- Keoladeo National Park
Infobox World Heritage Site
WHS = Keoladeo National Park
State Party = IND
Type = Natural
Criteria = x
ID = 340
Region = Asia-Pacific
Year = 1985
Session = 9th
Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/340Infobox_protected_area | name = Keoladeo National ParkLocation map|India
label= Keoladeo NP
position=right
background=
lat=27.15
long=77.5
float=left
width=300
iucn_category = II
caption =
locator_x =
locator_y =
location =Rajasthan ,India
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 27
lat_minutes = 09
lat_seconds = 32
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 77
long_minutes = 30
long_seconds = 31
long_direction = E
area = 28.73 km²
established = 1982
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =The Keoladeo National Park or Keoladeo Ghana National Park formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in
Rajasthan ,India is a famousavifauna sanctuary that sees (or saw) thousands of rare and highly endangered birds such as theSiberian Crane come here during thewinter season. Over 230 species of birds are known to have made the National Park their home. It is also a major tourist centre with scores ofornithologist s arriving here in the hibernal season. It was declared a protected sanctuary in1971 . It is also a declaredWorld Heritage Site .The sanctuary was created 250 years ago and is named after a Keoladeo (Shiva) temple within its boundaries. Initially, it was a natural depression; and was flooded after the "Ajan Bund" was constructed by
Maharaja Suraj Mal , the then ruler of the princely state of Bharatpur, between 1726 to 1763. Thebund was created at the confluence of two rivers, theGambhir andBanganga . The park was a hunting ground for the maharajas of Bharatpur, a tradition dating back to 1850, and duck shoots were organised yearly in honor of the British viceroys. In one shoot alone in 1938, over 4,273 birds such asmallard s andteal s were killed by Lord Linlithgow, the thenGovernor-General of India . After India's independence, the rulers of the princely states were allowed shooting rights until 1972. In 1982, grazing was banned in the park, leading to violent clashes between the local farmer andGujjar communities and the government.The sanctuary hosts a small wintering population of the rare Siberian Cranes. Other species include the
ruddy shelduck s,gulls ,northern shoveler s,northern pintail s,coot s,garganey ,tufted duck s andcommon pochard .In late 2004 however, the Rajasthan government led by
Vasundhara Raje succumbed to pressure from farmers to prevent water from being diverted to the sanctuary. The water supply to the park dropped from 540,000,000 to 18,000,000 cubic feet (15,000,000 to 510,000 m³). The result was an ecological disaster with themarshland s turning dry and inhospitable. Most of the birds flew off to alternate avenues as far asGarhmukteshwar ,Uttar Pradesh (90 km formNew Delhi ) on the river Ganga for breeding. This resulted in many of the birds being hunted for their meat.The act was criticised by leading environmentalists, leading to a Public Interest Litigation being filed in court.
ee also
*
National parks of India
*List of World Heritage Sites in India External links
* [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/340/ Keoladeo National Park in UNESCO List]
* [http://www.wildlifeinindia.com/keoladeo.html Wildlife in India | Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur)]
* [http://www.birding.in Birding in India]
* [http://www.knpark.org Keoladeo National Park official site]
* [http://www.wcmc.org.uk/protected_areas/data/wh/keoladeo.html WCMC]
*Reuters: [http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=DEL95384 Drought-ridden Indian bird park loses its birds] . Version of 2007-Feb-25. Retrieved 2007-Feb-27.
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