The
Keoladeo Ghana National Park or 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. The
name. Keoladeo, is derived from the name of an ancient
Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva in the sanctuary.
Sanctuary central zone while the Hindi term 'Ghana'
implies dense, thick areas of forest cover. Commonly
referred to as Bharatpur, the Park is a delight for
bird watchers. Over 375 species of birds are found
here and raised paths, camouflaged by babul trees
and undergrowth make viewing easy. A quiet ride by
boat in the early hours of the morning is also un
unforgettable experience. There fare mixed heronries
on the half submerged babul trees and the cacaphony
is unbelievable as painted storks, open bills, spoon
bills, egrets, comorants, white ibis and multitudes
of others, tend their young. Jacanas with their iridescent
colours and elegant tail feathers and purple moorhen
can be seen delicately treading over the floating
vegetation.
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During
the monsoons thousands of egrets, herons, storks, cormorants,
darters, spoonbills and ibises breed here, forming a
congested heronry. Small acacia trees are tightly packed
together with nests of several species. Migratory waterfowl
start arriving in October. Soon the marshes are packed
with colorful geese, ducks, cranes, pelicans and flamingos.
But the limelight focused on the Siberian crane-one
of the most threatened species in the world. In India,
Keoladeo is the only place where these cranes winter.
Regrettably the number of Siberian cranes arriving here
has been declining due to suspected hunting on their
migratory route. Last year only 5 of them visited the
Park, and at the time of writing in mid-November, none
had visited Bharatpur.
Winter sees predatory birds-the fishing cat which specializes
in scooping ducks off the lake. The scrubland abounds
in sambar, spotted deer, black buck, blue bull, wild
boar, jackal and jungle cat. Pythons bask in the sun
around their several known burrows. It would be remiss
not to inform readers about the interesting background
of the park. Bharatpur was a small princely state, with
no forests worth the name. While many States boasted
of grand hunting preserves, the then Maharaja of Bharatpur,
in the late 19th century, created a wonderful water-bird
sanctuary by converting the arid scrub land into marshes
by a system of small dams and dykes. In time, this marshland
became the duck shooting preserve of the erstwhile Bharatpur
state. Today it is unmatched in India.
History Prince
Bhamji of Morvi state in Gujarat converted this area
into a world famous wildlife reserve. Duck shoots were
organised in the area every year by the rulers of Bharatpur,
in honour of Viceroy Lord Curzon and his party on 1st
December, 1902. The exploits of all visiting dignitaries
since 1902 have been engraved on stone plaques standing
near the Keoladeo temple. Largest number of birds (4273)
were killed on 12th November, 1938, 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. 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. |
