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Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary commonly known as Keoladeo Ghana National
Park is one of the finest bird parks in the world. The Bharatpur Bird
Sanctuary is the famous and easily accessible bird sanctuary in India.
This is the largest bird sanctuary in Asia. During the winters,
various migratory birds come here all the way from Siberia and Russia,
including the rare Siberian crane, herons, ibis, pelicans, egrets,
Brahminy ducks and geese. The sanctuary is a quiet and serene place to
watch rare Indian and foreign birds. This bird sanctuary was
established in 1956. The area was declared a national park on 10 March
1982. Every year this sanctuary is visited by over 400 species of
water birds including the exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan,
Central Asia and Tibet and the rare Siberian cranes from Siberia.
This sanctuary is ranked among the world's best bird sanctuaries. |
Keoladeo Ghana National Park |
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The name Keoladeo is derived from an ancient Hindu
temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, which stands at the centre of the park.
'Ghana' means dense, referring to the thick forest, which used to
cover the area. Keoladeo is the only place where the habitat has been
created by a Maharaja. In earlier times, Bharatpur town used to be
flooded regularly every monsoon. In 1760, an earthen dam (Ajan Dam)
was constructed, to save the town, from the floods. Later the
depression created by extraction of soil for the dam was cleared and
this became the Bharatpur Lake. The Keoladeo Ghana National park was
the royal hunting preserve of the royal Bharatpur family and one of
the best duck shooting wetlands in the world. The hunting was
prohibited by mid 60s. |
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The major attraction in this park are the numerous migratory birds,
which come from as far away as Siberia, Russia and Central Asia and
spend their winters in Bharatpur, before returning to their breeding
grounds. Some of these migratory birds are Siberian crane, herons,
ibis, pelicans, egrets, painted storks, darters, Brahminy ducks and
geese. Besides the migratory birds, some local birds like Spoonbills,
Cranes, Herons, Egrets, Storks, Flamingoes, Cormorants, Kingfishers,
Blue Jays, Shrikes, Orioles, Paradise Flycatchers, Parakeets, Eagles,
Hawks, Harriers, Stints, Wagtails, Warblers, Wheatears, Buntings,
Larks and Pipits, etc. can also be seen in this park. Various animals
like Wild Boar, Sambhar, Chital, Nilgai, Mongoose, Otter, Jackal, Fox,
Hyena, Porcupine, Rock Python, Leopard, Jungle Cat and Fishing Cat can
also be seen in the park. |
