Wings of Bharatpur
(Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajastan)
When I first learnt that I have got an opportunity to visit, I was positively thrilled. As a photographer, I had heard countless stories about the marvelous place. I had heard about the birds, the scenery, and the adventures and couldn’t wait to experience all that for myself.
Naturally, my expectations were sky high! I, along with my friends, planned every detail meticulously months in advance.
When the day came, I was caught up by unexpected official work. One that managed to escape my meticulous plans! My friends with whom I was supposed to travel, left for Agra by train as planned and I was still back in Chennai. But I didn’t want to miss this opportunity for all the stars in the sky! So, I left to Delhi the next day by Air. I arrived early the next morning by train to the place I had planned to visit - Bharatpur.
I had missed the first day of safari. Being a little rusty in the local language, I still managed to find my way to the hotel in the wee hours. When I breathed in its crisp and cold air, I didn’t yet know about all the beauty of Bharathpur I was set to witness.
That morning, after an early breakfast, we set out to the bird sighting & photography!
As we passed through the thickets, from the small town to the forest, I saw magic all around me. Beautiful nature and majestic trees and all kinds of captivating birds soaring and flying about.
Bharatpur is foggy at morning, shivering cold till the sun rises to the zenith. But you hear the sounds, like music. Magical chirps and caws. Like a song the birds especially wrote for the trees, the wind, and as I’d like to believe, for me too. I forget, at times, that I am cold.
As the fog thins around 8.30/9 am, your excitement thickens and is as fresh as the first day. And as your eyes feast upon nature at its purest form, your mind will never let you forget this magical memory.
I have been to so many bird sanctuaries / habitats; like Vedanthangal, Nalapet, Pulikat, Sholinganallur, but nothing compares to Bharathpur. It is always special.
I learnt that Bharathpur (Keoladeo Ghana Swamp then) was originally developed by Maharaja Ramsingh, the ruler of Bharathpur from 1893 AD to 1900 AD inspired by the Duck Shooting spots he visited in England. Post-Independence, the Maharaja had handed over the Ghana, admeasuring 29 sq.km. to the Government of Rajasthan, which notified it as a Bird Sanctuary in 1956. In the year 1981 Keoladeo was declared as Natural Park and later declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO in the year 1985.
We stayed in a nice little hotel called IORA, where we received good food and a warm place to fight the cold nights. The owner of IORA, Mr. Devendar Singh, is an avid birder, and a photographer himself. He shared his knowledge about the forest and the several species of birds that we didn’t know.
Among the 300+ birds you get to see in Bharathpur, a number of them cannot be spotted so easily anywhere else in the world. I was fortunate to spot 100+ species in my very first visit.
As Bharatpur is a mixture of grass lands, wood lands and swamps, it invites numerous colourful and exotic birds into its forests. Every bird species has a certain area to call their own. The rickshaw drivers were quite knowledgeable about the birds. They guided us through the thickets showing us every bird in their natural habitat.
I came back from Bharathpur with countless, priceless memories, and a camera full of pictures of beautiful birds. The place mesmerizes its visitors with its enchanting spells of Nature. A part of my heart still breathes in Bharatpur.
