Visiting Keoladeo National Park: UNESCO World Heritage Site In Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India

Where Is The Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)?

The Keoladeo National Park/Ghana National Park also known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is located in the Bharatpur city of Rajasthan in India. The site is famous for its rich avian biodiversity and houses nearly 230 species of birds and attracts a large number of migratory birds from other parts of India as well as abroad. The Keoladeo National Park is thus a perfect haven for birds and birdwatchers.

History Of The Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

The Keoladeo National Park is a 250-year-old sanctuary that is named after a Hindu temple of Shiva (Keoladeo) located at the boundaries of the sanctuary. The region that is now a bird sanctuary was originally a natural depression that was flooded after the construction of the Ajan Bund, a dike like construction, sponsored by the then king of the princely state of Bharatpur, Maharaja Suraj Mal. The bund was established at the confluence of the two rivers, Banganga and Gambhir. 

Birds visited the wetland in thousands since then since the marshy land provided an ideal habitat for both resident and migratory birds. Soon, the region served as a major hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur, and they also arranged duck shooting events to please the British officials in the then British India. In one such event in 1938, nearly 4,273 birds including mallards and teals were shot by Lord Linlithgow, the then British Governor General of India.

In 1982, the Government of the newly independent India realized the importance of the wetland as a significant habitat for birds and declared the part as a national park of India on March 10, 1982. Prior to this, the area was designated as a bird sanctuary on March 13, 1976. The site was also inscribed as a Ramsar Site in October 1981. Till 1972, the Maharajah of Bharatpur retained shooting rights in the sanctuary. In 1985, the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Grazing was banned at the national park in 1982 which led to a violent fight between the locals and the government.

Geography Of The Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

The Keoladeo National Park is located in eastern Rajasthan where it lies 2km south-east of Bharatpur and 55 km to the west of Agra city. The sanctuary encompasses 29 square km area. The wetland system encompassing a variety of microhabitats with trees, dykes, and open water constitute the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Submerged and emergent plants are found in the wetlands and grasses, scattered trees, and shrubs form the landscape of the uplands in the national park. 

Flora At The Keoladeo National Park

The Keoladeo National Park has 379 species of flowering plants of which 96 are wetland species. Tropical dry deciduous forests and dry grasslands cover the greatest part of the park and shrubs, and medium-sized trees occupy the non-forested areas. The park is flooded during the monsoon season, but for the rest of the year, only about 10 square km of the area exists as an effective wetland. 

Fauna Of The Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

The macro-invertebrates like molluscs, insects, and worms occur in abundance in the park and form an important park of the food chain, serving as food for the birds and fishes living in the Ghana National Park. There are 43 species of fish in the park of which 37 are migratory, and 6 are resident species. The fish constitute an important food source for the birds of the Keoladeo National Park. Seven species of turtles, five species of lizards, seven amphibian and thirteen snake species also call the park their home. On a sunny day in winter, one can easily spot a python basking in the sun. Bi-colored leaf-nose bat, Indian porcupine, and monitor lizards also often share the burrow with the python. 

Cobras, kraits, and Russel’s viper are venomous snakes that live in the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Small carnivores like the striped hyena, jackal, Bengal fox, Indian mongoose, fishing cat, Indian civet, palm civet, and a few others are also sighted at the park. Blackbucks, chital, nilgai, hog deer, sambhar are some of the ungulates living in the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary.

The Primary Attraction: Birds Of The Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

The Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary is a perfect haven for birds. Migratory birds from different parts of the world arrive at the park during the winter season. Migratory waterfowl converge here before they depart again to the western Palearctic for breeding. The critically endangered Siberian crane also uses this park as its only wintering home in India. The waterfowl and wading birds that can be commonly sighted at the park include comb duck, little cormorant, common teal, painted stork, oriental ibis, common sandpiper, great cormorant, gadwall, herons, storks, and others.

The landbirds that live in the park includes babblers, warblers, bulbuls, chats, quails, bee-eaters, Indian gray hornbill, and others. The birds of prey living in the park include ospreys, imperial eagles, spotted eagles, peregrine, crested serpent eagle, and others.

Best Time To Visit The Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

The Keoladeo Ghana National Park is open throughout the year. However, migratory birds are best sighted from November to February and resident birds are best sighted between August and November.

How To Visit The Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

Keoladeo National Park can be easily reached from Delhi and Jaipur by road and rail transport.

Nearest Airport: Delhi (4 h 7 min ; 209.8 km) and Jaipur 2 h 58 min (186.6 km).

Nearest Railway Station: Bharatpur Junction (5 km).

Regular bus services from Bharatpur to Delhi, Agra, Mathura, Jaipur, etc., are also available.

Where To Stay At The Of Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

If you are looking forward to experience the best on your tour of the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, then you need to stay at the Laxmi Vilas Palace, a palace turned into a heritage hotel in Bharatpur. Read about the Laxmi Vilas Palace hotel here: 

http://oishimaya.blogspot.in/2016/12/laxmi-vilas-palace-luxury-retreat-at.html

There are several other hotels and resorts in Bharatpur which you can select. 

Guide At The Keoladeo National Park:


There are several ways to tour the Keoladeo National Park. You can take rickshaws from the entry gate of the park. Each rickshaw carries two adults and costs INR 100 per hour. The park management has trained the rickshaw pullers to act as guides in the park. If you need further and expert help, you can also book an appointment with a naturalist who will accompany you at the park and help you spot and identify birds at the national park. The naturalist charges around Rs. 900/- to Rs. 1,000 per trip. You can also ask your naturalist to bring a telescope at an extra hire cost of Rs. 350/- per trip for better viewing of the birds at the park. 

If you are staying at the Laxmi Vilas Palace Hote, they will provide you with expert naturalists for the tour. 

Places In And Around The Keoladeo National Park  (Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary)

Bharatpur is located at a strategic tourist location with a number of India’s major tourist attractions in and around the city. Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort is just one and a half hours drive from Bharatpur. Fatehpur Sikri, another UNESCO World Heritage Site can be reached by a half an hour drive from the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Mathura and Vrindavan are major Hindu pilgrimage sites located near Bharatpur. Several forts, palaces, and other historical and heritage sites are located in and around Bharatpur.

For more information on touring Bharatpur and booking appointments with expert naturalists, place your queries in the comments section below. Will try to answer you as quickly as possible.