Chilka Lake (also Chilika Lake) is a brackish water coastal lake in India's Orissa state, south of the mouth of the Mahanadi River. It is the largest coastal lake in India. It is separated from the Bay of Bengal by a narrow sandy spit. The area of the lake varies from 1165 sq km in the monsoon season to 906 sq km in the dry season, and is studded with numerous small islands.
The lake is an important habitat and breeding ground for both resident and migratory and aquatic birds, most notably flamingoes. Migratory birds arrive in October from as far away as Siberia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Himalaya, and generally stay until March. Part of the lake is protected by the Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary, which harbors over 150 migratory and residentspecies of birds. The lake is also home to a diverse range of aquatic life, including 225 species of fish and the Irrawaddy Dolphin(Orcaella brevirostris). The rare limbless lizard Barkudia insularis is endemic to one of the lake's small islands.
The lake was formed due to the silting action of the Mahanadi River, which drains into the northern end of the lake, and the northerly currents in the Bay of Bengal, which have formed a sandbar along the eastern shore leading to the formation of a shallow lagoon.
The area of the lake varies from 1165 km² in the monsoon season to 906 km² in the dry season, and is studded with numerous small islands.
The north shore of the lake is part of Khordha District, and the western shore is part of Ganjam District.
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