Location of Keoladeo National Park
Keolado Natioanl Park is sprawled over an area of 28.7 square kilometer.
This mixed wetland, woodland, grass and scrub is home to 400 plus species of
birds. Only 175 kms from New Delhi, Bharatpur is on the Agra - Jaipur road
and a pleasant 3 hour drive from the capital.
About The Keolado Bird Sanctuary and National Park :
Bharatpur town used to be flooded regularly every monsoon. IN 1760 an
earthen dam (Ajan Dam) was constructed to save the town from annual vagary
of nature. The depression created by extraction of soil for the dam was
cleared and this became the Keoladeo lake.
At the beginning of this century, this lake was developed and was divided
into several portions. A system of small dams, dykes, sluice gates, etc.,
was created to control water level in different sections. Shooting buffs,
hides and pavements were constructed. This became the hunting preserve of
the Bharatpur royalty and one of the best duck shooting wetlands in the
world. Hunting was stopped here by mid-60s. The status of this avian haven
was upgraded to a National Park in 1981.
Wildlife :
An
average day can throw up many rare and threatened species like the Solitary
Lapwing, Indian Courser, Imperial, White-tailed, Greater and Indian Spotted
Eagles, Darters, Black-necked, Painted and Asian Openbill Storks, Common,
Sarus and Demoiselle Cranes, Dalmatian Pelicans, Black Bittern, Greater
Painted Snipe, Large-tailed, Indian and Grey Nightjars, Dusky Eagle Owls,
Marshall's Iora, Siberian Rubythroat and Brook's Leaf Warblers.
The 20 species of ducks, innumerable waders and raptors, water-seeking
birds and approachable passerines all add to make Keoladeo a true birder's
paradise. Two-thirds of the park lies under water, the extent and volume
depending on the intensity of the rains. The remaining one-third of the park
is covered in dry deciduous forests (with Acacia, Ber, Kadam and Khajur
trees) and extensive grasslands. On the raised ground outlining the wetlands
grow a profusion of Acacia trees, where the resident water birds nest, often
in large mixed colonies, a spectacular sight during the monsoon.
How to reach Keolado Bird Sanctuary
» By Air - Delhi and Jaipur have frequent flights.
» By Rail - The Bharatpur railway station is 6 km
from the park
» By Road - Bharatpur is well connected by road from
Agra (56 km, 5 hours)
Cities
of Rajasthan
