Keoladeo National Park popularly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. It is located 2km (1 ¼ miles ) south of Bharatpur city in Rajastan state of India. Agra city, is 55km (35 miles) east of Bharatpur.
History of Keoladeo National Park: Stared as the private duck shoot game for the Maharajas (The kings of the region) later turned into a much sought after imperial hunting reserve. And now it is a protected bird sanctuary of international fame with a UNESCO World Heritage tag. Later the status of this erstwhile hunting area was changed into as protected bird sanctuary. In 1985 the park was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park got its name Keladeo, thanks to the Shiva (Keoladeo, in local parlance) temple located inside the park.
In 1726 Suraj Mal, the maharaja of Bharatpur, constructed a bund across the confluence of the two rivers Gambhir and Banganga. The lowland was flooded and turned into a manmade water body. This attracted numerous spices of birds , especially the aquatic birds. Bharatpur happened to be in the natural path of the migratory birds. That made the seasonal population many folds.
The major attractions of tourists visiting the park are the numerous migratory birds, which come from as far away as Siberia and Central Asia and spend their winters in Bharatpur, before returning to their breeding grounds. Migratory birds at Bharatpur bird sanctuary include, several species of Cranes, Pelicans, Geese, Ducks, Eagles, Hawks, Shanks, Stints, Wagtails, Warblers, Wheatears, Flycatchers, Buntings, Larks and Pipits, etc.
Bharatpur Wildlife Sanctuary is open throughout the year; still the ideal visiting months are from August-November for resident breeding birds and October- February for migrant birds.