Bharatpur, Rajasthan

I planned a trip to Bharatpur to visit the famous Keoladeo National park but found that there is a lot more to it. Bharatpur is a conveniently located city in the colorful state of Rajasthan and offers a variety of places to visit.

Placed I visited:

Keolado Ghana National Park: I had wanted to visit this world heritage site since a long time and I am so glad I finally made it. Spread over an area of 29 km, this beautiful bird sanctuary is considered to be a paradise for bird watchers and has a rich flora and fauna. I visited this place in December when hundreds of birds had flown here from all over the world. It was indeed a cherished experience to see so many rare birds at one place. There are many options to traverse through the park. We can hire a bicycle and ride ourselves or take the cycle rickshaws or simply walk around. The cycle rickshaw bird safari in this park remains one my most unique travel experiences. The guides are very knowledgeable and highly recommended. I wish I had more time to explore this park again on foot, but could spare just one visit.

Deeg Palace: Deeg is around 30ish km from the main Bharatpur city. The architecture is nice but to me this palace was all about fountains. The palace could be well named as the fountain palace of India as it has around 200 fountains. It was very interesting to understand the complex mechanism behind the functioning of these fountains. I was told that all these function properly and during Holi colors are added to the water so that the fountains sprinkle colored water. For over curious souls, I would recommend to read about the fountain works before visiting this temple. To be able to relate to that unique information itself would solve the (sole) purpose of your visit to this palace, like it did mine. Everything else in this palace (a so called garden and a small museum and shabby surroundings) was just OK for me. It lacked maintenance and washroom was pathetic.

Lohagarh Fort: This fort is a living fort and it must have been a beauty in its era but currently it is in a great need of maintenance. The moat that surrounds the fort is filthy and serves as a garbage dumping place. Strangely, I did not see a single signage. There is a palace, a museum, a place of worship, some houses etc. within the fort. The old buildings are really in bad shape. Overall, I would have been happy to miss it.

Keoladeo Temple: The Keolado National Park is named after this temple. The temple is situated inside the park and is dedicated to lord Shiva.

Laxman Temple:  This is a rare temple dedicated to Laxman. It is right in the middle of the market where I indulged in some local food.

My 2 Cents:

1.     Do opt for a guide at the park. They are very knowledgeable and would arrange for binoculars. I could not ride a bicycle or walk around due to time constraint. If you have time, try to do all these things. I am sure each experience would be unique.

2.     (Only during winters) Even if you’re not really into bird watching, do visit the park. The park would serve as a nice picnic spot (especially if you’re with kids). Arrange for mats , take your food along and just laze around in nature’s lap. I am sure it would be special. There is something for everyone in this park.

3.     Empty your bladder before visiting the Deeg Palace if possible. The washroom facility is horrible.

4.     Do indulge in street food. We had some yummy samosas from a shop nearby Laxman temple. Imartis looked tempting, was too full to try.

5.     A trip to Agra is pretty much doable in one day from Bharatpur. I visited Taj Mahal on New Year’s day and it is around 2 hour drive from Bharatpur.