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.
