Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur)

Within the golden triangle of tourism (Delhi -Agra - Jaipur)   lies a formerly Jat princely State of Bharatpur. It is the Eastern most town of Rajasthan. Keoladeo     Ghana    was created by one of the Maharajas of Bharatpur. In fact, he got inspired by a visit to Britain     where he was     invited for duck shooting by his royal hosts and
after arriving here he created his own reserve for the same purpose so  that he can in turn play host to the royal guests and Indian notables. As a result the existing marshland was deepened  and extended to attract water fowls and later the tracks and dykes were constructed to make the area more accessible. Viceroy Lord Curzon inaugurated the first official duck shoot on December 1, 1902 in the company of Commanding-in-Chief, Lord Kitchner.   The party shot 540 birds. The Viceroy and Governor General of India Lord Linlithgow was the top  scorer who downed no less than 4273 birds in a day on November 12, 1938 (3044 birds were killed in the morning and 1229 in the afternoon) the world record of duck shooting . The last duck shooting took place in 1964-1965 but Maharaja himself retained his personal shooting right until 1972. Thanks to the Late Dr. Salim Ali and timely action of  forest department of Rajasthan that the duck shooting forest was declared as Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary in March, 1956 .

Subsequently in August, 1981 under section 35 of the wildlife protection act ,1972   it was declared national park, the Keoladeo National Park (KNP) a magnificent marsh, heaven     for the birds.  It is named "Keolaadeo" after the
name of a temple of lord Shiva in the heart of the park.    It was declared  "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO in 1985.The estimated number of visitors have reached over 100,000 annually.

50 species of fishes , 5 species of amphibians, 8 species of lizards, 13 species of snakes,7 species of turtles, 375 species of birds and 27 species of mammals have been reported from the park .  A total of 35 species belonging to 19 genera of 7 families of butterflies have also been reported.

The Cycle rickshaw and Tonga are available at barrier and main gate. Electric van of the park is also available for visiting the park. The local administration of the park on request,  arrange a movie "The birds of Indian Mansoon"
to the visitors.
Population : Ranthambore National Park
The tigers are the prized attractions of the park. Other inmates of the park are the Antelopes, Nilgai, Sambhar and Chital, which are easy to spot. Those who are lucky enough get to see the Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Chinkara, Porcupines and Jackals, Leopard, Jungle Cat and Marsh Crocodile.
The lakes and water holes in the park are the best places to sight the animals. These water bodies are full of lotus and water lilies. Ranthambore also has a sizeable bird population, both resident and migratory. There are about 264 species of birds found within the park. Indian Hare, Mongoose and Monitor Lizards can also spotted.

Geographical co-ordinates, Location and Map

Keoladeo National Park lies between 77°29.5' to 73°33.9' East longitudes 27°76' to 27°12.21' North latitudes.

it is hardly 2 km south east of Bharatpur city. 38 km south west of Mathura and 54 km west of Agra. Delhi and Jaipur are almost equidistant.

Topography,Soil and Climate

The total area of the park is 29 sq. km. It is almost flat with a     central depression of about 8.5 sq. km. and is
the main submerged area of the park.  Much of the area is bushy but it also contains semi arid woodland and scrub. It lies 370 meters above sea level.It is separated from the surrounding villages and agricultural fields by a boundary wall. The soil is alluvial and at many places the saline  patches can    be seen. In fact Bharatpur was salt producing town and the salt production was banned in 1885 A.D.  through a pact     between Bharatpur State and the British Government.

Premansoon season is hot and dry with as low as 30%   humidity. The mansoon sets in the end of June and extends upto September when the     Relative Humidity (R.H.) ranges between 70-75%. The winters last from November to February. The Maximum temperature in     summers ranges between 40-46° C and in winters around 29° C and the minimum temperature 21-23° C and 3-5° C        in summer and winters respectively. The average rainfall received in Bharatpur is  approximately 495 mm but the drought    has become very frequent now a days.The overall climate is sub-humid to semi-arid.