A mere thirty minute death defying bus ride from Fatephur Sikri is the town of Bharatpur, located in the Mewat region of Rajasthan. Once the city founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal - the ruler fo the princely state of Bharatpur - was an impregnable and well fortified. Today few remnants remain and the dusty town retains no faded charm. However, several kilometres from town is the Keoladeo National Park or Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary as it is commonly known.
Historically the town of Bharatphur was flood prone during the monsoon. To save the town from the yearly deluge Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1760 constructed the earthen Arjun Bund at the confluence of the Gambhir and Banganga. The depression left from the construction of the Bund occurred in a naturally low lying area which was eventually turned into Bharatpur lake. At the beginning of the 1800's the lake was further developed and a system of small dams, dykes and sluice gates were created to control water in different areas. By the mid 1850's it became the favorite hunting ground for Bharatpur royalty and was viewed as one of the best duck shooting wetlands in the world. The Maharaja's used to organise 'shoots' for the British Viceroys, and in 1938 on one shoot alone (and I have to add 61 guns were involved) a mind boggling 4273 birds met their end! In 1965 the last leopard was shot and hunting was prohibited not long after. Keoladeo was declared a National Park in 1982 and a World Heritage site in 1985.
Today the park (though suffering from periodic lack of water and intense cattle grazing) is an oasis for migratory birds that arrive from all over the world for breeding season October-March. Pelicans, geese, ducks, eagles, numerous varieties of stalks, warblers, bee eaters and what seems like 1001 species inhabit the park. And while March witnesses many heading 'home' we were still impressed by the sheer variety and numbers. The 'heronries' of Painted stalks sitting in the tree canopy, wings outstretched to protect their squawking young from the harsh sun are a sight to behold!
The Park has well defined trails that traverse the wetlands and into the forest. We were fortunate enough to witness a huge python emerging from an Indian porcupine hole in readiness for an afternoon of hunting. The area is also home to a wide variety of fauna including sambar, nilgai, chittal, jackals, pigs, mongoose, hares and jungle cats, all of which you will see with patience, perseverance and ample time to observe.
Scott and I were sitting quietly when a rather large fish fell from the sky. Now it isn't every day that you nearly get knocked out by falling fish! However, despite my animal liberationist tendencies to save a life the aformentioned fish didn't survive being stabbed by a painted stork or the subsequent fall. When the stork arrived at 'destination nest' with no food, the dismayed cries of the young could be heard throughout the park.
Bonnie
PEAK
