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Travel Guide >> Bharatpur Travel Guide
Bharatpur Travel Guide
Bharatpur - The 'Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan', was founded by Maharaja
Suraj Mal in 1733 AD, it was once an impregnable well fortified city, carved
out of the region formerly known as Mewat. The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and
Dholpur has played an important part in the history of Rajasthan.
The place was named as Bharatpur after the name of Bharat, the brother of
Lord Rama, whose other brother Laxman was worshipped as the family deity
of the Bharatpur.
The legends say the rulers Laxman's name is engraved on the state arms and
the seals. The city and the fort have been believed to be founded by Rustam,
a Jat of Sogariya clan. Maharaja Suraj Mal took over from Khemkaran, the
son of Rustam, and established the empire. He fortified the city by building
a massive wall around the city.
The interesting aspect of the Bharatpur history is the domination of Jats
in the region since 17th century. Leaders like Churaman and Badan Singh
brought the jats together to mould them into a force to reckon with. Suraj
Mal has been the greatest ruler who made them a formidable force and played
a very important role in the Indian history during 19th century.
The 55 km journey by road from Agra drives you to the town of Bharatpur-the
eastern gateway to Rajasthan. Bharatpur is popular for its bird sanctuary-the
Keoladeo Ghana National Park - finest in Asia rich avian variety.
Every year the rare Siberian cranes come to spend the winter in the warmer
climate of Bharatpur.Of the remnants of the royal past remains the marvellous
Bharatpur Palace housing a rich repository of a large number of ancient
exhibit that date back to the early 15th century.
Places to Visit
Lohagarh Fort
The massive iron structure built in the early 18th century. With its impregnable
defences it sustained itself even after a number of British attacks.The
fort was conceived and designed by Maharaja Suraj Mal, the founder of Bharatpur.
The fort has three palaces within its precincts - Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas
and Kothi Khas. Government.
Museum
A rich collection of artefacts, exquisitely carved sculptures and ancient
inscriptions can be admired in the Government Museum located in the Palaces.
All these items speak volumes about the rich heritage, art and crafts of
the region.
The Palace
This royal edifice is a fusion of the Mughal and Rajpat architectural styles
with magnificent apartments and intricately designed floor tiles having
interesting patterns. One can marvel at the ancient exhibits displayed in
the museum in the centeral part of the palace.
Keoladeo National Park
Once the royal hunting preserve of the princes of Bharatpur, it is one of
the finest bird sanctuaries in the world inundated with over 400 species
of water birds. Exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, central .Asia,
Tibet as well as Siberian cranes from the arctic, greyleg geese from Siberia
and bareheaded geese from China , come here in July/Aug to spend the winters
in warmer climate and they breed till Oct/Nov.Colonies of cormorants, spoonbills
, storks, egrets, herons, pelicans, ebis and grey herons can be spotted
all over the park. The raised paths camouflaged by babul trees make their
viewing easier.
Bharatpur Travel
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