Bharatpur
Bharatpur, Reputed For It Keoladeo Ghana National Park Or The Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary Is A Favoured Haunt Of The Siberian Crane, A World Heritage Site Of UNESCO, And Is Very Popular For Bird Watching
Bharatpur, once a well armed princely city with an impregnable fort, lies just 50 km from Agra, the city of Taj Mahal. Now Bharatpur is a bird watchers paradise, known the world over for Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a World Heritage Site of UNESCO and also home to nearly 364 species of birds including the rare Siberian Crane. Noted ornithologist Salim Ali is credited with having brought Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary to the notice of the world.
Bharatpur is named after Bharat, the younger brother of Lord Rama and has recorded history since early 17th century. A majestic state and a force to be reckoned with, Bharatpur under British Rule enjoyed a salute of 17 guns. The name Keoladeo of the National Park is derived from an ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva, at the park’s centre. 'Ghana' is Hindi for dense, referring to the thick forest.
Spread over 29 square kilometres, the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is inhabited by indigenous water- birds, migratory water birds and waterside birds, as well as by Sambar, Chital, Nilgai and Boar. It also had one of the best duck - shooting wetlands in the world. Hunting is now banned. Pythons, Spotted Deer, Blue Bull, Jackals, Black Buck, Otters, Fishing Cats and Monitor Lizards are also in abundance.
The sanctuary has forest trails that can be accessed on foot, cycles or covered on cycle rickshaw. The rickshaw pullers are trained by the park management and are very knowledgeable about the birds. There are boat trips also available for bird watching as well as jeep safaris. Remember to bring binoculars with you for bird watching.
There are various other travel attractions as well including the Bharatpur Palace, Bharatpur Government Museum, Lohagarh Fort and Deeg Palace. The Palace on Wheels also covers Bharatpur on its travel through the Rajput State.
Accommodation
Good accommodation options are available in and around Bhatarpur. Almost all tourists come to Bharatpur city to visit Bharatpur National Park, which is known the world over for its huge population of birds. There are several wildlife resorts,hotels, forest lodges and cottages in and around the Bharatpur National Park. Some of the best accommodation options are the Bharatpur Forest Lodge, Forest Guest house, Circuit House, Hotel Golbagh Palace, Shanti Kutir and Tourist Lodge.
Karni Mata Fair is held twice a year on the ninth day of the Navratra (the nine-day festival) in March/ April and September/ October, in the honor of Goddess Karni Mata, worshipped by the royal family of Bikaner. All the devotees gather in the little desert citadel of Deshnok and offer their prayers and chant hymns and prayers.
Kapil Muni Fair is held in November on the sacred lake of Kolayat, which is about 55 Km from Bikaner, during the full moon of 'Kartik' (according to the Hindu calendar), in the honor of Kapil Muni who founded 'Sankhya' (statistics, which was one of the six major philosophical schools of ancient India). Not only the devotees who come here to take a holy dip in the lake, several other people and tourists visit the place only to see the renowned cattle fair held here during this occasion.
HOW TO REACH.
By Air: Agra is the nearest airport located 54 km from Bharatpur. Regular flights from Agra connect it to the major cities of India like Delhi, Bombay, Varanasi, Lucknow etc.
By Rail: The railway station at Bharatpur link it to the other major cities of Rajasthan and to the cities like Delhi, Bombay and Ahemdabad.
By Road: Bharatpur is easily reachable from Agra, Mathura, Delhi, Jaipur etc by road. Tourists can move around in the Bharatpur city by auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and tongas. They can also hire bicycles to explore the city.
Bharatpur, once a well armed princely city with an impregnable fort, lies just 50 km from Agra, the city of Taj Mahal. Now Bharatpur is a bird watchers paradise, known the world over for Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a World Heritage Site of UNESCO and also home to nearly 364 species of birds including the rare Siberian Crane. Noted ornithologist Salim Ali is credited with having brought Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary to the notice of the world.
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Spread over 29 square kilometres, the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is inhabited by indigenous water- birds, migratory water birds and waterside birds, as well as by Sambar, Chital, Nilgai and Boar. It also had one of the best duck - shooting wetlands in the world. Hunting is now banned. Pythons, Spotted Deer, Blue Bull, Jackals, Black Buck, Otters, Fishing Cats and Monitor Lizards are also in abundance.
The sanctuary has forest trails that can be accessed on foot, cycles or covered on cycle rickshaw. The rickshaw pullers are trained by the park management and are very knowledgeable about the birds. There are boat trips also available for bird watching as well as jeep safaris. Remember to bring binoculars with you for bird watching.
There are various other travel attractions as well including the Bharatpur Palace, Bharatpur Government Museum, Lohagarh Fort and Deeg Palace. The Palace on Wheels also covers Bharatpur on its travel through the Rajput State.
Accommodation
Good accommodation options are available in and around Bhatarpur. Almost all tourists come to Bharatpur city to visit Bharatpur National Park, which is known the world over for its huge population of birds. There are several wildlife resorts,hotels, forest lodges and cottages in and around the Bharatpur National Park. Some of the best accommodation options are the Bharatpur Forest Lodge, Forest Guest house, Circuit House, Hotel Golbagh Palace, Shanti Kutir and Tourist Lodge.
 |
Kapil Muni Fair is held in November on the sacred lake of Kolayat, which is about 55 Km from Bikaner, during the full moon of 'Kartik' (according to the Hindu calendar), in the honor of Kapil Muni who founded 'Sankhya' (statistics, which was one of the six major philosophical schools of ancient India). Not only the devotees who come here to take a holy dip in the lake, several other people and tourists visit the place only to see the renowned cattle fair held here during this occasion.
HOW TO REACH.
By Air: Agra is the nearest airport located 54 km from Bharatpur. Regular flights from Agra connect it to the major cities of India like Delhi, Bombay, Varanasi, Lucknow etc.
By Rail: The railway station at Bharatpur link it to the other major cities of Rajasthan and to the cities like Delhi, Bombay and Ahemdabad.
By Road: Bharatpur is easily reachable from Agra, Mathura, Delhi, Jaipur etc by road. Tourists can move around in the Bharatpur city by auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws and tongas. They can also hire bicycles to explore the city.