Gardens of God: The Waterbird Sanctuary at Bharatpur (An Old and Rare Book)

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The Water Bird Sanctuary at Bharatpur, with its wide spectrum of habitat types, supports variety of birds representing almost all major orders of the avifauna of India, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and aquatic life forms as well. It is a bird place of international importance recognised by the Ramsar Convention of International Council for Bird Preservation. For being an outstanding natural area, restored by man, it is rightly a 'World 'Wo Heritage Site' designated by the UNESCO.

These pages present the natural history, specially the floral and faunal marvels, of this wonderland, for the first time. The luxurious vegetative growth, explosive emergence of insects, gregarious nesting of waterbirds, massive migration of waterfowl, waders and land birds and their significance in the nature's energy cycle, season by season, have been de- scribed by the author who has been there, from the first to the last, as a forester, researcher, photo-naturalist and its chief executive warden.

The text, map and drawings, and outstanding photographs, in colour and black & white, all by the author, enhance the quality and add to the authenticity of the book. The lavish colour illustrations, specially the breath-taking double spreads, convey the author's obsession and excellence of nature photography, which trans- port the reader to Keoladeo - the Garden of Gods. The book is a success story of nature conservation. It is recommended to the students of ecology, wetlands' managers and visitors to the bird paradise.

At the outset, I must state that the sanctity of the preservation of nature is far better and more forcefully conveyed by the term 'Sanctuary' than by 'National Park".

To me, the latter conveys neither the natural grandeur nor hints at the spirit of peace and tranquillity of a sanctuary: it is drab, unimaginative and misleading. I have, therefore, preferred to retain the original designation, 'Waterbird Sanctuary' although the reserve has legally been constituted as Keoladeo National Park.

I first came to the Bharatpur Sanctuary as a forester and lived here for two years in the early fifties.

Thereafter, I have continued to return, year after year, for these thirty years as a bird-watcher, researcher, photo-naturalist and Chief Warden of the Sanctuary. I must have made more than 300 visits over a period of 3,000 days. Most of these days began before sunrise and ended after sunset, with an occasional brief mid-day break. I enjoyed each day, whether it was desiccatingly hot, swelteringly humid, drenching with rain or chilly cold, and witnessed the drama of the perpetration of their species by the birds. I hope I have many more years yet to return and enjoy the spectacle of the sunrise and the gorgeous sunset glow, the lofty kadam trees mirrored in the marsh, the lilies in the lakes, and the abundant beauty of birds in this hypnotic landscape of feathered charm- the Waterbirds Sanctuary at Bharatpur. I call them the Gardens of God.

The Sanctuary at Bharatpur is not a mere physical location. It is a rich complex of woodland, swamps, wet prairies and dry savanna which supports 369 species of birds, representing the majority of the families of the avian kingdom. dom. It is one of the world's greatest heronries, where over 20,000 birds nest, and is a focal point in winter for millions of migratory birds and the home of a variety of wild animals. In a brief walk, one sees at least half a dozen species of birds of prey and a few herds of free roaming antelope and deer-all in an area of less than 30 sq km. Its various biological components interact and regulate the flow of energy through pyramids of living communities, forming a complex biological phenomenon of life and death, many food chains, food webs and food cycles, in short a complex ecological system, where no year is similar, even every day is new and every hour is different.

The Sanctuary was once the happy hunting ground of duck-shooters. It was well maintained during the princely regimes, but since then, has passed through many vicissitudes. Once it was thought that its waters could be drained for more useful irrigation and the area be put under deep-water paddy cultivation for growing more food for the hungry millions. For many decades it was subjected to excessive cattle grazing, destroying its vegetation and threatening its very existence.

Fortunately, there were always some people to rescue it. Salim Ali was one to voice his concern and to appeal for its preservation three decades ago. Coincidently, I picked up the issue of having it declared a Sanctuary in 1956. It was again my privilege to have it declared a National Park in 1981 and to take the matter to its logical end and effectively enforce the provisions of the law. All of this would have been in vain but for Shrimati Indira Gandhi's personal interest, which saved the Sanctuary from disaster.

In the context of Rajasthan, where cattle and camels. have a stronger political lobby than wildlife, managing such a sensitive, small and fragile sanctuary is a tricky task. It is satisfying that 'the boys on the firing line are doing a heroic job and a mention of the names of Vishnu Sharma, Fateh Singh, Panney Singh and Balveer of the Wildlife Organisation of Rajasthan in the 'despatches' from the battle for the survival of the Sanctuary is well deserved.

It is surprising that the splendour of the avian spectacle of the Sanctuary has not inspired any poet, writer or artist to capture its spirit, though Bharatpur is a part of the land of the Krishna cult, of art, music, dance, drama and romance. Instead, we find here numbers engraved on stones, grim reminders of the cruel killing of birds by the British and the maharajas of the Raj. Should that have happened on the sacred waters of Keoladeo Jheel in the holy land of Braj?

It should be clearly understood that this is not a bird book but a book about a bird sanctuary, featured as a story experienced, understood, interpreted and illustrated by me. It is also the story of my crusade for the conservation of the Sanctuary, and an illustrated ecological appraisal of it, for the benefit of those who have not been able to visit it, so that they may share with me the treasure of this feathered paradise, and thereby be inspired to see and enjoy this wonderland of birds. I have made no attempt to dramatise any event by baiting, catching or otherwise planning to condition any animal. No attempt was made to modify or manipulate the habitat for any spectacular result. The purpose is to maintain the authenticity of the photographic documentation. The photographs are the events which are the background stories of my successes and failures. I feel that all of them together should provide a lively and eventful story of the Sanctuary.

smallest of the national parks of India but potentially and, at present, actually, one of the most beautiful and interesting in the whole country. Only 30 years have elapsed since the "Garden of Gods' or Bharatpur reserve was first designated as a bird sanctuary, having served until then as a birdhunting place. During most of the 30 years but especially since his retirement from a very distinguished Directorship of the Delhi Zoo, Kailash Sankhala has been responsible for most aspects of management of the sanctuary, which has been upgraded to National Park status. Now, with the author's prospective retirement, the time has come for summings up and drawing of conclusions. A good job has been made of this task. Short but very interesting summaries are given in this book of all avian and some other animal species, the author's love of certain favourite species showing itself in delightful, almost lyrical, descriptions.

The final section (there are eight altogether) has a more serious note and discusses management and technical problems, such as the maintenance of delicate ecosystems which are, or may be, threatened not only from man-made disturbance but also by drought, disease and other natural disasters. It would be nice to think that this fine book will help to ensure a successful solution of the management problems of this beautiful segment of the earth's surface, in much the same way as the architects and builders achieved when completing that other not far distant wonder of the world, the Taj Mahal!