Evening star., 1928-12-14
BHARATPUR LURES
WORLD NOTABLES
Prince of Wales Among
Guests Who Hunted Ducks
in Indian State.
BY e. J. BUCK, C. b. f.

The State of Bharatpur, which may
be described as lying between Agra and
Muttra, occupies nearly 1000 square
miles of country, and has a population
of about half million inhabitants, is
fast becoming famous as hunting
ground. The full title of its present
ruler is Lieut.. Col His Highness
Maharaja Sri Brijendra Sir Sawai
Kishen Singh Bahadur, Bahadur Jung
X. c. S. l. Maharaja of Bharatpur,
and his age is 29
In 1905, occurred the heavy fighting
with Gen Lakes forces, when four
unsuccessful assaults were made on
Bharatpur in the course of a couple OF
months before the struggle ceased, and
the grim, imposing, great mud walls of
the fort indicate today the strength of
the fortress well over century ago.
In 1924 there were terrible floods in
Bharatpur mainly owing to the burst
ing of certain big dams in neighboring
states of Alwar and Jaipur, and inn
menSe damage was done TO large tracts
of country, as roads fields and canals
were swept away. The Maharaja'S pal
ace did not escape as the water rose to
nearly 5 feet in its main rooms, and
a large fish weighing about 20 pounds
actually was caught in the dining room
His highneSS ponies were conveyed up
the main staircase and on to the palace
roof to prevent them from drowning.
Enjoy Excellent Sport.
In recent years numerous visitors have
enjoyed excellent sport in Bharatpur
State, and the writer has happy recol-
Elections of many happy outings in the
Me- aharajas territory
About 25 miles from the capital is
Bareta, where his highneSs has erected
a delightful shooting box on the hill
overlooking the lake, which has been
formed by building big dam across
the depFeSsions. In the vicinity of
Bareta are extensive jungleS, and the
sportsman is able to shoot at times
schinkara, mugger, duck, partridge,
quail or hare.
The lake at Bareta is very beautiful,
! with its blue water, its numerous inlets
and little islands. 1t harborS many
alligators, and it is exciting sport gliding
along in a little electric-driven canoe
or lauNch trying to shoot them with
xifle as they lie out here and there on
the sand banks and mud flats. Only
those who have indulged in mugger
shooting know how difficult it is to hit
one in the correct spot behind the head
so that 1t is stunned or paralyZed, and
mugger manage to do when severely
wounded.
Perhaps to many sportsmen in India
Bharaspur is most famous for its Won
derful duck shoots, the bags which
have been made in the well known
Keoladeo jheel far surprising in size
those made in any other part of India.
On a special pillar near the center of
the jheel are inscribed the dates and
results of numerous shoots which have
been held there
Shooting Party Described.
In describing a shooting party one
of the guns recently wrote:
1.-The 'bundobust' at q duck shoot in
Bharatpur is very perfect, AS a rule,
most of the Maharaja's guests arrive
Overnight and are provided with COM
Portable quarters in a large camp. Then
in the morning they are motored four
or five miles down the big jheel Here
some walk along bunds, and others
proceed by boat to little islands, where
butts are constructed with green
boughs, and in which they wait until
the bugle sounds tCommence fte!'
Punctually at 10 o'clock the bugle rings
out, a report is heard, then several
guns go of, and there is regular roar
as thousands of alarmed birds rise
from the water. More bangs follow,
and more frightened birds rise into the