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KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK
BIRD HAVEN
Keoladeo National Park, formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, is regarded as one of the world’s most important bird breeding and feeding places. It began as a royal hunting reserve in the 1850s and served as a game reserve for Maharajas and British. In fact, Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943, shot thousands of ducks in a single day with his hunting group! Keoladeo National park was designated a national park in 1982 and was later designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The park is home to about 370 different bird and animal species, including the basking python, painted storks, deer, nilgai, and others. Salim Ali, a well-known Indian ornithologist and naturalist, used his clout to get official approval for the establishment of Keoladeo National Park. It was also known as a breeding place for the elusive and endangered Siberian crane. Keoladeo National Park has well-defined hikes that can be completed on foot, bicycle, or rickshaw. Indeed, the park management has taught the rickshaw pullers in bird observation, and they make excellent guides.