Bisalpur Dam, Gravity dam in Tonk district, India
Bisalpur Dam is a 574 m long and 39.5 m high concrete gravity dam on the Banas River in Tonk district, Rajasthan. It has 18 gates and was built in two phases: the first for village drinking water, the second for irrigation. Beside the reservoir stands the Bisaldeo temple.
Built by the Rajasthan state government in the 1990s and completed in 1999, the dam displaced local people who protested the resettlement policy. In 2004 a pipeline to Jaipur was begun with ADB and JICA funding; on 13 June 2005 five farmers were shot dead protesting the water's diversion. Water reached Jaipur in 2009.
The dam supplies water to farming areas across several districts and shapes how farmers work their land throughout the region. This irrigation system has influenced where people settle and how they live in rural Rajasthan.
The dam lies about 25 km from Deoli in Tonk district, reached by road through farmland. The structure is 574 m long and 39.5 m high, with 18 gates; the reservoir edge holds the Bisaldeo temple. There is no shade along the crest, so carry water and sun protection.
From Nasirabad in Ajmer district, drinking water is loaded onto a 15-wagon train that carries 2.5 million litres to Bhilwara district. In 2016, water from the reservoir was also released to fill the nearly dry Pushkar Lake ahead of the annual Pushkar Fair.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,781 contributors worldwide.