Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer was built as a reservoir around 12th-13th AD by Raja Rawal Jaisal. He was the first king of the city of Jaisalmer. The lake however got its name from its renovator Maharawal Gadsi Singh who revamped the lake and the area around it in 1400 AD.

Gadisar Lake is home to large numbers of catfish that swarm around the banks to mop up edible offerings from the people of Jaisalmer. When I visited this lake, a group of kids standing on the steps, leading down to the water, tossed small pieces of bread into the murky water.  Suddenly the water bubbled. A black mass of catfishes hurled themselves up toward the surface. With their long whiskers and open gapes, they slithered, kicked their tails and splashed about at the surface. I was surprised to see them comfortable, out of water for short durations of time.

Unlike most fishes that live deeper in the water, the catfish can float to the surface and breathe. That is why, it has better chances of survival than the other fishes in water, contaminated with pollutants.

Photos and content by Prerna Jain.