Bharatpur - the land of birds

Bharatpur - Keoladeo Ghana National Park

Bharatpur, a birders' paradise, yes I visited for the first time after hearing about it from fellow birders and photographers about the plethora of birds in the vast expanse of dense undergrowth. Many water bodies for the waders, berry like fruit bearing trees for the birds who keep flitting like butterflies and eat their hearts full.
Many birds are commonly found everywhere but there are many others that are migrants and roost in Bharatpur for nesting.
Bharatpur is in the northern part of Rajasthan and the best way to go there is by train. Paschim Express is ideal so is Punjab Mail.
Our train got delayed by two hours and as a result we reached our hotel at 9.15 instead of 7.00 a.m. We could visit the sanctuary only after 11.00 a.m. after having breakfast and freshening up.

There are a number of hotels to suit every budget. The food is mediocre depending on individual palate. We stayed at Hotel Eagle's Nest which is on the highway that goes to Jaipur and the main entrance is only about 300-400 metres - a walking distance.

The entry fee is Rs. 75/- per person. There are various modes of transport within the complex. There is no pucca road but paths and many walk it out. There are cycles on hire and there are cycle rickshaws which ply at the rate of Rs. 150/- per hour. This is the best mode as the driver doubles up as a guide and has adequate knowledge about photography as well as birds. The pronunciation is a bit of a problem but we can manage. The networking of these rickshaw drivers is excellent and they communicate with each other and keep themselves informed about the location of the rare birds.

Remember, the birds are very far and though they are not shy of humans, it is prudent to be at a comfortable distance than to approach very close to disturb them into taking flight. It is better to have a good lens of a large focal length. Most birds are at a distance of 50 feet and above. Some birds walk along with the cycle rickshaw and some birds like the Jungle Babblers, Bank Myna and the White Breasted Waterhens eat out of our hands at the small canteen inside the park. The Sarus Cranes are elusive and usually do not come very close to the road but occasionally, they do come as close as 70-100 feet and can be shot comfortably with a good lens.

About the hotel:
Hotel Eagles Nest is a good hotel with rooms quite big enough for 2 persons. Room service is excellent. Mr. Pawan Singh Solanki the owner of this property is a thorough gentleman with an outgoing nature and very helpful. Infact he also arranged for our visit to Deeg Palace and dropped us personally to the railway station which is about 5-6 kms in his car. He was happy with our interaction with the staff and treated us to lunch on the last day. My profound thanks for the hospitality extended to us.
He is open to suggestions and criticism. The food was good enough though the menu is strictly vegetarian. The temperature was 5 degrees and the fog settles in by late evening and becomes severely cold.We had to ask for a room heater which was provided without any problems. Overall we had an excellent stay for 5 days.
The room charges are 1999/- inclusive of taxes with breakfast on the house. 
Lunch is available as per their menu. A-la-carte.
Water is a problem and it is advisable to buy bottled water as local water is a bit brackish in taste.
The staff is very co-operative and helpful and arrange for everything you ask for.

Hotel Eagle's Nest 
Bharatpur - Saras Chauraha, Ghana Road, Bharatpur - 321001
Mobile Number : -  093146 11985, 09649336333, 09351328423
Contact person : Mr Pawan Singh Solanki or Mohan, or Rajveer
  The Cycle Rickshaw :
We were lucky enough to get the services of one Harish Singh who drove us in his cycle rickshaw through the uneven paths of the sanctuary, spotting and explaining the whereabouts of the birds. He has a very keen eye and also knows the whereabouts of the perches of birds.
On all the 4 days, he picked us up from our hotel to the sanctuary at the given time as decided mutually.
We had the best 5 days of exploration.

There are electric vehicles and horse drawn carriage which show you around. But it is better to go by cycle rickshaw.

There are guides too - keen birders with good knowledge about birds and move with their monoculars on a tripod to show everything. The rate is 250/- per hour.
I have included the rate chart displayed on the board inside the forest lodge as on January 2018.

There are two canteens which serve tea and biscuits, wafers, and packaged snacks. It is advisable to carry your own snacks/food if you like to stay for long periods of time. Please do not litter the place with your plastic wrappers or other unwanted material. There are dustbins.

Boating is available if there is water. This year there was no rains hence no boating. Anyway, there are lots of birds to see and shoot so just keep your eyes and ears open and you wont be disappointed.

KALA GHODA ARTS FESTIVAL - 2011

It was the 12^th of Feb, we made it to the Kala Ghoda Art Festival in the morning as soon as it opened at 10.30 a.m. The stall owners were sauntering to set up their wares for display and sales. So we began to scout the Rampart Row for displays and exhibits. The entire area around the Jehangir Art Gallery was agog with activities. Stalls were being set up, the exhibitors were running here and there giving instructions, the authorities were supervising, the police and security personnel were scouring the area for antisocial elements ….. all said and done, the lazy area came to life and suddenly we found ourselves amidst many more spectators like ourselves.

Elephanta Caves - Reliving old memories

Elephanta Caves - Reliving Old Memories

It was a long time since I visited the Elephanta Caves and we decided to visit it again on Saturday 15th Jan. 2011. We went to the Gateway of India at 8.45 am, as the first boat leaves for Elephanta at 9.00 am. After we got the tickets which cost Rs. 130/-, being the return fare to and from Elephanta Caves, we waited patiently for the boat to arrive.

The boats are docked just behind the massive gateway of the monument. To the left the boats/catamarans leave for Alibaug. There were a lot of foreign visitors to the Elephanta island. They were accommodated in a special boat.

There were other groups of tourists from outside of Mumbai. Our boat left Gateway at about 9.20 am and we rushed to the upper deck of the boat. You have to pay a charge of Rs. 10/- for the upper deck. The upper deck is open so we get a chance to see a number of seagulls which visit during the winter.

The skyline was very beautiful as we went farther away from the Gateway, and it was very misty. We could see a lot of small boats bobbing in the sea. We also saw the passenger liners at the docks.

Slowly one by one the seagulls began to approach us. We had carried a small bag of Surti Gathia, a delicacy to the seagulls, my friend began to toss the gathia into the air to lure them closer, and soon there were about 20 to 30 seagulls hovering above us.

The other tourists were as excited as we were. I began to shoot the birds as they came closer. Then I took over the tossing of the gathia while my friend shot on his camera.

It was a treat for our eyes. Soon we neared the Elephanta Island. The misty sea didn't offer enough visibility but we could spot the long jetty.

There were already a couple of boats on the jetty and people were walking on it. We could also see a small train slowly moving from the jetty to the base of the caves.

After docking, we slowly made our way to the jetty where there was a small ticket window for the mini train. The return fare is Rs.10/- .

We got the tickets and boarded it. The distance is about a kilometer from the jetty. Previously there was the old jetty which took us to the base of the caves but there was a dependency of the tides, hence a new jetty was constructed much deeper into the water where the larger boats could dock even during low tide. After we reached the base, we came to the entrance. Here we pay the Grampanchayat Tax of Rs.5/- and enter the actual caves complex with a lot of restaurants and dhabas lined on each side of the road.

The path to the caves is made up of steps. No i didn't count the steps but it is a bit steep for the old. There are "dolis" which carry you for a cost.The charges are Rs 500/- for a return trip or Rs.400/- just up to the caves.

The entire incline is lined with stalls selling a variety of items from artificial jewelry to jewelry boxes, to ready made clothes, photo goods, electronic items and a lot more.

There are a couple of big hotels - The Chalukya run by the MTDC is a better option. The other hotels do serve food but the menu is limited.

As we finished climbing we came to the ticket window which displayed the board - Indians Rs.10/- and Foreign Rs.250/-. After purchasing the requisite tickets, we came to an open ground with the first largest cave on the right - the main cave which has the most carvings.


There are a lot of stone pillars intricately carved. Just at the entrance on both sides are huge carvings of Yogishwara and the Nataraja.



From here we proceeded into the main hall and in the centre of the hall was the magnificent Trimurti statue of Shiva flanked on either sides with Ardhanari Nateshwara and Gangadhara.

After we imbibed the splendour of the exquisite carvings, we set off to cave number 2-5, nothing as spectacular as in cave 1, but there were less carvings and there was a linga in all of them.

After we finished the caves, we came to an open area where many tourists had sat down under a canopy for lunch.

There were a lot of monkeys watching them, infact, one cheeky monkey snatched a packet of suka bhel and dashed off to a nearby tree enjoying the snack.

We carefully made our way back down and took the left for the nearby Gharapuri village just to try our luck in photography. But the landscape has changed over the years and the huts with thatched roofs have been converted into one storied houses with dish antennas doting the terraces.

Staying overnight on the island is banned for tourists and visitors. The locals on the island use the boats to the nearest mainlands of Uran or Mumbai.

Uran is the closest at 4 kms from Gharapuri. We were disappointed to the fact that we couldn't do any photography except for some flowers here and there. We returned back to the Chalukya Hotel for a quick lunch and take the next boat back to Mumbai.

The time then was 2.30 afternoon, and we took the next mini train back to the jetty. We had to wait for the boat to arrive, and it was crowded too. Finally we got the 5.30pm boat back to Mumbai, shooting more seagulls on the way back.

We reached the Mumbai jetty at 6.30 pm, with the setting sun on the western horizon, turning the skyline a deep orange.

We were very pleased with our trip, which was refreshing after the fast rigmaroles of life in our metro. A spot where we could unwind and release all our stress, a World Heritage which makes us proud, the birds which hover above our heads for small morsels of food and last but not the least a very pleasant memory of yesteryear ... relived.