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KEOLADEOGHANA ATTRACTIONS In the nesting season birdsong is so loud that it drowns out conversation. And the buzz of insects offers competition. Grass grows out from the still waters of the many wetlands, together with lotus, duckweed, water fern and sedge - food for frogs, snails, mosquitoes, dragonflies, fish, water snakes and birds that collectively conspire to make the Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, a World Heritage and Ramsar Site. Rain holds the key to the hum of life in Keoladeo. In good years the park thrives, but in bad years it suffers terribly. Despite its problems and as much for its natural history as for the fact that the ecosystem itself was man-made, this ornithologist's dream come true is arguably one of the most unique bird habitats on the face of the earth. Those who knew him confirm that Dr Salim Ali, the grand old man of ornithology, was happiest here, in the midst of nature and the birds he lived to study and enjoy. At one time, hundreds of Siberian Cranes came here in the winters. The 'Sibes' arrived at Ghana from their breeding grounds in Siberia 6,400 kms away for roosting grounds that were not frozen over. Today, only two or three birds visit, maintaining just a slender thread of memory that delivers hope that more protected birds may accompany them the next year, or the year after. Terrain The Keoladeo Jheel existed here long before the Maharaja of Bharatpur constructed man-made dykes to attract birds for duck shoots. For this purpose the jheel was divided into 10 units, each with its own sluice gates to control water levels. The extra water came from the nearby Ajan Bund, a 10 km long weir, which, when full, caused a whole new world to emerge in the shape and form of a magnificent marsh. Expert naturalists planted trees for birds to roost on. And water levels were carefully adjusted to suit the personal preferences of the thousands of birds of all shapes and sizes (that came like lemmings on a suicide mission to be shot). Sluices, canals and diykes from the Ajan Band inundate Ghana twice each year in July and September to a water depth of between one and two metres (at Sapan Mori). But even today, few people really understand just how crucial catchment protection of the Gambhir and Banganga rivers are to the survival and long-term success of this bird haven. If these watersheds are not protected it would lead to over-siltation result. This wetland ecology needs plenty of water to keep it going (almost 11 sq kms of the park goes underwater after the monsoon). As the water levels start to fall from October on, new land features surface, with new food sources on offer to different birds. This slow transition is another reason why the diversity of birds is so high (just under 400). By June, relatively few water sources remain and only die-hard avians are able to survive, with the competition having driven other species to greener pastures. Every few years the monsoon fails. This makes the terrain even more difficult for the birds because the shallow pools disappear completely. This too is the key to ecology of the Ghana for waterlogged trees are given a chance to recover and grow more robust. On the bunds, which are really nothing more than embankments that separate different marshes, babul trees grow profusely and these provide perfect nesting sites for a variety of birds including parakeets. The Ghana Canal runs from northeast to northwest virtually bisecting the sanctuary in half. A tarred and metalled road further subdivides the park along another alignment (north to east). Smaller raised paths and walkways have also come to be lined with trees and these can take walkers deep into the wetlands. History Radiocarbon dating of pottery shards suggest that people lived and worked here around 1000 BC. Geologists say that a major river used to water the region and an artesian well at a village called Mallah (which means boatman) further underscores this possibility. Less than a kilometre west of the sanctuary hunting tools including harpoons, spears and swords were discovered. These are estimated to be 3,000 years old, suggesting that elephants, wild buffaloes and even rhinos were found here in the Copper Age. Historians suggest that the plains of Bharatpur were contiguous with the jungles of Kanua, the site of the famous battlefield where Emperor Babar defeated Rana Sangha of Mewar. We also know that Babar laid the foundation of the Moghul Empire here on March 16, 1527. That both Agra and Fatehpur Sikri are so close further suggests that the entire area was the virtual centre of the Moghul rule during what historians refer to, as their Golden Age. Interestingly, the 17th century court painter Mansur painted a fairly accurate depiction of a Siberian Crane, suggesting that the birds visited these wetlands, but that they were nevertheless rare enough for an artist of his repute to single them out for special consideration. According to the late Kailash Sankhala, a renowned forest officer who took charge of Keoladeo Ghana in 1954, the British would shoot birds near the Keoladeo Jheel when Raja Kishen was just two years old. He suggests that it was the influence of the British that led the Maharaja to create a shooting preserve, as under normal circumstances a ruler might have prevented anyone from shooting so close to a temple. But this was what was done in the 19th century and for all the criticism of cruelty and bloodlust that modern-day animal rights activists might hurl, the fact is that without the incentive for duck shooting, this World Heritage Site would never have been created. No less than Lord Curzon himself, together with Commander-in-Chief Lord Kitchner, inaugurated the first duck shoot in Keoladeo Ghana when it was officially opened on December 1, 1902. A plaque still standing in the sanctuary reveals that the party of 17 shooters killed 540 birds on that one day. Other entries reveal that a retinue of VIPs came here to shoot duck, including King Edward VIII (when he was the Prince of Wales) and later Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy and Governor General of India (4,273 birds in a day). After Independence, every high official in government demanded and most often won the right to shoot here. But because the habitat remained vibrant, the birds just kept coming in. But clearly the bloodlust was taking a toll because the number of birds killed in a day fell by 90 per cent. In 1956 the area was finally declared a bird sanctuary, but shooting stopped only in 1964. However, the Maharaja himself retained personal shooting rights all the way through to 1972, when the Wildlife (Protection) Act made it illegal. Bharatpur was declared a Ramsar site in October 1981. The area was declared a National Park in 1982 and a World Heritage Site in December 1985. Legand The devout believe that Keoladeo Ghana is part of Braj Bhoomi, the playground of Lord Krishna. That this is holy ground can best be gauged by the fact that Mathura the legendary birthplace of Lord Krishna is a mere 40 km. distant and Brindavan, his famed playground, is a mere 15 km. away. Depictions of ancient Krishna legends show wetlands populated by egrets, crocodiles, cobras and pythons. Somehow, the legends seem to fit in with the presumed natural history of the area. |
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