India Travel Information

Introduction :
The Bharatpur National Park (Keoladeo Ghana National Park) or-as many people prefer to call it-the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary lies between two of India's most historic cities, Agra and Jaipur. This north Indian sanctuary is situated in the country's northwestern state of Rajasthan, about 190 km from the national capital of Delhi.

While many of India's parks have been developed from the hunting preserves of princely India; Keoladeo, popularly known as Bharatpur Wildlife Sanctuary, is perhaps the only case where the habitat has been created by a Maharajah. In earlier times, Bharatpur town used to be flooded regularly every monsoon. In 1760, an earthen dam (Ajan Dam) was constructed, to save the town, from this annual vagary of nature. The depression created by extraction of soil for the dam was cleared and this became the Bharatpur Lake.

At the beginning of this century, this lake was developed, and was divided into several portions. A system of small dams, dykes, sluice gates, etc., was created to control water level in different sections. This became the hunting preserve of the Bharatpur royalty, and one of the best duck - shooting wetlands in the world.

This spectacular bird sanctuary is historical in its own way. The Maharajah of Bharatpur is credited for its creation in 1890, though conservation was the last thing on his mind. He got a large area enclosed with embankments and further divided it with earthen dams called 'bunds' creating a large number of marshes and lakes. Thus, Bharatpur is mainly an artificial creation. The government banned the indiscriminate shooting of birds in 1965. Conservation efforts originally started by Dr. Salim Ali received a further impetus when the area was deemed a national park in March 1982. In 1985, Bharatpur was accepted as a World Heritage Site.

Attractions :
» Bharatpur Government Museum - One of the major attention grabber after the Bharatpur sanctuary is Government Museum of Bharatpur, which provides a glimpse of the past royal splendor of Bharatpur.

» Bharatpur Palace - Not far from the museum is the Bharatpur Palace, an marvelous structural blend of Mughal and Rajput architecture.

» Lohagarh Fort - The invincible Lohagarh Fort, which remained unconquered despite several attacks by the British regime.

» Deeg Palace - Situated just 32-kms away from Bharatpur is the Deeg Palace. A strong and massive fortress, Deeg Palace was the summer resort of the rulers of Bharatpur and houses numerous beautiful palaces and gardens.

Safaris :
Bharatpur national park is a bird watcher's paradise. Bird Watching Trips are very exciting. The park, with its rich Bio-geographic diversity, is home to more than 380 species of birds - about quarter of the total species found in the entire Indian subcontinent! It is Considered one of the true bird parks of the world. Migratory birds at Bharatpur bird sanctuary include, several species of Cranes, Pelicans, Geese, Ducks, Eagles, Hawks, Shanks, Stints, Wagtails, Warblers, Wheat ears, Flycatchers, Buntings, Larks and Pipits, etc. The numerous water bodies provide an ideal habitat for Ducks and Waders which are migratory. The park forms a natural crossroad and meeting ground for avian species from high altitude areas, plains and eastern and western regions. Because of this unique location, the bird population is Pretty high throughout the year, with winter visitors, summer visitors, attitudinal migrants, passage migrants and local migrants. The park is an avid bird watcher's destination.

There are well-defined forest trails, which can easily be covered on foot or on a cycle or you can also hire a rickshaw that are available on hire. Rickshaw pullers have been trained by the park management in bird watching and are quite knowledgeable. Boats are also available on hire. A early morning boat trip or a late evening one is quite a rewarding experience to check out the hidden surprises of Bharatpur.

How To Get There?
» By Air - The nearest airport is situated at Agra, which is 56-kms from Bharatpur.

» By Rail - Regular rail services connect Bharatpur with all the major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Agra. The Bharatpur railway station is 6-kms from the park

» By Road - An excellent network of roadway services connects Bharatpur to all the major cities of the Rajasthan and its neighboring states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana. Bharatpur is well connected by road from Agra (56-kms, 5 hours), Delhi (176-kms, 5 hours) and Jaipur (176-kms, 6 hours), all of which have airport facilities too.

Note :
Do not forget to carry a binoculars for watching the birds. Bird watching depend greatly on season, timing, and patience, so its better to visit the sanctuary during the visiting period.