tucked away amidst the hills of Meghalaya and is around 15 km from Shillong. Also known as Bara Pani, Umiam meaning Crying River in the Khasi language has a lovely tale of two sisters.
#4 SANGETSAR LAKE (MADHURI LAKE) – ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Sangetsar Lake, popularly known as Madhuri Lake after the famous Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit, is a high altitude lake in Arunachal Pradesh. The lake is about 30 kilometres north east of Tawang and is considered holy by the Buddhists. The lake shot to fame after Bollywood film Koyla, featuring Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, was shot here.
#5 CHANDUBI LAKE – ASSAM
Located at the foot of Garo Hills, the Chandubi Lake attracts sizable amount of migratory birds during winter. This lake was formed during the 1897 Assam earthquake. During that period the forest went down and became the lake.
#6 SHILLOI LAKE (LACHEM LAKE) – NAGALAND
This beautiful natural lake is located in the Phek region of Nagaland. Originally called ‘Lütsam’, meaning a place where water is collected, this lake falls in a valley surrounded with pine forest and interesting landscapes. The British called her ‘Shiloh’ but today it is officially known as ‘Shilloi’.
#7 PALAK LAKE (PALAK DIL OR PALA TIPO) – MIZORAM
Palak lake is the largest lake in southern Mizoram and is situated in the Lakher region of Chhimtuipui district, 130 km south-west of Saiha. It is said that the lake came into existence as a result of an earthquake or a flood. The local people believe a village which was submerged still remains intact deep under the waters of the lake.
#8 RUDRASAGAR LAKE (RUDIJALA) – TRIPURA
Located about 55 kms away from Agartala, Rudrasagar Lake is famous for the magnificent “Neermahal” palace, India’s second most attractive water palaceafter Jal Mahal in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, palace. Neermahal (Water Palace), situated near the north-east bank of the lake was constructed as a summerresort by the king of Tripura Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur in between 1935–1938. Every winter, the lake witnesses a large number of migratory birds.