Bharatpur, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur Rajasthan, Bharatpur Travel, Bharatpur Tour, Bharatpur Places to see

Bharatpur
Bharatpur - The Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan. Bharatpur is an important city located in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The city was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in the year of 1733. It was once an impregnable well fortified city, carved out of the region formerly known as Mewar. The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and Dholpur has played an important part in the history of Rajasthan. It is situated at the distance of just 50 km from Agra (the City of Taj Mahal), Uttar Pradesh. And 175 kms from Jaipur, Rajasthan.

They maintained considerable autonomy though they were allied to the Mughals; this was largely due to their prowess in the battle and their marriage alliances with the Rajputs. Their fort in Bharatpur even withstood attacks from the British in 1805 and 1825 but later they signed a treaty of friendship with the East India Company. It merged with the union of India at independence. The interesting aspect of the Bharatpur history is the domination of Jats in the region since 17th century, leader like Churaman and Badan Singh brought the Jats together to mould them into a force to reckon with. Suraj Mal has been the greatest ruler who made them a formidable force and played a very important role in the Indian history during 19th century.

BharatpurToday, Bharatpur is better known for the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, also called Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The sanctuary is declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers from all over the world visit this sanctuary quite in good number. The sanctuary is paradise for avifauna and bird watchers. It is a very ideal destination for birding. It is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in India. The sanctuary is home to large population of various species of birds. During winter, the sanctuary sees thousands of migratory birds such as Siberian Cranes. Besides bird species, animals like Sambar, chital, deer, Nilgai, boar, etc also can be seen it the sanctuary.

The city of Bharatpur is also famous for historical monuments like Lohagarh Fort, the Bharatpur Palace, the Government Museum, the Jawahar Burj, and the Fateh Burj. Visitors can make excursion to historical places like the Deeg Fort & Palace and the Gopal Bhavan. Apart from these, there are a number of other places also to see around Bharatpur.

Best time to visit: October to February.

Places of Interest: Keoladeo Ghana Sanctuary, it is famous for rare avian species. Bharatpur Fort, Government Museum, Bharatpur Palace.

Reach:

By Air: The nearest airport, Agra is: 54 kms, Jaipur: 174 kms and Delhi: 182 kms.

By Rail: Well connected to all major towns.

By Road: Agra: 54 kms, Delhi: 182 kms, Fatehpur Sikri: 20 kms, Jaipur: 174 kms, Mathura: 36 kms and Sariska: 130 kms.

Bharatpur, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur Rajasthan, Bharatpur Travel, Bharatpur Tour, Bharatpur Places to see

WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES, POPULAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES OF INDIA

Popular Wildlife Sanctuaries of India

Ranthambhore National Park

Ranthambhore National Park, once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur is bounded by the rivers - Chambal in the South and Banas in the North. The prime focus of the park are the six man-made lakes and the various perennial streams interwining the entire park.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Periyar wildlife sanctuary owns a beautiful, placid lake at its centre. This reservoir meanders around the contours of the wooded hills formed with the building of a dam in 1895 and presents a permanent source of water for the local wildlife.

Bandhavgarh National Park

Bandhavgarh National Park is situated in the low lying areas encompassed by cliffs and wooded Vindhyan mountains, and its plains contain wetlands covered by a variety of grass and reeds, which are the resting ground of numerous birds and other faunal species.

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary or the Keoladeo Ghana National Park is one of the best bird parks in the world that extends protection to fauna (animal) species also. The Sanctuary houses more than 300 species of birds and Keoladeo, the name of the sanctuary is derived from an ancient Hindu temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, which is located at the centre of the park.

Gir Wildlife Sanctuary

Gir Wildlife sanctuary, situated in the southwestern region of Gujarat covers around 116 square-miles of area and was built to protect the last wild population of Lion beyond the regions of Africa. During 1913 the population of Lion fell drastically to just 20 animals but now the numbers have risen to around 300, which was the result of the conservation efforts.

Jim Corbett National Park

Corbett National Park in the state of Uttaranchal houses multitude of species of plants and animals but it is famous for the population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants. Established in 1936, as the Hailey National Park it is the country’s first national park and the first sanctuary to be included under Project Tiger where the park supports a variety of vegetation making it an ideal habitat for the Tiger and its prey.

Kaziranga National Park

The Kaziranga National Park occupies an area of approximately 430-sq-kms with its swamps and tall thickets of elephant grass making it a perfect habitat for the Indian One-Horned Rhino. As a result of unchecked poaching of this prehistoric survivor, the Kaziranga National Park was turned into a wildlife sanctuary in 1940.

Kanha National Park

Kanha National Park, commonly known as the Tiger reserve of the country is situated in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of more than 1,940-sq-kms. The prominent features of the topography of the region are the horseshoe shape valley and the spurs of the Mekal that surrounds the entire area.

Popular Wildlife Sanctuaries of India