More than 300 species of birds are found in this small wildlife park of 29 square kilometers. 11 square kilometers are marshes and the rest scrupland and grassland. The major attractions of tourists visiting the park are the numerous migratory birds, who come as far away as Siberia and Central Asia and spend their winters in Bharatpur, before returning to their breeding grounds. Migratory birds at Bharatpur are several species of Cranes, including the Siberian Crane, Pelicans, Eagles, Hawks, Ducks, Geese among many others.
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, located in Rajasthan, is also known under the name Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The name Keoladeo derives from an ancient Hindu temple, which stands at the center of the park. Ghana means dense, referring to the thick forest that used to cover the area.
While many of India's national parks have been developed from hunting grounds of the former Indian aristocratic families, Bhratpur is probably the only case where the habitat has been created by a Maharaja. Bharatpur town used to be flooded regularly every monsoon, so in 1760 a dam was constructed to save the town from this annual flooding. The depression created by extraction of soil for the dam became the Bharatpur Lake. In the beginning of the 20th century, this lake was divided into several portions, and a system of small dams, dikes, sluice gates etc. was created to control water level in different sections. This became the hunting preserve of the Bharatpur royalty, and one of the best duck shooting wetlands in the world. Hunting was prohibited by mid 60's and the area was declared national park in 1982 and a World Heritage Site in 1985.
