Bharatpur is
renowned for its World Heritage-listed bird sanctuary, the Keoladeo
Ghana National Park. This is one bird sanctuary that even
nonornithologists should visit. In fact, many travelers rate
it as a highlight of their visit to India.
In the 17th and
18th centuries, the town was an important Jat stronghold.
Before the arrivals of the Rajputs, the Jats retained their
autonomy, both because of their prowess in battle and because of
their chiefs' marriage alliances with Rajput nobility. They
successfully opposed the Muhals on more than one occasion and their
fort at Bharatpur, constructed in the 18th century, withstood an
attack by the British in 1805 and a long siege in 1825. This
siege eventually led to the signing of the first treaty of
friendship between the Indian states of north-west India and the
East India Company.
The town itself,
surrounded by a decaying 11km wall, is of little interest.
Bring mosquito repellent with you.
Bharatpur - Orientation
& Information
The
Keoladeo Ghana National Park is 3km south of the city center, and is
easily accessed by cycle-rickshaw.
The helpful Tourist
Reception Center is opposite the RTDC Hotel Saras, about 700m from
the Park entrance. It's open from 10am to 5pm daily (except
Sunday and every second Saturday of the month). A moderately
useful map of Bharatpur (Rs. 2) and the handy Birds of Bharatpur - A
Check list (Rs. 50) are on sale here. A good map of the park
is available at the park entrance (included in the ticket
price).
To get the most out
of Keolandeo Ghana National Park, we suggest you to read following
books about Birds before you reach Bharatpur.
Keoladeo Ghana National
Park
The
best time to visit the Park is from October to late February, when
many migratory birds can be seen, including the highly endangered
Siberian crane. Only two of these birds have been arriving in
the park each October/November over the past decade, their numbers
dwindling due to hunting over Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Competition for scarce resources between local villagers and the tourist
trade is also believed by some experts to have played a role.
According to recent reports, around 354 species of birds have been
identified at the beautiful Keoladeo sanctuary, a remarkable figure
given that the park only covers 29 sq.km. Apart from Siberian
cranes, expect to see Saras cranes (the largest bird in the park),
herons, egrets, geese, owls, cormorants, kingfishers and even
pythons.
The sanctuary was
formerly a vast semiarid region, filling with water during the
monsoon season only to rapidly dry up afterwards. To prevent
this, the maharaja of Bharatpur diverted water from a nearby
irrigation canal and, within a few years, birds began to settle in
vast numbers. The maharaja was compelled not by conservationist
motives, but by the desire to have a ready supply of waterfowl,
affording fine shooting (and dining) possiblities. Indeed,
Keoladeo continued to supply the maharajas' tables until as late as
1965. An inscription on a pillar near the small temple in the
park bears testimony to the maharajs' penchant for hunting. It
reveals that on one day alone, more than 5000 ducks were shot !!
The park is open
from 6am to 6pm daily. Entry is Rs. 25/200 for Indians/foreigners,
which entitles you to only one entrance per day; if you want to
spend the day inside the park, get your hotel to proved a packed
lunch. A still camera is free, but there's a typically steep
Rs. 200 video charge.
Only those
cycle-rickshaws authorized by the government (recognizable by the
yellow plate bolted onto the front) are allowed inside the
park. Although you don't pay entry fees for the drivers of
these cycle rickshaws, you'll be up for Rs. 30 per hour if you take
one and they'll expect a tip on top of that. Some of the
drivers actually know a lot about the birds and can be very
helpful. A horse-drawn tanga costs Rs. 60 per hour
(maximum 6 people). If you wish to hire an experienced
ornithologist guide, this will cost around Rs. 35 per hour (maximum
5 people) or Rs. 75 (more than 5 people). Guides can be hired
at the park entrance and many hotels are run by qualified guides,
who charge the same.
An excellent way to
see the park is to hire a bicycle (around Rs. 20 per day), either at
park entrance or from your hotel. This allows you to easily
avoid the bottlenecks which occur at the nesting sites of the larger
birds and increases your chances of seeing kingfishers, which are
easily frightened away. A bicycle also enables you to avoid
clocking up a large bill with a rickshaw driver. Try to visit
the sanctuary at dawn (one of the best time to see birds). The
southern reaches of the park are virtually devoid of humanus
touristsicus but in dry years there is little water and even
fewer birds.
A small display of
photos, stuffed birds, nests and aquatic species found in the park's
lakes is at the main entrance to the park (free entry).
There's a small snack bar about halfway through the park, next to
the Keoladeo Temple.
Lohagarh
Logagarh,
or Iron Fort, was built in the early 18th century and took its name
from its supposedly impregnable defenses. Maharaja Suraj Mahl,
the fort's constructor and founder of Bharatpur, built two towers
within the ramparts, the Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj, to
commermorate his victories over the Mughals and the British.
The fort occupies
the entire small artificial island in the center of the town, and
the three palaces within its precincts are in an advanced state of
decay. Entry costs Rs. 50. One of the palaces houses a
museum exhibiting sculptures, paintings, weapons and dusty animal
trophies. The museum is open from 10 am to 4.30 pm daily
except Friday. Entry fee is Rs. 3 and an additional fee for
camera is Rs. 10 and for video is Rs. 20.
Bharatpur - Places to Stay and Eat
The
commission system has reared its ugly head in Bharatpur - don't be
pressured by touts at the train station and bus stand.
If you provide
accommodation facilities at Bharatpur, click
here to get your business listed for FREE on our website.
Getting there and away
Bus
There are buses to
a number of destinations, including Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur and
Deeg.
Train
The Janta Express
(9023/4) leaves New Delhi station at 2 pm and arrives in Bharatpur
at 6.25 pm. It leaves Bharatpur at 8 am, arriving in the
capital at 1.10 pm. The 175 km journey costs Rs. 52/81 in
general/sleeper class.
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