Keoladeo National Park

The Keoladeo National ParkThe park also known as Keoladeo Ghana National Park and formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. is an Indian bird sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. It is also a declared World Heritage Site.World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Status.

History
Keoladeo Ghana National Park is a man-made and man-managed wetland and one of the national parks of India. 

The wetlands were created in the mid-18th century.  It is named after a Keoladeo (Shiva) temple within its boundaries.  The area is a natural low spot in the land.  It was flooded by   two rivers, the Gambhir and Banganga. 

The area was a hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur after 1850.  The Viceroy of India hunted birds in this special park. 

Keoladeo was established as a national park on 10 March 1982. 

The area was designated as a bird sanctuary on 13 March 1976.

In 1985, the Park was declared a World Heritage Site. 

Geography
Keoladeo (Bharatpur) National Park (27°10'N, 77°31'E) is  in eastern Rajasthan. It is 2 kilometers (km) south-east of Bharatpur and 50 km west of Agra.Site Description, Ramsar Site no. 230. 

The Park is spread over approx 29 square kilometer area. One third of the Keoladeo National Park habitat is wetland. The uplands have grasslands (savannas) of tall species of grass together with scattered trees and shrubs present in varying density.   

In an area characterized by sparse vegetation, the park is the only spot which has dense vegetation and trees. .  

Dykes divide the wetland into ten units.  Each unit has a system of sluice gates to control its water level.

Scientific research and facilities
The Bombay Natural History Society has done considerable work in the area.

Between December 1992 and January 1995, a collaborative project between the Governments of India and Russia, International Crane Foundation and Wild Bird Society of Japan was set up to save the Siberian crane. The project focused on releasing captivity bred cranes into the wild, tracking migratory routes of common cranes, and building up the resident crane population in the park..Research and Field study initiatives, Scientific research at Keoladeo.

Related pages 
 List of World Heritage Sites in India

References

Other websites

 Keoladeo National Park official site 
 Keoladeo National Park on board the Palace on Wheels 
Wildlife in India | Keoladeo National Park 
WCMC 
Reuters: Drought-ridden Indian bird park loses its birds . Version of 2007-Feb-25. Retrieved 2007-Feb-27.
 List of birds
 Information on birds and region

Category:Rajasthan
Category:Biosphere reserves
Category:National parks in India
Category:World Heritage Sites in India
Category:1982 establishments in Asia
Category:1980s establishments in India