The Water Jail was built in Mysore in India during the rule of Tipu Sultan. The war prisoners were tied to the slabs inside and kept in cool water. The Water Jail These steps lead to an old dungeon. The river Cauvery with protruding bones and ribs flows nearby. The fossils of torture lie at the bottom of time. Wrists of those prisoners are tied to the stone slabs. Cool water touches their chins. Sleep drowns. Agony bloats. An aching past thus echoes in the arched cells These relics of torment attract thousands of visitors. Now you need not go to Mysore. You can find it in every nook. First published in New Reader Magazine. Reprinted in The Literary Hatchet.