Bharatpur

Bharatpur is a very convenient weekend getaway destination from Delhi. We managed to combine it with a very pleasant trip to bharatpur and Agra within one weekend. Bharatpur was a chance destination as we left delhi on August 14th for Sariska, only to reach there and discover that the sanctuary was closed for the season. Unfortunately correct and sufficient information regarding the timimgs is not available on the internet either.





However, having reached the gates of Sariska at noon we decided to drive on to Bharatpur. We relied on the advice of the Dhaba owner on the highway for taking the straight route which he described as a shortcut. we were to discover later that never rely on a Rajasthan State highway, or a local link road. Our new scorpio was in for a gruelling test, and sometimes we felt we driving through the backyards of farmers, who had their extended households spread on the road, and obliged us by granting us a right of passage. Leave the road condition out of your mind and the sight outside was extremely pleasant and green.





From Sariska to Bharatpur took more time than we had anticipated. The roads are under construction, and therefore the drive is slow. We reached late in the evening, checked into our guest house. There are plenty of hotels at reasonable rates within a walking distance from the sanctuary. Although the winter season is the peak time, we were told that this year has been bad in terms of tourists because the sanctuary didn’t attract that many birds. It was the result of a bad monsoon, which led to the lakes drying up. The authorities were using pumps to fill up the lakes as much as they could. Now at 9 PM the town seemed to be already in deep slumber. We asked for a dinner destination and were recommended SARAS, a Rajasthan Government outlet, and were also advised to checkout a new joint by the highway. We visited both the places, and found the restaurants to be almost deserted. Ultimately, it was good old Cafe Coffee Day outlet at Petrol pump and vegetarian sandwiches for us.

Next day early morning at 7 we were at the gates of the sanctuary, only to discover that we were there too early. Some persistence with the guards ta the gate brought out an official who agreed to get the museum opened for us while the official vehicles were awaited.


A word about history of the kingdom of Bharatpur.In 1733 AD, Raja Badan Singh 's adopted son, Suraj Mal had shown signs of promise, when he captured the fort of Bharatpur from Khemkaran, the rival chief, whom he killed and thus laid the foundation of Bharatpur City.
Maharaja Suraj Mal displayed immense courage and carved a niche for himself in the midst of political disorder. Gathering around him fiercely martial Jat peasants, he went from one success to another. He accompanied Emperor Muhammed Shah against Ali Muhammed Ruhela and in 1748 AD, at the battle of Bagru he led the Jaipur vanguard against the Marathas. He also defeated the commander-in-chief of the Mughal emperor. Despite being a very religious man he was secular.
Bharatpur, which is also called the Eastern gateway of Rajasthan, was found by Maharaja Suraj mal in 1733 AD. Raja Badan Singh’s adopted son, Suraj Mal had shown signs of promise, when he captured the fort of Bharatpur from Khemkaran, the rival chief, whom he killed and thus laid the foundation of Bharatpur City. Maharaja Suraj Mal displayed immense courage and carved a niche for himself in the midst of political disorder. Gathering around him fiercely martial Jat peasants, he went from one success to another. He accompanied Emperor Mohammed Shah against Ali Mohammed Ruhela and in 1748 AD, at the battle of Bagru he led the Jaipur vanguard against the Marathas. He also defeated the commander- in –Chief of the Mughal emperor.
He built numerous forts and palaces across the kingdom including the Pleasure Palace complex at Deeg. Bharatpur, is today known the world – over for its Keoladeo Ghana National Park.

So much for history. The museum concentrates on the ornithology heritage of the town.
It has some very interesting information on local flora and fauna. A short visit to the museum before entry in to the sanctuary can be a very good appetiser for the uninitiated (pun intended!!)




Out of the museum we were headed inside the sanctuary. There are three options for the trip inside. The best of course is on foot. However, you do have an option of either hiring a cycle rikshaw or engaging an official Battery powered vehicle. Latter comes with a guide cum driver, who is an essential requirement to make some meaning of what one sees inside.


The cycle rikshaw ride comes with its own share of unauthenticated information from the pullers, who in any case find it extremely amusing that people should travel great distances to watch the birds.





There is one arterial main road which travels about 4 Km inside the sanctuary. An old Shiva temple is located here alongside the remains of summer house of erstwhile rulers of Bharatpur kingdom. What one notices is that even the battery powered vehicle is not quite as quiet as it is expected to be. The driver shuts it down to allow us to observe the fauna around. The chatter of uninformed tourists can be a real distraction for the bird lovers and their beloved, as birds realyy play truant, and hardly any exotic species can be seen by walking along the road. At the end of the road one has to quietly walk on foot, along the water body, giving due respect to the fact that we are the vistors and the place actually belongs to the birds, who are the original inhabitants of this place. Our labor of love payed off, and we did manage to get a glimpse of a rare bald eagle. My Sony DSLR Alpha 100, came really handy, as we could manage some great long shots.

I leave you with some of these images.









We left Bharat pur and drove on to Agra. More about that you can check out in this same Blog an the other chapter on Agra. Enjoy !!

Haridwar

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Haridwar is 200 km North of Delhi. One can drive down to this holy town in about 5 hours. Cross the Yamuna either from ITO or Nizamuddin, and enter UP through Ghaziabad. The traffic is heavy till we cross Modi nagar, about 30 Km out of Ghaziabad. There after two bye pass roads allow us to skip the crowded cities of Meerut and Muzaffarnagar. The National Highway construction activity enroute seems very promising, as the road is excellent in certain stretches (almost as good as Delhi Agra route)



Haridwar is small town, and most of the habitat is sandwiched between the river ganges and Himalayan foothills. An artificial stream has been created for providing ample bathing ghats on this river, which is visited by millions of devotees every six and twelve years on the occasion of Ardh Kumbh and Maha Kumbh.



The most prominent bathing ghat is Har Ki Paudi, with a landmark clock tower in the center. This is the location which hosts the famed Ganga Aarti every evening. Once on the ghats, the connection to divinity is quick and the religious fervor is overpowering. Water is extremely cold even in the blistering heat of June, that is until one takes the first dip. One can not ignore the very visible signs of growth and development of the local vendor community. Commercial wisdom is quick to draw. So while you are contemplating on finding a safe and dry location for your belongings when an adept sales person presents you with a range of plastic sheets you can buy. Once you take a dip and emerge gasping, only to find a very caring and concerned agent of God, with a glass of milk to offer to the Gods. He will be patient and persist in case you decide to take more dips.


There are may temples around Haridwar, but two most prominent are Chandi Devi and Mansha Devi. Both the temples in true tradition of devis are on top of high hills. But there are ropeways up to both, and one can get a combo ticket for both temples at either location. Mansha Devi is about one km from Har Ki Paudi, and the rope way point can be reached by walking from the ghats.


Chandi Devi is about 4 km out of town, and one would need transportation. It is advisable not to fall for the combo offer, as the waiting time for transport from one temple to the other can be a real drain.


Up at the Chandi Devi temple there is another temple dedicated to Anjana Devi, mother of lord Hanuman. This is the location where the mother of the lord is supposed to have spent her time in meditation.


If you have the time and inclination, you can also plan a small trip out to Narendra Nagar to Kuja Devi temple. This is a Siddh Peeth where the chest of Gauri was suppose to have fallen after her body was severed by Lord Vishnu to bring lord Shiva out of the trance of Tandav. There are 308 steps to be climbed after the drive. The place is definitely charming and has some power about it. This is about 40 Km out of Haridwar, on the Badri Nath Route and one can see snow clad peaks on a clear day. The drive is a sample of the hilly roads that lie ahead, if you wish to proceed to Badri Nath. All that later...

Agra