Bharatpur is small city located in the eastern Rajasthan, itwas founded in 1733 AD by Maharaja Suraj Malji, it is named after the brother of Lord Rama called “Bharat”, the city played an important part in history. Famous as a bird water’s paradise. Bharatpur has privilege to host the thousands of Siberian cranes which travels more thousand miles to enjoy their winters. 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.
HOW TO REACH
By Air:-
The nearest airport is situated at Agra, which is 56-kms from Bharatpur. Delhi is 184 Kms from Bharatpur.
By Rail:-
Regular rail services connect Bharatpur with all the major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Agra.. The Bharatpur railway station is about 5 Kms from the park/bird sanctuary.
By Road:-
An excellent network of roads connects Bharatpur to all the major cities of the Rajasthan and the neighboring states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana. Bharatpur is well connected by road from Agra (56-kms, 1 hour), Delhi (184-kms, 4 hours) and Jaipur (176-kms, 3 hours).
WHAT TO SEE
Keoladeo Ghana National Park:-
This park is well worth to visit, a staggering 364 species of birds have been recorded within the park’s 29 sq km area. It’s also one of the world’s most important bird-breeding and feeding grounds, and a vital wintering area for aquatic birds, including species from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia. There you can see the Saras cranes i.e. the largest bird in the park & birds like herons, egrets, geese, owls, cormorants, kingfishers and even pythons. The perfect time for bird-watching is the early morning and evening. And to visit this park the best time is from October to February, when many migratory birds can be seen, including highly endangered Siberian crane.
Lohagarh:-
This Iron Fort was built in the 18th century by Maharaja Suraj Mahl, who was the founder of of Bharatpur.
Bharatpur Palace:-
It is a fine fusion of Mughal and Rajput styles of architecture and was built in various phases by different maharajas. The magnificent apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles having exquisite and intricate designs. The museum occupies the main central wing displaying collections dating back to the 2nd century AD which demonstrates the art and skill of the region.
Ganga Temple:-
The huge temple is beautiful piece of architecture. It was built in 1845 by Maharaja Balwant Singh.
Laxman Temple:-
The temple is dedicated to the younger bother of Lord “RAMA”. It is worth visiting for its exquisite carving & beautiful stone work.
SHOPPING:-
Bharatpur is world renowned for the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Not obviously a shopping destination, tourists heading for Bharatpur can manage to take home souvenirs and curios typical of India. For shoppers, the ideal place to shop would be the city of Jaipur.
FOOD:-
You can try the special restaurants at the luxury hotels.