The First Bird Watching Tale....

Its been a little over a year that I have taken liking to this new activity called bird-watching. Quite different from what it used to be in school days - this one takes you away from the urban centers into the less treaded paths – however, the excitement still remains the same. While one may argue how boring it is to be excited looking at birds rather than ‘chicks’, I’d say lets leave that discussion for a private meeting (after all my wife is usually the first one to read my blog!!).

Well, lets get back to the new hobby then. So, our (whats more fun than finding a company to bird-watch with!!) quest to watch the international beauties took us all the way up to the border of Rajasthan to a place called Bharatpur. Bharatpur is located on the Eastern border of Rajasthan, and lies between the Agra and Jaipur (although Agra is much closer, click here to veiw a map). In Bharatpur rests a less-known sanctuary called the Keoladeo National Park, commonly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (click here to view map).

The Keoladeo Temple at the heart of the park.

A World Heritage Site, the Keoladeo National Park is more than 200 years old, although it was recognized as a national park only in the latter half of the nineteenth century. For about hundred years prior to the recognition, this place was owned by the Maharajas of Bharatpur and was a famous hunting ground for them and the Brits. (As per official records, in one of the hunting expeditions, a British Governor hunted over 4000 birds in a single day - hard to believe, especially with the kind of rifles that had in those days!!). The park derives its name from the ancient Keoladeo Temple, devoted to lord Shiva, residing at the heart of the park.