Rajasthan

Sariska National Park in Alwar, Rajasthan was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1958 and was included in the ambitious ‘Project Tiger’ in 1979. Like many wildlife sanctuaries in India, Sariska too was a hunting reserve for royal families in the past. Its plentiful tiger population supported by large herds of Sambhar and Nilgai was the ideal place for the royals of the state as well as their visiting guests to go on shikaars. All this changes after it came under the protection of the Forest Department with added protection and sanctity given to it. Nestled in the Aravali Range, Sariska has a beautiful and unpredictable topography at each turn of the road. Rocky landscapes with scrub-thorn make up the general vegetation along with a dense cover of dry deciduous forests. High rugged cliffs make it a safe haven for leopards too. It is one of the country’s largest National Parks covering an area of about 866 square kilometers.

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Formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird sanctuary, the Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary is located in Bharatpur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The place is also been declared as a World Heritage Site, owing to its vast collection of Avi-Fauna and wildlife. The sanctuary is located around a man-made wetland that serves the vast bird population here and was created around 250 years ago. The wetlands were created by King Suraj Mal who was the ruler of the Princely state of Bharatpur at the confluence of Gambhir and Banganga Rivers. During the British Raj, these wetlands were also used by the Royal families and the British Officials as Hunting grounds and a duck hunting reserve. After the Indian independence in 1947, the region was protected as a bird sanctuary under the forest act. The sanctuary is also known for its vast population of around 250 species of birds that have made a permanent home in this region. The terrain mostly comprises of sparse vegetation and only a small area is covered with trees and grasslands.

[Also see: Top 100 Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks of India]

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Located in the desert state of Rajasthan, Ranthambore National Park is spread around an area of 392 sq kilometers and is situated in the Sawai Madhopur district. The reserve forest is located on the edge of a plateau and is bordered on two sides by the Chambal and the Banas rivers. The forests in Ranthambore surround the historical Ranthambore fort and were once used by the Kachwaha Rajput Family that ruled the region with the city of Jaipur as the capital, as a hunting and gaming reserve. After the independence the Indian Government established the forests as a reserve forest in 1955 and a Tiger reserve in 1973. The area was then enlarged in the subsequent years and now encompasses the Sawai Man Singh and the Keladevi Wildlife sanctuaries. The sanctuary is famous for its vast and extremely camera friendly Tiger population and is visited by tourists from all around the globe. The park comprises of a typical deciduous forest which is common with most jungles in the central Indian region. It is also a home to 539 various species of flowering plants and the terrain mostly comprises of forests and open grasslands.

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Aptly known as the ‘Land of kings’, Rajasthan is also the largest state in the Republic of India. Formerly known as Rajputana, Rajasthan was divided into various regions, which were ruled by various clans, the notable clans include Meenas, Gurjars, Rajputs and Jats which were responsible for the building of the state of Rajasthan, and were responsible for building various historical monuments which in turn provided the rich cultural heritage found in the state. The monuments of Prime importance are the various hill forts, mostly based in the Aravalli Mountain Range, and built between the 5th century AD and 17th – 18th century AD. The Hill forts of Rajasthan are long standing masterpieces of architecture and have housed the rich cultural heritage of the Princely Clans that built them. It’s really hard to cover all the hill forts in the state but the ones mentioned below are guaranteed to keep you spell bound for months to come.

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