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Bharatpur - The Destination
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Keoladeo Ghana National Park,
more popularly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
has one of the most abundant bird lives in the
country. Truly a fantasy of feathers, it is
that bird kingdom, where time takes wing. Two-thirds
of the Park is submerged under water and the
remaining one-third is covered in dry deciduous
forests and widespread grasslands.
One of the finest bird parks in the world, Bharatpur
Bird Sanctuary is a reserve that
offers protection to fauna
species as well. Nesting
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indigenous water-birds as well as migratory
water birds and waterside birds, this sanctuary
is also inhabited by Sambar, Chital,
Nilgai and Boar. |
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Supporting a population
of over 375 species of birds, numerous
mammals and reptiles, with the onset of
winter, migratory birds from all over
the world come here. They arrive by August
and leave in February. Visitors include
Coot Snipes, Spanish Sparrow, Red Crested
Porhard, Hawks, Shanks, Stints, Wagtails,
Warblers, Wheatears, Flycatchers, Buntings,
Larks, Pipits, Rosy Pelican and Flamingo.
The park also thrives in Pythons, Spotted
Deer, Sambhars, Blue Bull, Black Buck,
Jackals, Otters, Fishing Cats, Monitor
Lizards. |
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Of all the migrants, the most sought after
is the Siberian Crane
or the great white crane, which migrates
to this site every year covering a distance
of more 64,000 kms. On the brink of extinction
now, these birds number only a few hundred.
There are only two wintering places left
for this rare species - Feredunker in
Iran and the Bharatpur Sanctuary. These
majestic winter guests arrive in December
and stay on till early March. Completely
vegetarian they feed on underground aquatic
roots and tubers in loose flocks of five
or six.
Ironically this sanctuary
used to be the hunting preserve of the
Bharatpur royalty, and one of the best
duck-shooting wetlands in the world! Hunting
was prohibited only by the mid-60s, the
area declared a national park on March
10, 1982, and accepted as a World Heritage
Site in December 1985.
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Bharatpur - Facts
at a Glance
| State : |
Rajasthan |
| Area
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29 sq.
kms |
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Temperature : |
37.0°C
- 45.0°C (Summers)
7.0°C - 31.7°C (Winters) |
| Altitude
: |
250 mts |
| Rainfall
: |
69 cms |
| Best
Season : |
October - March |
History
of Bharatpur
Keoladeo- the name derives from an ancient Hindu temple,
devoted to Lord Shiva, which stands at the centre
of the park. Ghana means dense, referring
to the thick forest, which used to cover the area.
The history of the area dates back in time when Prince
Bhamji of Morvi state, Gujarat, used the area as a
hunting preserve. Gradually, it became popular with
the ruler of Bharatpur. On one occasion held in honor
of Viceroy Lord Curzon in 1902, thousands of birds
were killed and their exploits engraved on stone plaques
standing near the Keoladeo Temple, standing tall in
the heart of the Sanctuary.
The largest number of birds killed on 12th November,
1938, rose up to 4273 by Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy
& Governor General of India and his party. After
independence, this reserve was notified as a bird
sanctuary but the former rulers of Bharatpur continued
to enjoy their shooting rights over the area till
1972. The area was notified as a National Park in
1981 but made effective only in Novemeber, 1982.
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