Bharatpur Fort ( Kila)
Bharatpur, in Rajasthan, seems like a small town at first sight. But with its fortress, palaces, religious places and the world-famous bird sanctuary it is a beautiful place and attracts tourists, largely foreigners, in hordes. Replete with acts of chivalry and valor, the history of this township is at once interesting and awe-inspiring. About 175 km from Delhi on the Delhi-Mumbai highway, Bharatpur had been ruled by Jat rulers, the first being Badan Singh. A revolt against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb by some petty Jat chieftains led to open warfare and frequent skirmishes.
With the death of Aurangzeb in the early eighteenth century, Badan Singh, a Jat chieftain, carved out a kingdom of Bharatpur in 1722 and became its ruler.
Suraj Mal, his son by a favorite concubine, succeeded him and fortified it with walls of packed mud and a moat full of water surrounding it. Known as Loha Garh or Iron Fort, the inaccessible fort could withstand repeated attacks of British forces led by Lord Lake in 1805 when they laid siege for over six weeks. Having lost over 3000 soldiers, the British forces had to retreat and strike a compromise with the Bharatpur ruler. Of the two gates in the fort, one in the north is known as Ashtdhaatu (eight metalled) gate while the one facing the south is called Chowburja (four-pillared) gate.
Within the precincts of the fort are three palaces one of which, Kothi Khas, now serves as a museum while the other two, Kishori Mahal and Mahal Khas, are sadly in a dilapidated state. Archaeological finds intricately carved sculptures and ancient inscriptions dating back to the second century are on display in the museum, the entrance to which is free on Mondays. Brightly designed baths or hamams with walls and domes are some of the attractions in the palace museum.
Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj, two of the eight magnificent towers within the precincts of the fort, call for special mention. While the former was built by Maharaja Suraj Mal to commemorate his victory over the Mughals, the latter was built by him to signify his victory over the British. The Jawahar Burj has a special significance for Jat rulers as the coronation ceremony was always held at this spot.
The bharatpur fort is very different from the other forts in Rajasthan state, there is no flamboyance associated to fort but it generates an aura of strength and magnificence. The fort is surrounded with moat which was previously filled with water to ward off the enemy attacks. The sandy ramparts were strengthened by sandy battlements, thus the enemy guns proved of no avail.
Some interesting monuments in the fort are Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas. Moti Mahal and towers like Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj were erected to commemorate the victory over the Mughals and the British army . The Gateway has paintings of huge elephants.
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
The building Kamra Khas within the fort has been converted into a museum, displaying a rich collection of antiquaries, exquisite sculptures and some ancient inscriptions. The government Museum is housed in the former durbar hall, the maharaja's meeting hall, in the fort. The most interesting thing to see here is the hamam(bathhouse), which retains some fine carvings and frescoes.
A rich collection of artefacts. exquisitely carved sculptures and ancient inscriptions can be admired in the Government Museum located in the Palace. All these items speak volumes about the rich heritage, art and crafts of the region. It exhibits sculptures found during the excavation of old villages e.g. Noh, Mallah, Bareh, Bayana etc. ranging from the Kushan period (Ist century A.D.) to 19th century A.D. Weapons used in battles in the medieval period the Jat rulers, paintings, manuscripts, zoological specimens, local art and craft that was once Bharatpur.
The sculptures speak volumes about the art of a by gone era and culture typical of this area. The inscriptions are of immense historical vault and helps in tracing back the royal lineage as well as the local life.
The Art Gallery of the museum has specimens of miniature paintings on leaves of the Peepal tree, mica and old litho papers along with the paintings of the Maharajas of Bharatpur. On the upper story one section consists of various types of guns & miniature canons used during 18th century A.D. Called �Chandra�. These miniature canons - two sets of eleven each, were used by Maharaja Sawai Jawahar Singh in the battle while passing through the Jaipur territory on his return from a pilgrimage to Pushkar.
Only the exterior of the buildings may be photographed.
Tourist Information
Time 10:00 A.M.- 4:30 P.M.(Saturday - Thursday)
Entry Fee : RS. 5/- (Closed on Friday)
Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj
A few of the eight imposing towers still stand erect within the glorious ramparts of the fort. Especially two of them - Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj are of special interest These were built by Maharaja Suraj Malto commemorate his victories over the Mughals and British respectively. The coronation ceremony of the Jat rulers of Bharatpur was also held at the Jawahar Burj.
The Palace
Within the precincts of the fort are three palaces � one of which, Kothi Khas, now serves as a museum while the other two, Kishori Mahal and Mahal Khas, are sadly in a dilapidated state. They are the fine blend of Mughal and Rajput architecture, built in various phases by different Maharajas.
These magnificent apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles with exquisite intricate designs. The museum occupies the main central wing depicting collections dating back to 2nd century, which reflect the art and skill of the region.
Ganga Mandir ( Temple of Deity Ganga)
A very sacred temple of Deity "Ganga Maiya". The temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga was initiated by Maharaja Balwant Singh in 1845. However, its completion was done in 1937 by Maharaja Brijendra Sawai. The temple is a two storeyd structure built of sandstone. The chequered floors are painted in black and white. The terrace is best avoided as the edges are not stable and can be highly precarious Temple is one of the ldest one in the city and local people have great respect and proud on the temple. Located at the very heart of the city,the architecture of the temple is impressive and artistic.
Laxman Mandir
The Laxman Temple and the mosque are the other places of interest in the city.
KeolaDeo Bird Sanctuarty
A visit to Bharatpur would undoubtedly be incomplete without a visit to the world famous Keoladeo National Park, also known as Ghana Bird Sanctuary.
Known as Keoldeo because of the Keoladeo temple of Lord Shiva in the vicinity, this 29 sq km area was converted into a sanctuary by Prince Bhamji of Morvi state who had been appointed as Regent of Bharatpur towards the end of nineteenth century. Originally intended for duck shooting by Maharaja Kishan Singh, an area of 11 sq km was got filled with water from the Ajan Bundh reservoir and then drained out, leaving the low land filled with water. Bushes of babool and other thorny trees were got planted to attract varieties of birds. The first shoot was organized by the rulers of Bharatpur in 1902 in honor of Lord Curzon. Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy and Governor-General of India, established a record of shooting 4273 ducks in 1938. Among the royal guests of the Bharatpur ruler were visitors from Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia and few other countries
Interesting place of Bharatpur
Bharatpur Palace
It is a fine fusion of Mughal and Rajput architecture and was built in various phases by different maharajas. The magnificent apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles having exquisite and intricate designs. The museum occupies the main central wing displaying collections dating back to the 2nd century which demonstrates the art and skill of the region.
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
It is a fine fusion of Mughals and Rajput architecture and was built in various phases by different maharajas. The magnificent apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles having exquisite and intricate designs. The building –Kamra Khas, within the fort, has been converted into a museum displaying a rich collection of antiquities, exquisite sculptures and some ancient inscription.
The museum occupies the main central wing displaying collections dating back to the 2nd century, which demonstrates the art and skill of the region. The sculptures speak volumes about the art and culture that flourished here in those timers and help in tracing the inscriptions are of immense historical value and help in tracing the royal lineage and local life.
GANGA MANDIR (TEMPLE)
Maharaja Balwant Singh started the construction of this big temple in 1845. The construction was carried out by a unique method, where all persons employed in the service of the state, were asked to donate one month’s salary of their service or any raise in pay towards the shrine. The temple is a beautiful piece of architecture.
LAXMAN MANDIR (TEMPLE)
This temple is famous for beautiful stone work with elaborate carvings from doorways to ceilings, pillars, walls and arches. The temple is dedicated to Laxman, brother of lord Rama.
KEOLADEO GHANA NATIONAL PARK
This bird paradise acquired its name –Keoladeo because of the existence of the Keoladeo temple of Lord Shiva. After the name of this temple the lake is called ‘Ghana’ Keoladeo. Ghana being the vernacular synonym for dense forest. It was known as the best duck shooting resort during the British reign, but was declared a reserve for birds in 1956 and later upgraded to a National Park. UNESCO has listed it as a world heritage site.
The geographical location is ideal, as it is on the main north-south avian route of India. Although small in size (only 29 sq. kms), it has over 375 species of beautiful birds, and more than 132 of these breeds inside the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Almost every year, new species are added to the list. The Bird Sanctuary not only attracts birds from all over India, but also from far off Europe, Siberia, China and Tibet.
Before the monsoons, hundreds of these exotic birds roost and nest here, and building activities start on the ‘babool’ and ‘Kadam’ trees of the park. Water flowing through the Ajan Bandh starts filling the various ponds and lakes of the Park. When assured of enough food, hundreds of large, medium and little cormorants, darters, purple and grey herons, various species of egret, white-necked as well as black-necked storks, white ibis, spoonbills, night herons and other birds get busy courting and mating .The trees are overloaded with nests- a single tree houses approximately fifty to sixty nests-belonging to different species of birds looking after their young ones.
Saras cranes, the tallest flight birds, nest in exposed and open areas; both partners share the duty of hatching; while changing incubating duties, they come together, raise their neck and give out shrill trumpeting calls in unison, fanning their feathers at the same time same time. The newborn chicks are only 10cm. In size but grow up to one meter in height within a year.
