Bharatpur

        Bharatpur | Deeg

The 55 km journey by road from Agra drives you to the town of Bharatpur-the eastern gateway to Rajasthan. Bharatpur is popular for its bird sanctuary-the Keoladeo Ghana National Park - finest in Asia rich avian variety. Every year the rare Siberian cranes come to spend the winter in the warmer climate of Bharatpur.

Of the remnants of the royal past remains the marvellous Bharatpur Palace housing a rich repository of a large number of ancient exhibit that date back to the early 15^th century.

• Lohagarh Fort : The massive iron structure built in the early 18^th century. With its impregnable defences it sustained itself even after a number of British attacks. The fort was conceived and designed by Maharaja Suraj Mal, the founder of Bharatpur. The fort has three palaces within its precincts - Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas.

• Government Museum : A rich collection of artefacts, exquisitely carved sculptures and ancient inscriptions can be admired in the Government Museum located in the Palaces. All these items speak volumes about the rich heritage, art and crafts of the region.

• Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj : A few of the eight imposing towers still stand erect within the glorious ramparts of the Fort. Especially two of them - Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj are of special interest. These were built by Maharaja Suraj Mal to commemorate his victories over the Mughals and British respectively.
  The coronation ceremony of the Jat rulers of Bharatpur was held at the Jawahar Burj.

• The Palace : This royal edifice is a fusion of the Mughal and Rajpat architectural styles with magnificent apartments and intricately designed floor tiles having interesting patterns. One can marvel at the ancient exhibits displayed in the museum in the centeral part of the palace.

• Keoladeo National Park : Once the royal hunting preserve of the princes of Bharatpur, it is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the world inundated with over 400 species of water birds. Exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, central .Asia, Tibet as well as Siberian cranes from the arctic, greyleg geese from Siberia and bareheaded geese from China , come here in July/Aug to spend the winters in warmer climate and they breed till Oct/Nov.
  Colonies of cormorants, spoonbills , storks, egrets, herons, pelicans, ebis and grey herons can be spotted all over the park. The raised paths camouflaged by babul trees make their viewing easier.

Deeg