Bharatpur

Bharatpur was founded as a fortified city that was considered impregnable at the time. Today, it makes its claim on the world tourism map because of the Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary that attracts thousands of migratory birds every year. The duck shooting parties organized in this erstwhile royal hunting ground were quite popular among high British officials who were treated by the Maharaja. A delight for ornithologists, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is known for harboring maximum number of water bird species in India.

The city of Bharatpur is considered to be the Eastern Gateway of Rajasthan. Bharatpur along with its neighboring cities of Deeg and Dholpur have made important contributions to the rich history and mythology of Rajasthan. According to the local legends, Rustam – a Jat of Sogariya clan originally founded the city. He named it Bharatpur after Bharat, the brother of Lord Rama. Laxmana, the brother who voluntarily went to exile with Lord Rama, is the royal deity of Bharatpur rulers. All the state arms and seals bear Laxman’s name to this day.

In 1733, Rustam’s son Khemkaran lost the city to Maharaja Surajmal who built huge walls all around it to keep it safe from enemy soldiers. Maharaja then went on to build an empire of his own and thus, Bharatpur gained prominence and status among other princely states of Rajasthan. Suraj Mal also consolidated the Jat community and molded them into a formidable force. With leaders like Churaman, Badan Singh, and Suraj Mal, Jats dominated the area from 17th century to 19th century and to this day, their influence can be seen in the culture, traditions and lifestyle of Bharatpur.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a world heritage site today. A unique habitat allows you amazing bird watching experience here. There are only a handful places in all over world where you can see such as wide array of bird species in just a few days. More than 400 varieties of birds have been spotted and identified at the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary until now, which include indigenous birds endemic to India, resident birds who have chosen it as their breeding ground, and migratory birds who halt here during their flight to warmer places in the winter season. Birds from as far as Central Asia and Siberia land at Bharatpur.

Rated highly by several tourists as one of the major tourist attractions during their trip to India, Bharatpur is 55 km from Agra and 176 km from Jaipur. The origins of Bharatpur lie in the Matsya kingdom of the Mahabharata era that existed around 5th century BC. Archeological remains dating back to the times have been preserved well in the Bharatpur Museum. The park has an ancient temple within the premises, dedicated to Keoladeo – a form of Lord Shiva, after whom the bird sanctuary has been named. The ‘Ghana’ in the Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary refers to the dense forest cover of the preserved area.

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