Dams in India were ideally built to hold back water that could otherwise be destructive, and aid in purposes such as irrigation. But with time they have evolved into full-fledged tourist destinations offering opportunities for photography, natural beauty, sightseeing, bird watching, and many more. Nowadays most trips to areas with major rivers are incomplete without a visit to dams. Since India is a country with a lot of rivers, it is natural to have a lot of dams. Here we have listed the Top 10 dams in India, all of which are definitely worth a visit.
- Indira Gandhi Dames in Madhya Pradesh
- Panchet Dames in Dhanbad, Jharkhand
- Bilaspur Dames Rajasthan
- Maithan Dames Dhanbad, Jharkhand
- Rihand Dames Uttar Pradesh
- Tungbhadra Dames , Karnataka
- Bhavanisager Dames , Tamil Nadu
- Koyna Dames, Maharashtra
- Krishnanager Dames, Karnataka
- Hirakund Dames , Udisha
1. Indira Gandhi Dames in Madhya Pardesh
Indira Gandhi Project is a multi-purpose project, located on the right bank of river Narmada, 10 km from Punasa village in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. The foundation stone of this project was laid by the then Prime Minister of India, Late Smt. Indira Gandhi on 23.10.1984. The installed power capacity of the project is 1000 MW (8X125) and is designed to generate annual electricity of 2698.00 million units. The cost of this project as per CCEA approval is Rs 4355.57 crore (at the September 2000 price level). The early commissioning of the units of Indira Sagar Power Station has resulted in considerable savings in the cost of the project. The length of Indira Sagar Dam is 653 meters and the maximum height from the base is 92 meters. A total of 14.00 lakh cubic meters of concreting has been done in the dam.
2. Panchet Dames in Dhanbad , Jharkhand
Panchet Dam is built on the Damodar River in the Panchet area of Dhanbad district in Jharkhand. Inaugurated in 1959, Panchet Dam is the fourth of the 4 multi-purpose dams under Phase I of the Damodar Valley Corporation.
Panchet Dam is located on GT Road at a distance of 9 km from Chirkunda, 54 km from Dhanbad, 20 km from Asansol and 240 km from Kolkata. To the north of Panchet Dam, lies Dhanbad district and on the southern bank it is surrounded by Purulia district.
Tourists can reach this place by reaching Kumardhubi, which is the nearest railway station just 10 km away from Panchet Dam via the Grand Chord Line. The dam has Panchet Hill in the background, which makes this place a great picnic spot for travelers, especially during Christmas and New Year days.
The ideal time to visit this reservoir is at the end of monsoon, when the water level of the tank is high and the dam doors are opened to let out the water, or at the beginning of winter.
3. Bilashpur Dames Rajasthan
Bilaspur Dam is located in Rajasthan, so there must be something about it that is very attractive to tourists - and it does. The dam is famous for showcasing many species of birds that come here naturally. It is situated on the banks of Banas River in Tonks, Rajasthan.
4. Maithan Dames Dhanbad , Jharkhand
Maithon's name is derived from "Mai ka Sthan", meaning the place of the Hindu goddess Maa Kalyaneshwari. It is situated on the banks of Barakar River. Maithon Dam is located about 48 kilometers from the coal town Dhanbad. The dam with underground power station is the only one of its kind in the entire Southeast Asia. The lake on which it is built is spread over 65 square kilometers. It was developed by Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC Limited) in the year 1948. This dam is approximately 15712 feet long and approximately 165 feet tall. The underground power station has a capacity to generate approximately 60,000 kilowatts of electricity.
Maithon Dam itself is situated on a picturesque landscape amidst a beautiful lake and beautiful green forests. You can enjoy boating with friends and family on the lake. Apart from this, you can also enjoy a walk in the beautiful green forests surrounding the lake. Watching the sunrise and sunset is a treat for tourists, which you should not miss when you are in Maithon. If you are spiritually minded then you must visit the ancient temple of Goddess Kalyaneshwari.
5. Rihand Dames Uttar pardesh
5. Rihand Dames , Uttar Pardesh
After independence, the foundation stone of river valley projects was laid to exploit the huge water potential of the country, one of these is the mega project. The first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid its foundation stone in July 1954.
It took a total of 9 years for its construction and the Rihand Dam project became operational from January 1963.
Rihand Dam Project is built on Rihand River, this river is also known as Renuka River.
This river originates from the hills of Matiranga, which is located in Ambikapur tehsil Chhattisgarh. From its origin, this river flows northwards, cutting the hills of Surguja Basin and Deogarh.
It joins the Son river at a place called Chopan in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. The total length of this river originating from Chhattisgarh is 145 kilometers.
6. Tungbhadra Dames , Karnataka
Tungabhadra Dam also known as Pampa Sagar is a multi-purpose dam built on the Tungabhadra River at Hospet in Ballari district of Karnataka. It was built by Dr. Thirumalai Iyengar in 1953.
Tungabhadra reservoir has a storage capacity of 101 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) and the catchment area extends over 28000 square kilometres. Its height is approximately 49.5 meters.
It is the lifeline of the 6 chronically drought-prone districts of Bellary, Koppal and Raichur in Karnataka (known as the rice bowl of Karnataka) and Anantapur, Cuddapah and Kurnool in neighboring Andhra Pradesh.
Apart from irrigating vast tracts of land in both the states, it also generates hydropower and helps prevent floods.
7. Bhavanisager Dames , Tamil Nadu
With architecture that looks like ancient Greek buildings, Bhavanisagar Dam tops the list of a different kind- it is the grandest masonry dam on the planet. It is located off Coimbatore and is a major crowd puller.
India is an agricultural economy and as such, water goes hand in hand with development and production. Dams are central to this structure and nowadays, they are major tourist attractions too. Head over to one and return with stories to tell.
8. Koyna Dames , Maharashtra
Koyna Dam is one of the largest dams located in Satara district of Maharashtra. With a water storage capacity of 105 TMC, Koyna Dam is considered the lifeline of the Satara region. Koyna Dam (Koyna Dam in Hindi) is a type of rough-concrete dam built on the Koyna River. The Koyna River is a tributary of the Krishna River that originates near Mahabaleshwar in the Sahyadri mountain range of the Western Ghats.
9. Krishnanager Dames , Karnataka
Krishnarajasagar Dam is a masonry dam built on the banks of the Kaveri river in Mysore, Karnataka. This has close to it the birthplace and childhood hometown of the eponymous Hindu Lord Krishna, the Brindavans. It has a garden within which is popular in its own right as a garden park and tourist spot. It also is located in Mysore, one of the most beautiful spots of India featured often in media.
10. Hirakund Dames , Udisha
Hirakud Dam Project is a multipurpose scheme for flood control, irrigation and power generation. This dam is built on the Mahanadi about 15 km above the city of Sambalpur in the state of Odisha. It is one of the oldest hydropower projects in India, the country's first major multi-purpose river valley project after independence. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid its foundation stone in 1948. This dam is located at a distance of 6 km from National Highway no. 6. The nearest rail station is Hirakud Railway Station which is at a distance of 8 km from the dam site.
The project provides 1,55,635 hectare Kharif and 1,08,385 hectare Rabi irrigation in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir and Subarnapur districts. The water released through the power house irrigates 4,36,000 hectares of CCA in the Mahanadi delta. The installed capacity of power generation through its two power houses, at Burla, on the right bank and at Chiplima, 22 km downstream of the dam, is 359.8 MW. Moreover, the project provides flood protection to 9500 sq km delta area in Cuttack and Puri districts.
