Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
Highlights: Government Museum, Lohagarh Fort and Deeg Palace
How To Reach:
By Rail: Bharatpur railway station is located near Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. It is well connected to all major cities of India.
By Road: Bharatpur is located on the Agra-Jaipur highway and is at a distance of 5 kilometers from Agra and an hour's drive from Fatehpur Sikri.
The Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is also known as Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Keoladeo is derived from the temple devoted to Hindu deity Lord Shiva situated in the heart of the Bird Sanctuary and Ghana means dense. This sanctuary is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in India. Its extensive cover provides refuge to a large number of migratory as well as indigenous birds.
History states that Maharaja of Bharatpur created this conservatory in 1890. It is said that Bharatpur town used to be a flood prone area every monsoon. In order to save the town, Maharaja ordered the construction of an earthen dam (Ajan Dam). The area of land from which soil was taken became the Bharatpur Lake. In 1965, the Government put a ban on the indiscriminate shooting of birds. The efforts of Dr. Salim Ali were accredited when the area got an identity of a national park in March 1982. Since 1985, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is acclaimed as a World Heritage Site.
Spread on an area of 29 kilometers, the Bird Sanctuary hosts a variety of bird species. There are more than 44,000 trees in the Sanctuary used for nesting birds every year. The dense and diverse forest cover highlights a fascinating blend of marshes, woodland and flora. Approximately 300 species of birds are found in the Sanctuary.
The birds commonly found in the Sanctuary are Wagtails, Cranes, Geese, Ducks, Eagles, Hawks, Stints, Shanks, Warblers, Wheatears, Pelicans, Flycatchers, Buntings, Larks and Pipits, etc. Besides birds, there are animals like Chital, Sambar, Boar and Nilgai. During winters the Sanctuary attracts many tourists with numerous migratory birds from Siberia and Central Asia.
The best time to visit the Sanctuary is between the months of October and February. For a tour of the Sanctuary you need a bicycle or cycle-rickshaws. To watch birds in their close quarters you can hire a boat at the checkpoint on the bank of Keoladeo Lake.
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