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» The Favourite BirdRetreat
- The 55-km long journey by road from Agra drives you to
thetown of Bharatpur the eastern gateway to Rajasthan.
Bharatpur is popular forits bird sanctuary near the Keoladeo
Ghana National Park, which is thefinest in Asia with a rich
avian variety. Every year, the rare Siberiancranes come to
spend the winter in the warmer climate of Bharatpur.
Of the remnants of the royal past remain the marvellous
Bharatpur Palacehousing a rich repository of a large number of
ancient exhibits that dateback to the early 15th century.
» Lohagarh Fort - Themassive iron structure built in the early
18th century. With its impregnabledefences, it sustained
itself even after a number of British attacks. Thefort was
conceived and designed by Maharaja Suraj Mal, the founder
ofBharatpur. The fort has three palaces within its precincts -
Kishori Mahal,Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas.
» Jawahar Burj and FatehBurj - A few of the eight imposing
towers still stand erect within theglorious ramparts of the
fort. Especially two of them - Jawahar Burj andFateh Burj are
of special interest. These were built by Maharaja Suraj Malto
commemorate his victories over the Mughals and British
respectively. Thecoronation ceremony of the Jat rulers of
Bharatpur was also held at theJawahar Burj.
» The Palace - Thisroyal edifice is a fusion of the Mughal and
Rajput architectural styles withmagnificent apartments and
intricately designed floor tiles havinginteresting patterns.
One can marvel at the ancient exhibits displayed inthe museum
in the central pan of the palace.
» Government Museum - Arich collection of artefacts,
exquisitely carved sculptures and ancientinscriptions can be
admired in the Government Museum located in the palace.All
these items speak volumes about the rich heritage and art and
crafts ofthe region.
» Keoladeo National Park - Once the royal hunting reserve of
the princes ofBharatpur, it is one of the finest bird
sanctuaries in the world, inundatedwith over 400 species of
water birds. Exotic migratory birds fromAfghanistan, Central
Asia, Tibet as well as Siberian cranes from the Arctic,greyleg
geese from Siberia and barheaded geese from China, come here
inJuly/August to spend the winters in the warmer climate and
they breed tillOctober/November.
Colonies of cormorants, spoon bills, storks, egrets, herons,
pelicans, ebisand grey herons can be spotted all over the
park. The raised pathscamouflaged by Babul trees make their
viewing easier.
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