Bharatpur is today known as the country's finest bird sanctuary, but before independence its fame was more generic. Bharatpur was the premier Jat state in Rajasthan, Dholpur being the other one. In a sense Bharatpur is the legacy of Churaman, a Jat overlord whose forces were a source of constant irritation to the Mughals in the late 17th century. The Mughals retaliated by destroying Jat villages. The Jats later regrouped under Badan singh who firmly entrenched himself in a belt along the river Jamuna between Delhi and Agra.

History of Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Bharatpur - The 'Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan', was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733 AD, it was once an impregnable well fortified city, carved out of the region formerly known as Mewat. The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and Dholpur has played an important part in the history of Rajasthan. The place was named as Bharatpur after the name of Bharat, the brother of Lord Rama, whose other brother Laxman was worshipped as the family deity of the Bharatpur.

The legends say the rulers Laxman's name is engraved on the state arms and the seals. The city and the fort have been believed to be founded by Rustam, a Jat of Sogariya clan. Maharaja Suraj Mal took over from Khemkaran, the son of Rustam, and established the empire. He fortified the city by building a massive wall around the city. The interesting aspect of the Bharatpur history is the domination of Jats in the region since 17th century. Leaders like Churaman and Badan Singh brought the jats together to mould them into a force to reckon with. Suraj Mal has been the greatest ruler who made them a formidable force and played a very important role in the Indian history during 19th century.

Places to see
North of Bharatpur is this beautiful garden town, the gardens have been laid with great care and precision, the sparkling fountains and meticulous palaces add to he beauty of this idyllic retreat of the princes of Bharatpur. The tourist enjoy the charming settings of this agricultural town,along with the well preserved palace pavilions and gardens. Some very interesting buildings can be observed like:

GOPAL BHAVAN:
Completed in 1760, an imaginatively designed building complex with beautifully laid gardens at its entrance and the rear overlooks the Gopal Sagar which is flanked with smaller pavilions Sawan and Bhadon. The formal gardens face a raised terrace with an arch of lustrous marble installed on a pedestal in the form of swing.

This exquisite swing is a war trophy brought in by the famous Jat king Raja Suraj Mal from the Mughal court in Delhi. The spacious and well proportioned Banquet Hall has a double row of graceful pillars. The rear of the chamber is further divided by a charming sunken pool with fountains. The Banquet hall houses a rich collection of curios, souvenirs and Victorian furniture. Staircases wind upstairs to the upper floors. One room contains a solid black marble bed from Delhi.

BENGAL CHAMBER:
It houses the dining room, and has sloping arches, with comfortable cushions along the outer edges forming the seating area. The walls of the royal Chess Room has trellis design and are painted in soft red.

SURAJ BHAVAN:
To the east of the main building, this palace has balconies overhanging the water. The entire palace in marble is like an airy pavilion with fine ornamentation within the apartments.

NAND BHAVAN:
It is a larage audience hall. KRISHNA BHAVAN, and the ingeniously designed water works of KESHAV BHAVAN, with open twelve pillared pavilion are of great interest.

PURANA MAHAL:
It is the oldest palace, planned as a spacious rectangle encircled by compartments and chamber, it has a collection of some very fine Rajput and Mughal schools.

DEEG FORT:
The fort stands majestically over a slightly elevated point, built by Raga Suraj Mal. The fort is surrounded by impressive moats, armpits and gateways, the interiors are mostly in ruins now, but the watch tower still stands in the ruins keeping an eye over the City and Palace; over it is placed a gun captured from Agra fort. Another defunct cannon which was captured from Ahmad Shah Abdali(1761), who seized the fort for six months, guards a vantage.

LOHAGARH FORT OR THE 'IRON FORT':
The Lohagarh Fort, true to its name stood solidly in front of many British attacks, and frustrated them to ends. It faced the British onslaught four times and after a long siege they had to withdraw, but Lord Lake, however was successful in capturing it in 1804. Some interesting monuments in the fort are Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas. Moti Mahal and towers like Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj were erected to commemorate the victory over the Mughals and the British army . The Gateway has paintings of huge elephants.

THE PALACE:
It is a fine blend of Mughal and Rajput architecture, built in various phases by different Maharajas. The magnificent apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles with exquisite intricate designs. The museum occupies the main central wing depicting collections dating back to 2nd century, which reflect the art and skill of the region.

How to Reach there
Air: The nearest airport is situated at Agra, which is 56-kms from Bharatpur.

Rail: Regular rail services connect Bharatpur with all the major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Agra. The Bharatpur railway station is 6-kms from the park

Road: An excellent network of roadway services connects Bharatpur to all the major cities of the Rajasthan and its neighbouring states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana. Bharatpur is well connected by road from Agra (56-kms, 5 hours), Delhi (176-kms, 5 hours) and Jaipur (176-kms, 6 hours), all of which have airport facilities too.