Asia - Keoladeo NP, India (36) More files...
Belgian photographer Bernard Castelein is a regular visitor of Keoladeo National Park (formerly known as Bharatpur bird sanctuary), in Rajasthan, India. Originally a natural depression containing the Keoladeo (or Shiva) temple, it was flooded in the eighteenth century by the maharadja of Bharatpur to create a duck-hunting ground. The area quickly became attractive to many species of waterfowl as well as guests from all over the world that the maharaja invited to join his hunting parties.

Nowadays, a memorial tablet near Keoladeo temple is all that remains of hunting activity within the park. Recognised first as a "bird sanctuary" then as a national park and, more recently, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Keoladeo hosts a huge proliferation of local avifauna including herons, corm
Rhesus macaque, male {Macaca mulatta} Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Rhesus macaque, male {Macaca mulatta} Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
Five-striped palm squirrel {Funambulus pennanti} Keoladeo Ghana / Bharatpur NP, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Five-striped palm squirrel {Funambulus pennanti} Keoladeo Ghana / Bharatpur NP, Rajasthan, India
Chital / Spotted Deer (Axis / Cervus axis) male leaping through water, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Chital / Spotted Deer (Axis / Cervus axis) male leaping through water, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) male portrait, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) male portrait, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
Rhesus macaque family group {Macaca mulatta} Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Rhesus macaque family group {Macaca mulatta} Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
Tonga driver drinking cup of chai (tea) Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Tonga driver drinking cup of chai (tea) Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
Milkman of Bharatpur. Keoladeo Ghana NP, India
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Bernard Castelein / Milkman of Bharatpur. Keoladeo Ghana NP, India
Tourists in cycle rickshaws, Keoladeo Ghana / Bharatpur NP, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Tourists in cycle rickshaws, Keoladeo Ghana / Bharatpur NP, Rajasthan, India
Indian darter {Anhinga melanogaster} with neck extended, Keoladeo Ghana / Bharatpur NP, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Indian darter {Anhinga melanogaster} with neck extended, Keoladeo Ghana / Bharatpur NP, Rajasthan, India
Pair of Black necked storks (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Pair of Black necked storks (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
DPurple heron taking off {Ardea purpurea}  Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / DPurple heron taking off {Ardea purpurea} Keoladeo Ghana NP, Rajasthan, India
Bar headed goose (Anser indicus) standing in water, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India
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Bernard Castelein / Bar headed goose (Anser indicus) standing in water, Keoladeo Ghana NP, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India