Standing out in stark contrast to the biological desert that Rajasthan has become, the Ranthambhore forest is like a balm, its soothing effect palpable the moment one enters the portals of the massive stone ramparts of the fabled Ranthambhore Fort. Constructed to protect kings, the battlements now defend another threatened monarch - the tiger. The magic begins the moment you get off your train, the best way to get here, for the pace of life alters as the sights, sounds and smells of rural India take over. The Sawai Madhopur station is virtually as the British left it; red brick and mortar, complete with arches and columns, a touch dirtier and more crowded with locals and, of course, the thousands of visitors who make an annual pilgrimage each winter to savour this internationally celebrated tiger destination.

Terrain

After passing bare hills and sparse fields, the forest envelops you on all sides. Five minutes into the gate, as you crest a rise on a shady road, the incredible Ranthambhore Fort looms large ahead and is every bit as impressive as the brochures promise. The park itself sprawls languidly across 824 sq km of contiguous, dry-deciduous forests where the rolling Vindhya and craggy Aravalli Hills meet. This is one of the last few habitats capable of supporting viable populations of Panthera tigris, the Royal Bengal Tiger.

History

The Ranthambhore Fort has lent its name to the Tiger Reserve. Occupied for years by Raja Hamir, the fort has seen a series of Muslim rulers try unsuccessfully to lay siege to it. Allaudin Khilji tried in 1301 and between 1558-1569, the army of the Moghul Emperor Akbar camped here. The Akbar Namah records the menu that the generals were served when they had a meal under the famous banyan tree that visitors can still see at the base of the ramparts. A walk up to the fort reveals legends in stone of brave warriors and tales of jauhar (ritual suicide) committed by more than a thousand women who mistakenly presumed their men folk had been vanquished by Khilji's forces.
Pilgrims still visit a Ganesh temple here with the same fervour as did their ancestors. The famous battis kambha chhattri (32-pillar canopy) was built by Raja Hamir to mark the 32nd year of his father's reign, and stands as an example of filial devotion. The park area itself was once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur and many tiger shoots took place here including an infamous visit in the early Sixties when a tiger was set up to be shot by Queen Elizabeth II. The Ranthambhore Park earned sanctuary status in 1958 and when Project Tiger was launched in 1973, it really began to receive the protection it deserved. Placed under the care of the now-famous Fateh Singh Rathore, by the Eighties the park had earned itself the distinction of being one of the world's best-known tiger forests. The first real signs of ecological renewal were the scores of once-dry pools, streams and rivulets that began running full of water all year long. This helped native plants to re-establish themselves. A major side-benefit of Ranthambhore's return to health was the ground water recharge service performed by the forest, which helped restock wells in surrounding villages.