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.

The massive iron structure built in the early 18th century. With its impregnable defences it sustained itself even after a number of British attacks. The fort was conceived and designed by Maharaja Suraj Mal, the founder of Bharatpur. The fort has three palaces within its precincts - Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas and Kothi Khas.

A rich collection of artefacts, exquisitely carved sculptures and ancient inscriptions can be admired in the Government Museum located in the Palaces. All these items speak volumes about the rich heritage, art and crafts of the region.

A few of the eight imposing towers still stand erect within the glorious ramparts of the Fort. Especially two of them - Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj are of special interest. These were built by Maharaja Suraj Mal to commemorate his victories over the Mughals and British respectively.

Once the royal hunting preserve of the princes of Bharatpur, it is one of the finest bird sanctuaries in the world inundated with over 400 species of water birds. Exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, central .Asia, Tibet as well as Siberian cranes from the arctic, greyleg geese from Siberia and bareheaded geese from China , come here in July/Aug to spend the winters in warmer climate and they breed till Oct/Nov.

This royal edifice is a fusion of the Mughal and Rajput architectural styles with magnificent apartments and intricately designed floor tiles having interesting patterns. One can marvel at the ancient exhibits displayed in the museum in the centeral part of the palace.