Explore the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary With us.

One of the best reserve parks for the avifauna in the world, the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is the most tempting tourist destination for the bird lovers. A safari in the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is an alluring and refreshing experience in the tranquility of Nature with the melodious bird chirping everywhere. Now known as the Keoladeo Ghana National Park, the park is among the few of the protected park, especially, for the hundreds of unique bird species. Apart from the exotic avifauna species such as native water birds, migratory winter birds, waterside birds, etc., the dense forest of the sanctuary is also a home to the various species of Deer – Chital, Sambar, Spotted Deer as well as Wild Boar and Nilgai.

The park is the natural home to more than 300 bird species, around 50 species of fish, 25 reptile species, including snakes, lizards and turtles, 7 amphibian species and numerous other invertebrates along with more than 370 flora species. The total area of the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is around 29 sq km among which approx 11 sq km is the swampland the rest of the area consists of the big grasslands and scrublands. The Sanctuary was once the bird hunting ground for the Royals of the Bharatpur princely state. In fact, this bird sanctuary was created around 250 years ago when a large area with the natural depression was flooded after the Ajan Bund was built by the then King of the Bharatpur state, Maharaja Suraj Mal during 1726 to 1763. The swampland, which became the habitat of the hundreds of bird species, was named after the local temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which is locally known as Keoladeo Temple. The Bund was constructed at the convergence of the Gambhir River and the Banganga River.

The park was the hunting ground of the rulers of Bharatpur until the year 1972. As, even after the independence of India and abolishment of the Imperial rule, the rulers of Bharatpur were given the hunting rights in the park. This private duck shooting preserve of Bharatpur Royals declared as a protected Bird Sanctuary in the year 1976 and the sanctuary was designated as the National park in 1982 and named as the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The national park was given the UNESCO World Heritage site status in the year 1985. Most of the National Parks in India were developed from the natural forests which were the hunting preserves of the rulers of the princely states of India, but the Bharat Bird Sanctuary was man-made habitat for birds, created by the Maharaja of Bharatpur.

The hundreds of exotic migratory birds are the prime attractions for the bird-loving tourists visit the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. The migratory birds, mostly visit here from the distant areas of Siberia and Central Asia to spend the winter season. These migratory birds arrive in the winters and after spending the winter near the Bharatpur Lake, they return to their homeland to visit again in the winter. The prime species of the migratory bird that visit Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary are different species of Cranes, Geese, Pelicans, Ducks, Hawks, Eagles, Shanks, Stints, Warblers, Wagtails, Wheatears, Pipits, Larks, Flycatchers, Buntings, etc.