Bharatpur National Park
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Situated in eastern Rajasthan, about 176 kms away from Delhi, and
50 km west of Agra, is the Keoladeo Ghana or Bharatpur National
Park, one of the most spectacular bird sanctuaries in India, nesting
indigenous water- birds as well as migratory water birds and water
side birds. It is also inhabited by sambar, chital, nilgai and boar.
More than 300 species of birds are found in this small park of 29
sq. km. of which 11 sq. km. are marshes and the rest scrubland and
grassland.
Keoladeo, the name derives from an ancient Hindu temple, devoted
to Lord Shiva, which stands at the centre of the park. 'Ghana' means
dense, referring to the thick forest, which used to cover the area.
While many of India's parks have been developed from the hunting
preserves of princely India, Keoladeo Ghana is perhaps the only
case where the habitat has been created by a maharaja.
In earlier times, Bharatpur town used to be flooded regularly every
monsoon. In 1760, an earthern dam (Ajan Dam) was constructed, to
save the town, from this annual vagary of nature. The depression
created by extraction of soil for the dam was cleared and this became
the Keoladeo lake. At the beginning of this century, this lake was
developed, and was divided into several portions. A system of small
dams, dykes, sluice gates, etc., was created to control water level
in different sections. This became the hunting preserve of the Bharatpur
royalty, and one of the best duck - shooting wetlands in the world.
Hunting was prohibited by mid-60s. The area was declared a national
park on 10 March 1982, and accepted as a World Heritage Site in
December 1985.
Over 350 species of birds find a refuge in the 29 sq km of shallow
lakes and woodland, which makes up the park. A third of them are
migrants, many of whom spend their winters in Bharatpur, before
returning to their breeding grounds, as far away as Siberia and
Central Asia. Migratory birds at Keoladeo include, as large a bird
as Dalmatian pelican, which is slightly less than two meters, and
as small a bird as Siberian disky leaf warbler, which is the size
of a finger. Other migrants include several species of cranes, pelicans,
geese, ducks, eagles, hawks, shanks, stints, wagtails, warblers,
wheatears, flycatchers, buntings, larks and pipits, etc.
But of all the migrants, the most sought after is the Siberian
Crane or the great white crane, which migrates to this site every
year, covering a distance of more than half the globe. These birds,
numbering only a few hundred, are on the verge of extinction. It
is birds from the western race of the species, that visit Keoladeo,
migrating from the Ob river basin region, in the Aral mountains,
in Siberia via Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are only two wintering
places, left for this extremely rare species.One is in Feredunkenar
in Iran, and the other is Keoladeo Ghana. The journey to Bharatpur
takes them 6,400 kms from their breeding grounds, in Siberia. They
arrive in December and stay till early March. Unlike Indian cranes,
the Siberian crane is entirely vegetarian. It feeds on underground
aquatic roots and tubers in loose flocks of five or six.
Seventeen species of birds, namely, grey heron, purple heron, night
heron, large egret, median egret, little egret, cattle egret, large
cormorant, Indian shag, little cormorant, darter, painted stork,
open-billed stork, black-necked stork, white-necked stork, white
ibis and spoonbill are known to breed at Keoladeo heronry and the
heronry here, is said to be one of the finest in the world. Talking
about the heronries of the world, Roger Tony Peterson wrote, "Perhaps
the most impressive spectacle of all is the great assemblage at
Bharatpur, near Agra, India, where half a dozen species of herons
and egrets nest in association with painted storks, spoonbills,
ibises and cormorants..."
What is peculiar to Bharatpur, is that many of the species are
specialist feeders, like the Siberian crane. Each helps itself to
one ingredient of the wetland soup. Flamingos sieve the water for
plankton, spoonbills rake the mud with their lower mandibles for
mollusks, tadpoles and weed, while egrets and herons spear their
prey, and geese and brahminy ducks graze at the water's edge.
The Keoladeo heronry is full of fervent activity. Besides the avian
fauna, a large variety of mammals and reptiles are also common in
the park.These include the nilgai, sambar, chital, leopard and the
wild boar. A bonus to reptile-lovers are the large rock pythons
which can be spotted, sunning themselves, especially at Python Point,
beyond the Keoladeo Temple.
The unique mix of marshes, pastures and woodland and the floral
communities at Keoladeo is the key to the high density and diversity
of flora and fauna.
When to Visit
The park is open throughout the year, although most visitors choose
to come between October and February, when wintering wildfowl assemble
in thousands on the lakes. The breeding season is between August
and October.
How to Get There
The nearest railhead is Bharatpur (2km) and the nearest airport
is at Agra (50 km).
Where to Stay
Accomodation is available at theForest Lodge (ITDC), Saras Tourist
Bungalow (RTDC), Shanti Kutir, Forest Rest House and private hotels
near the park.
Contact
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
Check out also:
National Parks in India
Bird Sanctuaries in India
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