Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a mosaic of shallow wetlands, grasslands and woodland spread over about 29 sq km on the edge of Bharatpur city. In winter the park fills with thousands of ducks, geese, storks, pelicans, egrets, herons, raptors and songbirds; over 350–400 bird species have been recorded here. Visitors usually explore on cycle-rickshaws, bicycles or on foot along raised dykes, watching painted storks nesting in trees, sarus cranes calling in pairs, owls in tree hollows and pythons basking in the sun. The small Keoladeo Shiva temple inside gives the park its name. In monsoon the wetlands become a green, watery world; in dry months you see more open grass and grazing chital and nilgai. The combination of rich birdlife, easy access and flat paths makes Keoladeo one of the best beginner-friendly wildlife destinations in India.
About this place
History & highlights
The wetlands were originally a natural depression that flooded seasonally from the Gambhir and Banganga rivers. In 1899, the then ruler of Bharatpur and his British administrator developed the area into a duck-shooting reserve, constructing embankments and sluice gates to manage water levels and attract game birds. For decades, Viceroys and princes held large shoots here, with bags of thousands of ducks in a single day recorded on old stone tablets. After Independence, conservationists like Dr Salim Ali campaigned for protection; in 1956 it became Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, was declared a Ramsar wetland in 1981 and upgraded to Keoladeo National Park in 1982. In 1985 UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site for its outstanding value as a wintering ground for migratory waterfowl, once including the critically endangered Siberian crane. The park has also faced crises, especially a severe water shortage in the 2000s when drought and upstream water use reduced flooding, prompting major projects to bring more water via canals. Today it is central to bird conservation in India and one of Rajasthan’s four Ramsar sites.
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