India's biggest dam depends on which parameter — height, length, or reservoir capacity. Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand) is the tallest dam in India at 260.5 metres. Hirakud Dam (Odisha) is the longest dam (main dam: 4.8 km). Bhakra Nangal Dam (Himachal Pradesh/Punjab) is the most famous large gravity dam and has one of the largest reservoirs. Sardar Sarovar Dam (Gujarat) is the largest dam in terms of concrete volume.
Tallest dam in India: Tehri Dam (260.5 m), Uttarakhand, on Bhagirathi River.
Longest dam: Hirakud Dam (4.8 km main dam), Odisha, on Mahanadi River.
Most famous large dam: Bhakra Nangal Dam (225.55 m), on Sutlej River.
Bhakra Nangal called 'Temple of Resurgent India' by Jawaharlal Nehru.
Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River in Gujarat (inaugurated 2017).
Hirakud Dam: India's first major multipurpose river project, completed 1957.
Tehri Dam: 2400 MW hydroelectric power — largest in India.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam: on Krishna River, Telangana/Andhra Pradesh.
Tallest Dam in India: • Tehri Dam — 260.5 metres tall • Location: Tehri district, Uttarakhand; on Bhagirathi River • Type: Rock and earth-fill embankment dam • Purpose: Hydroelectric power (2400 MW), irrigation, drinking water • Reservoir: Tehri Reservoir (Tehri Lake) • One of the tallest dams in the world
Longest Dam in India: • Hirakud Dam — Main dam: 4.8 km (total 25 km including dikes) • Location: Sambalpur district, Odisha; on Mahanadi River • Type: Multipurpose dam (hydroelectric + irrigation + flood control) • First major multipurpose river valley project of India (completed 1957) • Reservoir: Hirakud Reservoir (one of the largest artificial lakes in India)
Most Famous Large Dam: • Bhakra Nangal Dam — Height: 225.55 metres • Location: Himachal Pradesh/Punjab border; on Sutlej River • Called the 'Temple of Resurgent India' by Jawaharlal Nehru • Bhakra Dam: 225.55 m tall; Nangal Dam: 29 m tall (downstream)
Dam | River | State | Height/Length Tehri Dam | Bhagirathi | Uttarakhand | 260.5 m (tallest) Bhakra Dam | Sutlej | HP/Punjab border | 225.55 m Sardar Sarovar | Narmada | Gujarat | 138.68 m (longest concrete dam) Nagarjuna Sagar | Krishna | Telangana/AP | 124 m Hirakud | Mahanadi | Odisha | 4.8 km (longest main dam) Koyna | Koyna | Maharashtra | 103 m Idukki | Periyar | Kerala | 168 m (arch dam) Tungabhadra | Tungabhadra | Karnataka | 49.4 m Gandhi Sagar | Chambal | Madhya Pradesh | 62.17 m Mettur | Kaveri | Tamil Nadu | 120 m
Largest by reservoir storage: • Nagarjuna Sagar: ~11.56 km³ • Hirakud: ~8.14 km³ • Sardar Sarovar: ~9.5 km³
Important GK facts:
• First dam of independent India: Bhakra Nangal (construction started 1948) • Jawaharlal Nehru called Bhakra Nangal the 'Temple of Resurgent India' • First multipurpose project: Damodar Valley Corporation (1948) — modelled on Tennessee Valley Authority (USA) • Hirakud Dam inaugurated by PM Nehru in 1957 — first major multipurpose project completed • Sardar Sarovar Dam: largest project on Narmada River; named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; inaugurated by PM Modi in 2017 • Tehri Dam: completed in 2006; delayed by protests led by environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna
Dams and rivers mnemonic: • Bhagirathi → Tehri (Uttarakhand) • Sutlej → Bhakra (HP) • Mahanadi → Hirakud (Odisha) • Narmada → Sardar Sarovar (Gujarat) • Krishna → Nagarjuna Sagar (AP/Telangana)
Largest Hydroelectric Dam: • Tehri Dam: 2400 MW (largest) • Sardar Sarovar: 1450 MW
The answer depends on the parameter: Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand) is the tallest at 260.5 m. Hirakud Dam (Odisha) is the longest main dam at 4.8 km. Bhakra Dam (HP/Punjab) at 225.55 m is the most famous large gravity dam. For competitive exams, Tehri Dam is usually cited as the 'tallest' and Hirakud as the 'longest.'
Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand, on the Bhagirathi River, is the tallest dam in India at 260.5 metres. It is also one of the world's tallest dams. It has a hydroelectric capacity of 2400 MW.
Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur district, Odisha, on the Mahanadi River. The main dam is 4.8 km long (with dikes and saddle dams, the total extends to about 25 km). It was India's first major multipurpose river valley project, completed in 1957.
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