The rohu is a large, silver-colored fish of typical cyprinid shape, with a conspicuously arched head.

They generally spawn during the monsoon season, keeping to the middle of flooded rivers above tidal reach.

[2] The Rohu can be infested by the acanthocephalan parasite Paraechinorhynchus kalriai which attaches to the inner lining of the small intestine.

[3] A recipe for fried Rohu fish is mentioned in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka.

The Bihar State government is currently making efforts to establish a List of geographical indications in India (GI) tag for the fish.