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Ranthambhore National
Park, Rajasthan
If there is a park that can almost
guarantee tiger sightings, it must be
Ranthambhor, its landscape dominated by the
Vindhyan hill range with its steep
escarpments. The ancient sedimentary
limestone and sandstone rocks, perennial
lakes, and dry deciduous vegetation are part
of its indicative topography. Ranthambhor's
great fort, in the background, is a royal
presence, but abandoned for centuries, the
only majesty here is the tiger's presence.
Once a hunting preserve for the maharajas of
Jaipur, and now a Project Tiger reserve, the
park has also shown that tigers can live and
breed in close proximity to human
settlements.
But the tiger isn't the only predator at
Ranthambhor, though it may be its most
famous one. Leopards live in the higher
vegetation, while the lakes are infested
with marsh crocodiles on whom the tigers
sometimes prey. There are also caracals,
jungle cats, jackals, hyenas and sloth
bears. Among foraging animals are deer (sambhar,
chital, nilgai, chinkara), wild boar, and of
course also species such as hare, mongoose,
and monitor lizard.
In the attention one pays to the tiger, it
is easy to get distracted from the birdlife
attracted to the park because of its aquatic
habitat. The landscape, with its lakes,
vegetation the second-largest banyan tree in
the country ( in which langurs have taken up
residence), the occasional palace or
building, make it one of the most
picturesque parks in the country.
BASE: SAWAI MADHOPUR which is a
rail terminal, serves as the vital link to
Ranthambhor, and offers accommodation for
visitors. The park is closed in the peak
summer and monsoon months. |
