Pulicat Lake

Pulicat Lake பழவேற்காடு ஏரி పులికాట్ లేక్
Palm trees lining the barrier islands
Location	Coromandel Coast
Coordinates	13°33′57″N 80°10′29″E / 13.56583°N 80.17472°E / 13.56583; 80.17472Coordinates: 13°33′57″N 80°10′29″E / 13.56583°N 80.17472°E / 13.56583; 80.17472
Type	brackish to salty
Primary inflows	Arani river, Kalangi River and Swarnamukhi River
Primary outflows	Bay of Bengal
Basin countries	India
Max. length	60 km (37.3 mi)
Max. width	17.5 km (10.9 mi)
Surface area	250–450 km2 (97–174 sq mi) (from low tide to high tide)
Average depth	1 m (3.3 ft)
Max. depth	10 m (32.8 ft) at the mouth
Islands	Irrukam, Venadu and several smaller ones
Settlements	Sriharikota Pulicat Dugarājupatnam Sullurpeta

Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lake or lagoon in India, after Chilika Lake. It straddles the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states with over 97% of it in Andhra Pradesh and 3% in Tamil Nadu situated on the Coromandal Coast in South India. The lake encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary. The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal and is home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

In the 1st century, the anonymous mariner who wrote Periplus of the Erythraean Sea listed Podouke (Pulicat) as one of the three ports on the east coast of India. In the 2nd century, Ptolomey's list of ports on this coast included Podouke emporion.

In the 13th century, Arabs migrated to the shores of the lake after they were banished from Mecca for refusing to pay tributes to a new calif. Streets with dilapidated masonry houses once occupied by these Arabian Muslims are still found in the area and resident families claim records in Arabic testifying the migration.Portuguese colonized the lake in 16th century followed by the Dutch. The Dutch drifted to the lagoon as their ships got stuck on the shores of Karimanal village on the opposite side of the mouth of the lake. During the Dutch occupation, Pulicat was known by the name Pallaicatta.Fort Geldria dating to 1609, a church, a cemetery with tombs and mausoleums constructed by the Dutch are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The Dutch transacted business with the British East India Company and other countries in the region.