Introduction of Bharatpur

Bharatpur - the eastern gateway to Rajasthan is about 55 km from Agra. Bharatpur is a small city and famous for its bird sanctuary - the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. The Keoladeo Ghana National Park is one of the finest National Park in Asia. Once the hunting ground of the princes of Bharatpur, today the Bharatpur is ranked among the world's best bird sanctuaries. In 1956, this reserve was tuned into a sanctuary, though the Maharaja was allowed to hunt in this reserve till 1972. In 1981, the sanctuary was designated as a national park. Every year the rare Siberian cranes come to spend the winter in the warmer climate of Bharatpur. Every year this park is visited by over 400 species of water birds including the exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, Central Asia and Tibet and the rare Siberian cranes from Siberia. Bharatpur is not only famous for its Bird Sanctuary but also for its historical forts and palaces like the Lohagarh Fort, Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj. 

History of Bharatpur

Bharatpur along with Deeg and Dholpur holds an important place in the history of Rajasthan. The history of Bharatpur traces the rise and fall of Jat power in eastern Rajasthan. These jats were active during the late 17th century and the rulers like Churaman, Badan Singh and Suraj Mal dominated this region. Bharatpur was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733 AD. Maharaja Suraj Mal took over from Khemkaran, the son of Rustam and established the empire. He fortified the city by building a massive wall around the city. He also built the Lohagarh Fort or the Iron Fort in the year 1732. This fort took about 60 years to be completed and is still the focal point of the town. This fort shaped the history of Bharatpur. 

The place was named as Bharatpur after the name of Bharat, the brother of Lord Rama, whose other brother Laxman was worshipped as the family deity of the Bharatpur.