Established: 1956 as a bird sanctuary, 1981 as a national
park
Entrance Fees: Entrance Fees of Keola Dev Park is INR. 200
The Keolodeo Ghana National Park or Bharatpur
Bird Sanctuary lies between two of India’s most historic cities
Agra and Jaipur. The name keoladeo is derived from the name of an
ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva in the sanctuary. s central
zone while the Hindi term 'Ghana' implies dense, thick areas of
forest cover.
The marshes of Keoladeo, more popularly known as Bharatpur, was
the private hunting reserve of the Maharajas of Bharatpur. It was
developed in the late 19th century by creating small dams and bunds
in an area of natural depression to collect rainwater and by feeding
it with an irrigation canal. Over the years, the lakes attracted
great numbers of waterfowl and the Maharajas held grand shoots with
family, friends and visiting dignitaries. 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.
Keoladeo is famous as one of Asia’s finest birding areas,
with over 380 resident and migrant species, including the Common,
Demoiselle and the rare Siberian Cranes. It is also an excellent
place to watch mammals like Golden Jackal, Striped Hyaena, Fishing
Cat, Jungle Cat, Nilgai, Sambar, Blackbuck and wild Boar. The park
derives its name from the temple of Keoladeo (Shiva) and ‘ghana’
which locally means dense, implying the nature of the vegetation.
During the cool winter months it is also possible to see large Indian
Pythons sunning themselves.