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Just
176 km. from Delhi is a very special
wilderness - the Keoladeo Ghana National
Park, one of the finest water-bird
sanctuaries in the world. The 28.73 sq.
km. lake and wetland was artificially
created by the Maharaja of Bharatpur in
the 19th century. By building small dykes
and dams and diverting water from an
irrigation canal, he converted this low
lying area into a fine wild fowl shooting
preserve. In a few years, the new wetland
surrounded by marginal forests was able to
support thousands of water birds.
Commonly referred to as Bharatpur, the
Park is a delight for bird watchers. Over
300 species of birds are found here and
raised paths, camouflaged by babul trees
and undergrowth make viewing easy. A quiet
ride by boat in the early hours of the
morning is also an unforgettable
experience.There are mixed heronries on
the half submerged babul trees and the
cacophony is unbelievable as painted
storks, open bills, spoon bills, egrets,
cormorants, white ibis and multitudes of
others, tend their young. Jacanas with
their iridescent colors and elegant tail
feathers and purple moorhen can be seen
delicately treading over the floating
vegetation. While harriers and fishing
eagles circle overhead in search of prey,
the pied kingfisher hovers dramatically
over the water in a flurry of wings.
There are varieties of storks and cranes
and the local sarus crane is elegant in a
livery of grey and red. Every year
Bharatpur waits with coated breath for the
arrival of the Siberian cranes.
There are only two wintering places for
this rare species -one in Iran and the
other Bharatpur and these beautiful birds
with their distinctive red beaks and
facial patches, fly over 6400 km from
their summer retreats in Siberia, to get
to them. In 1996, there was great
jubilation as a couple of Siberian cranes
with a young one made an appearance in
Bharatpur after a lapse of three years.
The forests around the lake at Bharatpur
harbor the sambar, chital, nilgai, jackal,
hyena, fox, mongoose and porcupine.
Occasionally, a fishing cat can be seen
scooping its prey also commonly seen
sunning themselves along edge of the paths
or at Python Point.
General Information:
Best Time to Visit: Throughout the
Year.
Nearest Town: Bharatpur (2 km)
How to Get Here:
Air: Agra (50 km)
Rail: Bharatpur (2 km)
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