The Jat kingdom of Bharatpur
For seven weeks in 1805 the British under Lord Lake attacked the mud walls of Lohagarh four times, and failed every time, losing more than three thousand men. Bharatpur made terms and kept its fort.
Who the Jats were: the great farming clans of the plains between Delhi, Agra and Mathura.
A kingdom of their own: as Mughal power weakened in the early eighteenth century, Jat chiefs carved one out, and Badan Singh founded the state of Bharatpur.
- State founded
- 1722, by Badan Singh
- Suraj Mal reigned
- 1755 to 1763
- Agra Fort taken
- 1761
- British siege
- January to February 1805
- Fort finally taken
- 1826
- Suraj Mal: his son turned it into a power. He began the fort of Lohagarh in 1732, even before he became ruler.
- One of the strongest in the north: under Suraj Mal Bharatpur ranked among the mightiest states of northern India, until he was killed in an ambush near the Hindon river in 1763.
- The Plato of the Jats: a shrewd soldier and clever diplomat, as a contemporary historian called him.
- Delhi and Agra: his army plundered Delhi in 1753, and in 1761 he took Agra Fort itself after a siege of about a month.
- Jawahar Singh: his son sacked Delhi again in 1764, with Sikh allies, and came home with trophies, among them, it is said, a great metal gate from the Red Fort.
- Why the British came: Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur sheltered the Maratha chief Jaswant Rao Holkar.
- The fall: Lohagarh was not taken until 1826, when Lord Combermere's engineers mined the walls.
- After that: a princely state until independence, it joined the Matsya Union in 1948 and became part of Rajasthan in 1949.
- Braj country: this is the land of Krishna's childhood, running across the border into Uttar Pradesh. You hear the soft Braj dialect in the bazaar, see Krishna in every temple and taste it in the food.
- A meeting point: of Rajasthan, Braj and the Mughal heartland of Agra, and its character mixes all three.
From royal duck shoot to world heritage
The geography: Keoladeo lies in a natural depression where the Gambhiri and Banganga rivers spread out in the monsoon.
The king's dam: in the mid-eighteenth century Suraj Mal built the Ajan Bund, which held the water back and created a shallow seasonal marsh.
A game preserve: around 1899 the Bharatpur state flooded part of it from the Ajan Bund, and in 1902 it was inaugurated with a shoot for the Viceroy, Lord Curzon.
- Game preserve
- Around 1899, opened 1902
- Bird sanctuary
- 1956
- Ramsar site
- 1981
- National park
- 1982
- UNESCO listing
- 1985
- Area
- About 29 sq km
- Sixty years of shooting: Keoladeo hosted the most famous duck shoots in the British Empire. Viceroys, maharajas and generals competed for the biggest bag.
- The worst day: a shoot for Lord Linlithgow in 1938 is said to have killed more than four thousand birds.
- The end: the last shoot on the tablet was in 1964 and shooting ended soon after. The Maharaja's hunting rights were withdrawn in 1972.
- Salim Ali: the ornithologist encouraged the first protection, as a bird sanctuary.
- International recognition: in 1981 it became one of India's first two Ramsar wetlands of international importance, together with Chilika Lake in Odisha.
- The name: from the small temple of Keoladeo, a form of Shiva, in the middle of the park.
- Ghana: what local people still call it, meaning dense, for the thick woodland that once covered it.
- The mix: roughly a third wetland, the rest woodland, scrub and grassland. That mosaic is the secret of its richness.
- Who lives where: ducks and geese crowd the open water, storks and herons nest in the trees, and raptors, owls and small birds work the dry ground between.
The birds, season by season
- Species
- More than 350
- Globally threatened
- Around fifteen
- Winter peak
- December to February
- Heronry
- August to October
- Good winter morning
- Over 100 species
- For keen birders: a good winter morning can give well over a hundred species before lunch.
- Go deeper: our birding experiences page and our guide to birdwatching at Bharatpur.
October to March, the winter visitors
Where they come from: once the monsoon has filled the marsh, the migrants arrive from Central Asia, Siberia and the Himalaya.
- Water birds: ducks of many kinds, geese including the bar-headed goose, pelicans, cranes and waders.
- Raptors follow: from the greater spotted eagle to harriers and falcons.
- The peak: December to February brings the greatest numbers and the coolest days, and early mornings are often misty and very beautiful.
August to October, the heronry
The colony: after the rains the resident water birds breed in a great noisy colony in the acacia trees.
- Who nests: painted storks with yellow bills and rosy wings, open-billed storks, spoonbills, cormorants, darters, herons, egrets and ibises, in their thousands.
- The spectacle: the noise, the smell and the constant traffic of parents bringing fish make it one of the great wildlife sights of India.
All year, the residents
Sarus cranes: the tallest flying birds in the world live and dance here in pairs.
- Small birds: kingfishers, owls, bee-eaters, parakeets and many more are found all year.
- Mammals: nilgai, the big blue-grey antelope, golden jackals, palm civets and the elusive fishing cat.
- In winter: rock pythons bask in the sun outside their burrows.
The cranes that stopped coming
The bird: the Siberian crane is one of the most beautiful and most endangered cranes in the world.
Its journey: a small western population flew every autumn from breeding grounds in Russia, across Central Asia and Afghanistan, to winter at Keoladeo.
In art: the Mughal painter Ustad Mansur painted one in the early seventeenth century, and the birds were the pride of the park.
- Late 1960s
- Around a hundred cranes
- 1988
- Twenty-three
- 1990
- Ten
- From 1998
- A single pair
- Last seen
- Winter of 2001 to 2002
- Why they vanished: hunting along the migration route, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is thought to have destroyed the western population. Drought years that dried the wetland did not help.
- Part of the story: the empty space where the white cranes stood still hurts, and our guides tell it to every guest.
- A warning about water: dams upstream, especially the Panchana dam on the Gambhiri, have reduced the natural flow, so the park now depends heavily on water brought in from outside.
- The fixes: the Chambal pipeline and the Govardhan drain were built to help.
- Under threat: the park is on the Montreux Record, the Ramsar list of wetlands at risk.
- What it means for you: good and bad water years make a huge difference to what you will see.
Seeing Keoladeo by rickshaw, bicycle and on foot
The rickshaw guides
Trained naturalists: Keoladeo's famous cycle-rickshaw pullers are trained by the park, and many are superb, knowing where the owls roost, which tree the pythons favour and the call of every warbler.
- Better than a book: ride with one for a morning and you will learn more than any field guide can teach.
- How to work with them: agree the hours at the start, tip generously and let them choose the route.
- We book for you: our planners reserve an experienced one.
By bicycle
Hire at the gate: the flat, shady main road and side paths are perfect for cycling.
- Freedom: stop wherever you like and go further into the quieter parts of the park.
- Best of both: add a naturalist guide on a second bicycle.
On foot
- The quietest way: on the side tracks you hear more than you see: the boom of a bittern, the chatter of babblers, a jackal in the reeds.
- What to wear: soft-soled shoes and muted colours, and carry water.
The right hours
Be at the gate when it opens: the first two hours of light are the best for birds and for photography.
- Midday: rest.
- Late afternoon: return until closing, when the light softens and the birds come in to roost.
- Before you go: check the current opening hours and fees, because they change.
If you're not a birder
Beginners
- No knowledge needed: the scale does the work: a sky full of geese at dawn, a tree crowded with nesting storks, sarus cranes dancing with wings spread, a python asleep in the winter sun.
- A guide who adapts: a good rickshaw guide is used to beginners, points out the spectacular and leaves the obscure warblers for another day.
Families
Why children love it: the rickshaw rides and bicycles, the size of the pelicans and the sheer number of animals.
Easy going: the park is flat, shady and safe.
- Keep it short: outings of three hours or so, with snacks and water.
- Kit for small birders: binoculars and a simple picture guide for each child. A list of birds ticked off in pencil keeps young eyes busy for hours.
- More ideas: our page on travelling with children.
Photographers
One of India's best: birds are used to people on the paths, and the dawn light is soft.
- The mist: over the water in December and January it is magical.
- Kit: a long lens helps, but the colonies and big water birds can be photographed with modest kit.
- The rules: be patient, stay on the paths, and never disturb a nest for a picture.
Lohagarh, the iron fort made of mud
The design: instead of stone walls that shatter under fire, a double ring of massive earthen ramparts behind a deep moat.
The moat's water: filled from the Moti Jheel lake by the Sujan Ganga canal.
- Begun
- 1732, by Suraj Mal
- Took
- About eight years
- Jawahar Burj
- 1765
- Fateh Burj
- 1805
- Best hour
- Late afternoon
- Why it worked: cannonballs buried themselves in the earth, and attackers who reached the walls found the moat in their way.
- Jawahar Burj: built by Jawahar Singh to celebrate his victory over Delhi, and used for coronations.
- Fateh Burj: built by Ranjit Singh to mark the defeat of Lord Lake.
- The Ashtadhatu gate: the north gate, of eight metals, said to have been brought back by Jawahar Singh from the Red Fort. Some say it came originally from Chittor, but that may be legend.
- The palaces: Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas, Kothi Khas and Hansarani Mahal, less grand than the Rajput palaces of Jaipur or Udaipur, but with their own Jat character.
- The museum: sculpture, weapons and objects from the royal collection.
Deeg, the summer palaces of fountains
A summer retreat: Badan Singh began a palace here, and Suraj Mal enlarged it with a fort and a great set of pleasure palaces, completed in the later eighteenth century.
The layout: formal gardens and two large tanks, with buildings named as bhawans: the Gopal, Suraj, Kishan, Nand, Keshav and Hardev Bhawans.
Sawan and Bhadon: two pavilions named after the two monsoon months.
- From Bharatpur
- About 32 km north-west
- Begun
- Early 18th century, Badan Singh
- Tanks
- Gopal Sagar and Roop Sagar
- Fountains
- A few festival days, around Holi
- Allow
- Two hours
- A palace for the rains: the Keshav Bhawan sends water through its roof to recreate the sound and feel of a monsoon shower.
- The fountains: hundreds are set into the gardens and pavilions, switched on with coloured water on a few festival days.
- Quiet: much less visited than the famous palaces of Rajasthan.
- The loveliest building: the Gopal Bhawan, reflected in its tank, is one of the finest in the region.
- When: on the way to or from Bharatpur, ideally in the morning.
- Close by: Mathura and Vrindavan, the heart of Braj.
Where to stay
Laxmi Vilas Palace
What it is: a royal family palace on the edge of town, now a heritage hotel.
- Two wings: a heritage wing of courtyards and old rooms, and a newer wing. Ask for the heritage wing.
- To the park: about fifteen minutes from the gate.
Stay near the park gate
- Easy dawns: several hotels and lodges stand close to the park entrance.
- How we choose: we suggest one that fits your style, always within easy reach of the gate.
From Agra
- The big hotels: some guests stay at The Oberoi Amarvilas or ITC Mughal in Agra and drive over for a long morning.
- The trade-off: you miss the best evening light and the second dawn, so we prefer at least one night in Bharatpur.
Food of the Braj country
Braj food: in the land of Krishna, milk and butter are sacred and sweets are made with love.
Breakfast: kachori or bedmi puri, fried breads stuffed with spiced lentils, with a sharp potato curry and pickle.
- Lunch: thick dal, seasonal vegetables and rotis, and in winter mustard greens with millet bread.
- Mathura peda: a fudge of reduced milk and sugar, the sweet of the region.
- Agra petha: translucent candied pumpkin, from close by.
- The royal kitchen: the Jat kings were not vegetarian, and cooked game and meat. For a traditional meat dish, ask at your hotel a day ahead.
- Park picnics: we pack generous breakfasts for birders: parathas, boiled eggs, fruit and a flask of hot sweet tea, eaten on a bench by the water.
- Go deeper: our Rajasthan food guide and the Agra food guide.
Getting to Bharatpur
From Agra: roughly an hour by road. Fatehpur Sikri is on the way, about half an hour from Bharatpur, and makes a natural stop.
- From Agra
- About 56 km, an hour
- From Jaipur
- About 185 km, 3.5 to 4 hours
- From Delhi
- About 190 km, 4 to 5 hours
- Railway
- Bharatpur Junction, Delhi-Mumbai line
- To Deeg
- About 32 km north-west
- By train: Bharatpur Junction has fast trains from Delhi and towards Sawai Madhopur for Ranthambore.
- Mathura: about an hour away.
- On our journeys: both the Golden Triangle with Ranthambore and big cats and birds include Bharatpur.
Two days in Bharatpur
Day one, the park and the fort
Arrive: from Agra the evening before, or very early.
- Morning: enter Keoladeo at opening by rickshaw with your guide, for the main road and the wetland.
- Midday: lunch and rest at your hotel.
- Late afternoon: Lohagarh Fort, walking the ramparts at sunset.
Day two, by bicycle and to Deeg
Dawn: back into the park by bicycle, for the quieter side paths and the woodland.
- After breakfast: drive to Deeg for the palaces and gardens.
- Afternoon: a final evening in the park, or continue to Jaipur or Ranthambore.
For serious birders
- Stay longer: three or four nights, with every dawn and dusk in the park with a specialist guide.
- Combine habitats: the grassland of Tal Chhapar and the wetlands of Sambhar Lake, on our birding journey.
How long to allow, and who it suits
Birders: the obvious guests. Two dawns in the park are the minimum, and every extra morning brings new species.
Photographers: misty winter mornings and birds used to people on the paths make this one of India's most rewarding places for bird photography.
- Nights we suggest
- Two
- Serious birders
- Three or four nights
- Park visit
- A full morning, again at dusk
- Lohagarh
- An hour or two, late afternoon
- Deeg
- Two hours, ideally a morning
- Families: the park is flat, shady and safe, and children love the rickshaws, bicycles and pelicans. Keep outings to three hours or so.
- History lovers: a Jat kingdom that defeated Lord Lake, a mud fort and the fountain palaces of Deeg give a different story from the Rajput courts.
- Golden Triangle travellers: it sits on the road between Agra and Jaipur, with Fatehpur Sikri on the way, so it adds wildlife without a detour.
- Who may not love it: travellers who want grand palace hotels and busy evenings. Bharatpur's stays are modest and its nights are early.
- Not in the heat: from April to June the park is at its quietest for birds, so we plan it for October to March, or the heronry from August.
Our advice for Keoladeo
Go early: the first hours of light are when the birds are most active and the park is quietest.
Binoculars for everyone: and ask your guide to carry a telescope for the distant water birds.
- Muted colours and layers: winter mornings are cold and misty, middays warm.
- Keep your voice down: and never throw food to the birds or animals.
- Tip your rickshaw guide well: their knowledge is the park's greatest treasure, and their income depends on visitors.
- Ask about the water year: in dry years the park can be much quieter, and it helps to know before you plan.
- Before you travel: read our ethical animal encounters guide and our wildlife safaris page.
