Kevladev National Park, National park in Bharatpur, India.
Keoladeo National Park is a protected area in Bharatpur district in eastern Rajasthan made up of woodlands, swamps and wet grasslands that support numerous animal species. The terrain spreads across flat land and is crossed by water channels that fill the lower sections during monsoon season, creating habitat for birds and other wildlife.
The history of the area goes back to the 1850s when the ruling family of Bharatpur established the land as a hunting ground for waterfowl. The reserve was designated a national park in 1982 and three years later it received recognition as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Locals still refer to the area by its former name Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and enjoy using the trails for early morning walks in nature. Visitors encounter multilingual signboards along the routes explaining different bird species and plants, making the surroundings easier to understand.
The park is most rewarding to visit during the winter months from October to March when temperatures are comfortable and migratory birds arrive from different regions. A network of paved paths leads through different sections of the grounds and can be explored on foot, by bicycle or with a cycle rickshaw.
More than 370 bird species use the area during the year, including waterfowl from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, China and Siberia that stop here during their migrations. The grounds originally served for food production before artificial flooding transformed the land into wetland and created an unexpected draw for thousands of birds.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
