Bharatpur
- The Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan, was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733
AD, it was once an impregnable well fortified city, carved out of the region
formerly known as Mewat. The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and Dholpur has played
an important part in the history of Rajasthan.
The legends say that the place was named as Bharatpur after the name of Bharat,
the brother of Lord Rama, whose other brother Laxman was worshipped as the family
deity of the Bharatpur rulers, Laxman's name is engraved onthe state arms and
the seals.
The city and the fort have been believed to be founded by Rustam, a Jat of Sogariya
clan. Maharaja Surajmal took over from Khemkaran, the son of Rustam and established
the empire. He fortified the city by building a massive wall around the city.
The interesting aspect of the Bharatpur history is the domination of Jats in
the region since 17th century, leader like Churaman and Badan Singh brought
the Jats together to mould them into a force to reckon with. Suraj Mal has been
the greatest ruler who made them a formidable force and played a very important
role in the Indian history during 19th century.
Today Bharatpur is better known for the Keoladeo Natinal Park, a unique bird
place, delight of ornithologists.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
This magnificent bird haven in actual came into being paradoxically
as a duck shooting preserve for Maharaja Suraj Mull of Bharatpur. He transformed
the shallow depression formed by the confluence of River Gambhir and River Banganga
into a reservoir by damming the rainwater in monsoons.
Flooding of water created shallow wetland ecosystem causing it to be a perfect
habitat for an astounding variety of birds. The park that was a hunting preserve
for the Maharaja and the British continued to be so till 1964, after which the
hunting was banned. A forestation policy of planting acacias was vigorously
followed. However the ecosystem at the Park continues to be fragile due to pressures
of tourism and need for water from surrounding villages.
However the environmentalists won the day in 1985 when UNESCO listed it as World
Heritage site and earlier in 1982 it was declared as National Park. And, today
the Park is recognised as the most important breeding and feed grounds for the
birds in the world. Some species are still endangered and especially the Siberian
crane.
Visitors are advised to maintain low noise level and avoid littering the park.
The Park opens from sunrise to sunset around the year. The ticket is Rs 200
per foreign visitor and Rs 25 for Indian visitor. Vehicles are permitted upto
Shanti Kutir about 1.7 kilometres inside at Rs 50 per vehicle. After this you
can choose to walk, bicycle, or go by cycle rickshaw, Tonga or boat when the
water level is high. The cycle rickshaw wallah’s displaying yellow plate
meaning authorised double up as guides also carry binoculars. Hotels do supply
packed lunches and you can get a bite at a canteen on the second gate and even
at Forest Lodge.
Bharatpur City, Rajasthan Major Destinations
Reservation Form
