Formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, the Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park is situated at Bharatpur in Rajasthan. Keoldeo National park is primiralily known to be a prime stoppage of thousands of rare and highly endangered birds such as the Siberian Crane. Over 230 species of birds are known to have made this National Park their home. The wide variety of species in this National Park is truly exceptional, ranging from indigenous water- birds to migratory water birds and waterside birds along with animals like Sambar, Chital, Nilgai and BoarIt. It is also a major tourist center with scores of ornithologists arriving here in the hibernal season. It is also a declared World Heritage Site.
The sanctuary traces its existence way back in time, around 250 years ago and is named after a Keoladeo (Shiva) temple within its boundaries. The park has a very rich history of its own. Initially it was affected with floods. After a span of time, the 'Maharajas' of Bharatpur, used the park as a hunting ground to cater their interests. During the British rule, annual duck shoots were organized in honor of the British viceroys. In one shoot alone in 1938, over 4,273 birds such as mallards and teals were killed by Lord Linlithgow, the then Governor-General of India.
It was declared a protected sanctuary in 1971. The rulers of the princely states were allowed shooting rights until 1972. In 1982, grazing was banned in the park, leading to violent clashes between the local farmer and Gujjar communities and the government.
Journey Inside
Keoldeo National Park will provide you a memorable encounter with wildlife. Here is a summary of different modes to enjoy the experience :
Foot/ Cycle
You can easily cover the well-defined forest trails, on foot or on a cycle relishing the sceneric beauty and exceptional species of birds and animals.
Rickshaw
You can hire a rickshaw inside the national park to or you can also hire a rickshaw. Rickshaw pullers have been trained by the park management in bird watching and are quite knowledgeable.
Boats
A journey of Keoldeo National park at early morning or a late evening in a boat is a spell bounding experience. Nobody can miss this opportunity to explore the secrets of Keoldeo.
Visiting Season
Keoldeo National Park is open throughout the year, still the ideal visiting months are from August-November for resident breeding birds and October- February for migrant birds.
How to ReachRoad : Keoldeo National Park in Bharatpur is connected to all the inportant cities of Rajasthan and its neighbouring states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana through an excellent road network. Here is some detail information to reach Keoldeo National Park.
Agra, 56-kms, 1 hour
Delhi, 176-kms, 5 hours
Jaipur, 176-kms, 6 hours
Air : You can board a flight to Agra which is the nearest airport to Bharatpur. From Agra take an hour long road journey to Keoldeo National Park.
Rail: The easiest way to reach Keoldeo National Park is by train. Regular rail services connect Bharatpur with all the major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Agra. From Bharatpur railway station, a stretch of only 6 kms will lead you to one of the mos exotic
examples of nature preservation in India.
Keep In Mind
> Do not forget to carry a binoculars for watching the birds.
> Choose the right season to visit the park as bird watching depends greatly on season, timing, and patience, so its better to visit the sanctuary during the visiting period.
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