Location
The Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is situated in the Bharatpur district of
Rajasthan.
Area
The sanctuary covers an area of 29-sq-kms.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the sanctuary is from August to November for seeing
the resident breeding birds and October to February for the migrant birds.
About the Park
Bharatpur Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary
and this great waterfowl habitat is one of the finest in the world and was
created by a maharaja.
The national park derives its name from God Keoladeo, an aspect of Lord
Shiva, enshrined in a small temple within the park. Ghana stands for dense
and implies towards the thick forest, which used to cover the area.
Expanding over around 29 square meters, which isn't much for a national
park, the Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a great variety of flora.
Wildlife Attractions at Bharatpur
Flora : The sanctuary covers around 29-sq-kms of which 11-sq-kms are
marshes and the rest is scrubland and grasslands.
Fauna : The other animals found in the park are Pythons, Spotted
Deer, Sambhars, Blue Bull, Black Buck, Jackals, Otters, Fishing Cats and
Monitor Lizards.
Birds : Migratory birds come to the sanctuary from all over world
from the beginning of winters. The birds come here by the month of August
and leave in February. Visitors include Coot Snipes, Spanish Sparrow, Red
Crested Porhard, Rosy Pelican and Flamingo but the main attraction is the
arrival of the rare Siberian Crane. Migratory birds from Siberia and Central
Asia spend their winters in Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, before going back to
their breeding grounds. Migratory birds found in the sanctuary are the
various species of Cranes, Pelicans, Geese, Ducks, Eagles, Hawks, Shanks,
Stints, Wagtails, Warblers, Wheatears, Flycatchers, Buntings, Larks and
Pipits.
Park trip
The Keoladeo or Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary covers an area of around 30 sq km
with well-defined treks, which can easily be covered on foot or on a cycle
which is the best way or one can even hire a rickshaw where the rickshaw
pullers have been trained by the park management in bird watching and are
quite knowledgeable. Besides these, boats are also available on hire and a
boat trip early in the morning or late evening is great experience. One
should carry a pair of binoculars for watching the birds.
Getting There
Air : The nearest airport is situated in Agra which is 56-kms from
Bharatpur.
Rail : The Bharatpur railway station is 6-kms from the park and
regular rail services connect Bharatpur with all the major cities like
Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Agra.
Road : Bharatpur is linked to all the major cities of the Rajasthan
and its neighbouring states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana via a good
network of roadways. Bharatpur is also linked by road to Agra (56-kms, 5
hours), Delhi (176-kms, 5 hours) and Jaipur (176-kms, 6 hours) where all of
them have airport facilities.
Accommodation
The various options of accommodation are rest houses, lodges, dormitories
and hotels. Rajasthan Tourism offers great accommodation at its hotel,
'Saras'. ITDC maintains the Bharatpur Forest Lodge inside the park. The
other choices available are Shanti Kuteer, Circuit House and Dak Bungalow
which provide a comfortable stay. Park Palace, Govind Niwas and the Tourist
complex are the other choices. There are houses around the park which lend
out one or two rooms to visitors which is a cheap and comfortable
accommodation available.
