A drive to Keoladeo

Many a times, the best trips are the most unplanned ones and we set out without much expectation.

Mrs Sharma wanted to go bird-watching and Mr Sharma was enthusiastic too. The couple is in their 70s, and are not really physically fit. Mrs Sharma was bed ridden for last two months, but nothing could steal the eagerness from their eyes when I started talking about Bharatpur.

I didn’t really know this couple and just happened to be present, while waiting for a book. Suddenly, Mrs Sharma asked me if a short Bharatpur trip would interest me?

I was surprised. Here I was giving suggestions to an elderly couple to enjoy their weekend and suddenly, I was being roped in.

The idea was interesting, but was it  really? I wondered. Going with them could mean a lot of adjustments, and I was apprehensive about that. I said “let me think” and came back home.

Finally, I decided to set out and take everything as an experience.

The team comprised of my extended family, and this sweet elderly couple. It was a cold January morning but not foggy.

Bharatpur by road is about 185 kilometres from Delhi.

We started at 6 am and took the Yamuna Expressway. It was fun driving through the wide stretch with townships coming up on both sides. We stopped midway for our breakfast and tea. The early morning tea never tasted better. We could barely come out of our vehicle in the biting cold.

Mrs Sharma requested if we could go via Vrindavan and we promptly jumped to the idea of seeking the blessings of Banke Bihariji. We happily took a detour and drove to the temple. Vrindavan is infested with mischievous monkeys who flick your glasses apart from other belongings. We were left with no choice but to leave our eye-gears in the car.

The temple was not very crowded and after a contended darshan we drove towards Bharatpur. Bharatpur, although falls in Rajasthan, shares its border with Uttar Pradesh and hence there’s a lot in common in lifestyle and food habits. Taking a detour to Agra or Mathura is always a good option, if one plans to drive from Delhi.

Bharatpur is famous worldwide for its bird sanctuary. Also called, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, the lake and wetland stretching 29-odd-kilometers, was artificially created by the Maharaja of Bharatpur in 19th century. It is named after an ancient temple, devoted to Lord Shiva, which stands in the centre of the park. This would be a hunting ground for birds and ducks. In 1981, Keoladeo jungle became a national park and any kind of hunting was banned.  As we left Mathura and started nearing Rajasthan, even in cold January day, we could feel the heat of the sun pricking through the skin.

Birds are a real treat to the eyes in the sanctuary.(Photo: Sudeshna Banerjee)

We reached Bharatpur at 1 pm and headed straight to the state government-run Saras hotel, where we were booked for the day. It's a sprawling property but not very well maintained. What can really put visitors off is the amount of time one needs to spend at the dining hall after ordering food. No matter if one orders food well in advance, one is compelled to wait for at least an hour before freshly cooked food is served on the table. The food is palatable though.  Hence, by the time we finished out food it was past 3 pm and we were left with only an hour and half for the bird sanctuary, which was less than a kilometer from the hotel.

We walked down to the sanctuary and hired a guide. He was a friendly guy in his mid-twenties with a good binocular. He showed us around, till it was time for us to leave. We saw two sleeping owls cozy in each other’s company, wagtails, laughing doves yellow-legged green pigeon, peacock and larks. I even chanced upon a neelgai and a fox as we were on our way out. The Neelgai was shy. The moment it saw my camera, it ran away.

Greater coucal, Asian koel, spotted owls are in abundance in the forest. While the Sanctuary is open throughout the year the best time to visit is from August-November for breeding birds and October- February for migrant birds. The best time to watch these winged beauties are either early morning or late afternoon when they are returning to their nests.

Apart from insects and fish, many of these birds feast on wild berries, which are in abundance in the forest. I also tried a few. They are really sweet. It was too early to retire back to the hotel and as such Bharatpur is a small town with a princely estate, fort and Deeg.

We went to the local market and had a strong milky tea with pakoras. It was nice. We came back to the hotel and had an early dinner. Next day we started off by 9 am. It was extremely cold and foggy and visibility was less than a metre. It was a different experience. For a moment I felt I was in a distant land of mist. Initially I could only hear the birds and as the eyes adjusted, could many birds eagerly watching us, as if we were inside a zoo and they have all come to gaze at us.

One of the rules of the park ethics I read is worth sharing : “Learn the art of camouflage from the animal. Blend with the surroundings”. We hired rickshaws. The rickshaw pullers act as guides. Our rickshaw puller showed us the Large-tailed Nightjar – a bird that camouflages itself dead during the day and is nocturnal in nature. Nobody can make out suddenly that it’s anything but dead leaf, and on a closer look it seemed like a dead bird decomposing amid fallen leaves. All through the way the birds started playing around us to make their presence felt. The kingfisher came really close and sat on our rickshaw and as I tried to capture it with my camera it flew off and sat on a nearby branch posing for the perfect shot.

The blue chest robin started walking in front of our rickshaw and the wagtails started trailing us. These birds are in perfect ease with human visitors. As I climbed the watchtower I saw a swarm of geese swimming in the lake and a bunch of red-ringed parakeets sat on the nearby branch, first keeping a close watch on our intentions and once convinced posing for the perfect shot. The common jungle babble was a sight to see. If they see you with a camera, they specially fly down near you and sit till they are satisfied with your photography. In the entire trip, I didn’t have to chase a bird for pictures. Instead they chased me, called me and trailed my rickshaw. It was an enchanting experience.

We saw the kingfisher, a bunch of red neck parakeets, doves, wagtails, cranes, geese and ducks. Funnily enough I found most birds watching us and after getting an assurance we were not intruders, start playing around and teasing us. After spending a good amount of time in the sanctuary, we left around noon for Bharatpur palace, Lohagarh Fort and Deeg Palace. Lohagarh Fort, true to its name, stood solidly against many attacks by the British and was finally captured by Lord Lake. It is very different from the other forts. There is no flamboyance but it radiates an aura of strength and magnificence. We went to the museum, which is very well maintained.

Rickshaw ride inside the jungle on a foggy morning. (Photo: Sudeshna Banerjee)

The summer palace at Deeg was built by Raja Suraj Mal in 18th century. An architectural marvel, the palace has four floors and one floor is below the water body surrounding the palace. The design was to keep the chambers cool in extreme summer. In fact Deeg was the capital of the Jat kings before they shifted to Bharatpur. Due to its proximity to Agra, Deeg had to face many attacks by invaders which led the Raja to construct a fortress around it. Deeg was a site of a legendary battle between the Jats and Mughals and it is understood Suraj Mal even captured Delhi and entered the Red Fort carrying away masses of valuables including an entire marble bed, only later he realised it was meant for the last rites of the dead for a final bathing. The marble bed is preserved in the palace museum. Many stories are told about the brave Jat dynasty.

Inside shots of Deeg Summer Palace.(Photo: Sudeshna Banerjee)

The palace is very well maintained and there is a fair every year.

It was time for us to call it a day. We stopped by for piping hot samosa and tea before driving back to Delhi. As we hit the expressway, it was time to zip past and say goodbye to this beautiful old city.