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 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.Paradise for the avian world, and the pilgrimage for the bird lovers, it was known as the best duck shooting resort in the British empire. But was declared a reserve for birds in 1956 and declared a protected sanctuary in 1971 which was later upgraded to National Park in 1982.

National Park lies between 77°29.5' to 73°33.9' East longitudes and 27°76' to 27°12.21' North latitudes and is hardly 2 km south east of Bharatpur city, 38 km south west of Mathura and 54 km west of Agra and lies almost exactly halfway between Delhi (152km/94 miles) and Jaipur (176km/109 miles).

avifauna sanctuary that sees thousands of rare and highly endangered birds such as the Siberian Crane come here during the winter season. Over 200 species of birds are known to have made the National Park their home. It is also a major tourist centre with scores of ornithologists arriving here in the hibernal season. The name "Keoladeo" is derived from the name of an ancient Hindu temple devoted to Lord Shiva in the sanctuary's central zone while the Hindi term ' Ghana' implies dense, thick areas of forest cover.