Bharatpur Travel Guide: Keoladeo National Park, Lohagarh Fort and Planning

Keoladeo National Park is the reason most visitors come, and it can fill a day by itself. The town's other sights, a fort, a palace museum and two temples, are enough for a second half-day, and Deeg lies a short journey north. For the rest of the state, see our Rajasthan travel guide.

Keoladeo National Park

Formerly the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Keoladeo is described by Rajasthan Tourism as one of the world's most important bird breeding and feeding grounds. It began as a royal hunting reserve in the 1850s, was declared a national park in 1982, and became a World Heritage Site in 1985; the ornithologist Salim Ali is credited with winning government support for it. The Rajasthan Forest Department puts its area at 28.73 square kilometres, and Rajasthan Tourism calls it a man-made wetland. More than 370 species of birds and animals have been recorded, among them the basking python, painted stork, deer and nilgai, and Rajasthan Tourism also lists the golden jackal, striped hyena and blackbuck. The Siberian crane once wintered here, but Rajasthan Tourism describes it only in the past tense.

How the park is toured

Rajasthan Tourism says Keoladeo has well-defined trails that can be covered on foot, by cycle or by rickshaw, and that the park management has trained the rickshaw pullers in birdwatching, so that they make knowledgeable guides. Entry charges, opening hours and closing days are set by the park and the Rajasthan Forest Department and can change, so confirm them before you travel, particularly if you are coming for a single morning.

Lohagarh Fort

Lohagarh, the Iron Fort, is a 19th-century citadel ringed by a moat. Incredible India lists the Kothi Khas, Mahal Khas, Moti Mahal and Kishori Mahal among its buildings, and Rajasthan Tourism credits Raja Suraj Mal with the Jawahar Burj and the Fateh Burj, two of its towers. A Banke Bihari temple stands inside the fort complex.

Bharatpur Palace and Museum

The palace was built in stages by successive Maharajas and blends Mughal and Rajput architecture, according to Incredible India. Its Kamra Khas is now a museum, and Rajasthan Tourism says it holds over 581 stone sculptures and 861 local art and craft wares. Neither page gives opening hours, so check them on the day.

Ganga Mandir

Maharaja Balwant Singh began this temple in 1845, according to Incredible India, which says that construction took nearly nine decades; Rajasthan Tourism notes that he asked the city's wealthy residents to donate a month's pay towards it. The deity is the goddess Ganga, a white marble image seated on a crocodile. Incredible India lists the temple as open from 5 am to 9 pm.

Laxman Mandir

The Laxman Mandir is a pink-stone temple dedicated to Laxman, known, in Incredible India's words, for its carved doors and pillars. Rajasthan Tourism picks it out, with the Ganga Mandir, among the temples of the town.

Deeg Palace

Deeg lies north of Bharatpur, and Incredible India puts it around 40 km away. Badan Singh made it the capital of the Jat dynasty around 1730 and began a palace there, and his son Suraj Mal later surrounded the complex with a fort. The palace is laid out in the Mughal Char Bagh style around the Rup Sagar and Gopal Sagar reservoirs, and Rajasthan Tourism describes Deeg as a garden town of forts, palaces, gardens and fountains. Incredible India lists the palace as open from 9 am to 5 pm.

Band Baretha

Band Baretha is a dam on the Kakund River south of Bharatpur. Rajasthan Tourism says that Maharaj Jaswant Singh started it in 1866 and that Maharaj Ram Singh finished it in 1897, and that Maharaj Kishan Singh built the palace inside. Neither page gives its distance or opening hours.