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.
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.
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.
State : Rajasthan
Location : Bharatpur
Area : 232 sq. Kms.
Speciality : Spoon Bills
Best Time To Visit : October to February
Notified in : 1981 |
