Bharatpur is a city in Rajasthan founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Due to its proximity to Agra just 50 kms away, tourists visiting Agra are always tempted to visit Bharatpur which has a population of 4 lakhs and area spread over 29 Sq Km.
Bharatpur has a long history with many kings ruling the area. Bharatpur is more popular today for its Keoladeo National Park, which is declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
History:
Bharatpur, like Alwar, was once a part of the Matsya Desh. History binds itself inextricably linked with mythology; for it was here that the Pandava brothers are supposed to have spent their 13th year of exile some 3500 years back (see Mahabharata for the full story). and all of it is not hogwash, for there're some fine archaeological remains of this ancient civilization preserved in the Bharatpur Museum.
Best For:
Keoladeo National Park
Brij festival
Jawahar Burj and Fatej Burj
Bharatpur experiences mixed weather conditions. The temperature in summer reaches 38deg C. Maximum temperature during monsoon is 27 deg C. The lowest in winter goes to 10deg C. Bharatpur experiences fog during Jan-Feb.
Best Time to Visit - from October to March
The best form of currency is Indian Rupees. Credit cards are accepted in the hotels where you stay but it is advisable to carry cash. Currency can be exchanged at the State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur or at the Ashok Forest Lodge.
No special permit is required to visit Bharatpur. All foreigners though must have a valid visa to India.
There are basically few places to see in Bharatpur. First stop for all tourists is the Keoladeo National Park. This was once a royal hunting ground for rulers of Bharatpur. Today this National park is one of the finest bird sanctuaries with over 400 different types of birds. Siberian cranes, bareheaded geese, greyleg geese etc migrate to Bhartpur during July/Aug and then leave after Oct/Nov. Apart from these exotic migratory birds, the National park has many birds like cormorants, egrets, grey herons, pelicans, spoonbills and storks which can be seen over the park. If you are a bird lover, you must visit this place leisurely.
Maharaja Suraj Mal, the founder of Bharatpur has built Lohagarh Fort with massive iron structure in 18th century. There are three palaces inside this fort. They are Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas.
There is a Government Museum with a rich collection of artefacts, sculptures and ancient inscriptions that reflect the rich heritage of the region. Jawahar Burj and Fatej Burj are worth viewing.
Where To Eat:
All the hotels have the restaurants attached. You may also find a snack stand inside the park near the Keoladeo Temple. One can eat at Bambino or Saras. Moon Dance, near Pratap Palace is worth trying.
Where To Stay:
There are many hotels to stay in Bhartpur which one can choose depending on the budget. Hotel Welcome on Golbagh Palace Rd off Agra road or Park Palace Hotel offer comfortable stay.
Hotel Spoon Bill and Jungle Lodge are popular in Bharatpur. Rajathan Tourism Development Corporation runs Hotel Saras.
Hotel Pratap Palace on Bird Sanctuary Road is worth considering if you have a slightly higher budget. Laxmi Vilas Palace is a 19th century palace converted into a hotel. The tariff is around 1400/1600. ITDC Bharatpur Forest Lodge offers finest rooms.
Some hotels even rent bikes and binoculars.
Air: Nearest airport is at Agra which is 54 kms from Bharatpur. There are daily flights for Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Varanasi from/to Agra. One can take a taxi and reach Bharatpur. Major Airport:
Bharatpur has no airport of its own. Nearest airport is at Agra about 56 Kms away from Bharatpur.
Rail :
Bharatpur is connected to rest of India by railways. The Bharatpur railway station is 6 kms away from the National Park. Journey to Agra takes about 2 hours and journey to Amritsar around 15 hours. The connection to Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai makes it convenient to many tourists to get to Bharatpur via these popular cities.
Road : The roads are good and many popular cities are well connected by roadways. There are buses, cars and private vehicles at a reasonable rate which carry passengers within the city and to the nearby places. Agra by road is just 55 kms . Fatehpur Sikri is 22kms away and takes less than an hour to reach and Mathura is 39 kms away. Delhi is about 184 kms from Bharatpur. Jaipur is 176 kms and Alwar is 117 kms away from Bharatpur.
Deeg is a beautiful garden town about 34 km from Bharatpur. There are some palaces with great landscape. Deeg Fort built by Raja Duraj Mal has impressive gateways.
One may visit Dhaulpur and Jhor. Jhor is 16 kms away from Dhaulpur and has the oldest Mughal garden built by Babur. Other places of interest are tomb of Bibi Zarina, Mach Kund, Bari, Talab-e-shahi lake, Damoh Waterfall, Ram Sagar Sanctuary etc
Highly recommended for bird and nature lovers. Generally one day is sufficient to cover all the places in Bharatpur. If you do not enjoy bird watching, you may have few other places to go around. If nature and Birds do not excite you, this is moderately recommended.
