Located
near the outer fringes of the Thar Desert and surrounded by the Vindhya and
Aravali hill ranges, Sawai Madhopur is famous for Ranthambore National Park
which is Rajasthan's most well-known tiger reserve . Home to an exotic
variety of animals in is 392 sq km area, one can spot sambhar, cheetal, wild
boar, leopard, sloth bear, jackal, hyena among others. Ranthambore safari
offers the best of flora and fauna of the desert land as well as plain area
near the hills.
The entire area has sprawling tracts of desert and semi-desert vegetation.
Originally a hunting ground of the Maharaja of Jaipur, Ranthambore was
declared a game sanctuary in 1955. In 1980s, it became a national park and
was listed among the reserves protected under Project Tiger (1973).
Presently the Kaila Devi Sanctuary, also famous for its tigers, and the Man
Singh Sanctuary form a part of Ranthambore Reserve.
Transportation
By air : Jaipur (145 km) is the nearest airport.
By rail : The Park is around 11 km away from Sawai
Madhopur railway station, that lies on the Delhi to Bombay trunk route.
By road : A good network of buses connect Sawai Madhopur,
the nearest town, with quite a few areas around. Witness the historic
footprints
Ranthambore has been a witness to the rise and fall of many rulers and a
series of battle scenes.
In the 13th century A.D., Govinda, the grandson of Prithviraj Chauhan took
over the reign of the land. Later his successor Vagbhatta beautified the
city and built a noteworthy temple at Jhain.
In the middle of 15th century A.D., Rana Kumbha captured the fort and
gifted it to his son to be occupied later by the Hada Rajputs of Bundi and
Mughal Emperors Akbar and Aurangzeb.
Mughal emperor Shah Alam gifted it to Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh 1 of
Jaipur in 1754 and since then it was maintained as the hunting reserve of
the Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh, queen Elizabeth II and the duke of Edinburgh
were part of the royal part of hunting parties who stayed here.
Tourist Attraction
A noteworthy site for excursion is the Ranthambore fort. Built by the
Chauhan rulers in the 10th century, this fort was the envy of many rulers
because of its strategic location between central and northern parts of
India. When the Muslim invader Alauddin Khilji laid siege to this fort in
1303, the women of the household performed jauhar (or self-immolation). This
historic fort has many temples, tanks, massive gates and curtain walls. This
monument has been declared a protected site by the Archeological survey of
India.
Ranthambore is probably the ideal park for wildlife photography, and it
does attract professional wildlife photographers, from all over the globe.
Apart from tigers, the park has its share of panthers, too. They are to be
found on the outskirts of the park, due to the inevitable conflicts with the
tiger population. Kachida Valley, is believed to be the place to sight these
rather elusive cats. The other permanent residents of the park include,
marsh crocodiles, hyenas, jungle cats and sloth bears. Sambhar are found in
abundance all over the area, the prime target of all the predators. Cheetal,
Nilgiri, and chinkara, are the other inhabitants of the region. The avian
population comprises of black storks, quails, Bonelli's eagles, spur fowls,
crested serpent eagles and painted storks. During the winter months, the
Park attracts a lot of migratory birds, primarily a variety of ducks.
