BHARATPUR TRAVEL GUIDE
Bharatpur - The Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan, was founded by Maharaja Suraj
Mal in 1733 AD, it was once an impregnable well fortified city, carved out of
the region formerly known as Mewat. The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and Dholpur has
played an important part in the history of Rajasthan.
The legends say
that 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 rulers, Laxman's name is engraved onthe state arms and the seals. The
city and the fort have been believed to be founded by Rustam, a Jat of Sogariya
clan. Maharaja Surajmal took over from Khemkaran, the son of Rustam and established
the empire. He fortified the city by building a massive wall around the city.
The interesting aspect of the Bharatpur history is the domination of
Jats in the region since 17th century, leader like Churaman and Badan Singh brought
the Jats together to mould them into a force to reckon with. Suraj Mal has been
the greatest ruler who made them a formidable force and played a very important
role in the Indian history during 19th century.
Today Bharatpur is better
known for the Keoladeo Natinal Park, a unique bird place, delight of ornithologists.
Bharatpur is well-known for it world heritage listed bird sanctuary Keoladeo
Ghanna National Park. This is one of the few places in the world where you can
hope to sight hundred of different species of birds in just a few days. Over 400
species different birds have been identified in the park and you see them all
over the place.
Many tourists travelling to this destination have rate it as the highlight of
their visit. It is just 55 kilometres from Agra and 176 kilometres from Jaipur.
The history of Bharatpur goes back to the epic age of Mahabharta when
the Matsya kingdom flourished in the 5th century BC. Some archaeological remains
of this period can be seen in the Bharatpur Museum. The city is supposed to be
named after Bharat, the brother of Lord Rama. Bharatpur was the stronghold of
the Jats in the 17th and 18th century.
They maintained considerable autonomy
though they were allied to the Mughals; this was largely due to their prowess
in the battle and their marriage alliances with the Rajputs. Their fort in Bharatpur
even withstood attacks from the British in 1805 and 1825 but later they signed
a treaty of friendship with the East India Company. It merged with the union of
India at independence.
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