Bharatpur (Rajasthan): Keoladeo National Park of Bharatpur, a World Heritage Site, shot to international fame primarily because of Siberian Cranes and the other varieties of migratory birds that visit here annually. Though not a single Siberian Crane has been spotted at Keoladeo National Park in 20 years, their relationship with this park dates back to approximately 500 years.
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Ustad Mansoor drew the first picture of the bird
Bird enthusiast Laxman Singh said the relationship of Siberian Cranes with Bharatpur Keoladeo National Park is at least five centuries old. "They may have been flying to the park in Bharatpur even before that, but the oldest evidence is found in the book The Jahangirnama. Mughal Emperor Jahangir's court painter Ustad Mansoor (1590–1624) drew the first portrait of a Siberian Crane. This is probably the oldest evidence in the history of the association of Siberian Cranes with Keoladeo National Park.
Ustad Mansoor's association with birds
According to Singh, Jahangir loved birds. "Back then, Agra used to be the capital of the Mughal Sultanate and one had to pass through Bharatpur and Bayana to reach Rajputana (present Rajasthan). It was during this time, Ustad Mansoor saw and painted the Siberian Cranes here. While he stayed here, Ustad Mansoor painted pictures of other birds as well," he said.
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How their population went down
Singh said the first counting of Siberian Cranes in Keoladeo National Park was held in 1964 during which the presence of 200 such birds was recorded. But later, due to their killing in Afghanistan and Pakistan, their number gradually decreased. In 2001, only two Siberian Cranes visited Keoladeo National Park for the last time.
Siberian Cranes used to fly around 5,000 km from Central Asia to this park. Enough food and a safe environment for living and breeding were the main reasons why Siberian Cranes visited Bharatpur.
