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The Ranthambore National Park (RNP) is named after the 10th century Ranthambore fort, which covers the entire top of a hill at the heart of the Park. The Ranthambore fort, in turn, is said to have got its name from two adjoining hills – Rann and Thambhore. It lies on the Thambhore hill, overlooking the Rann and offers some breathtaking views of the Park. It has become part of the UNESCO’s World heritage Site under hill forest series of Rajasthan. The walls of the fort are about 7 kilometres in length and include an area of nearly 4 square kilometres. All around the fort, one can see many old ruins, including palaces, temples, cenotaphs, step-wells and houses. The Ganesh Temple, which lies very close to the main entry gate to the Fort, attracts a steady flow of pilgrims, mainly from the rural hinterland.It is believed to have been built during the 8th century by the Chauhans ruler. The actual fame of Ranthambore came when most known ruler of this period Raja Hammir Dev was crowned in 1283 A.D. In 1558, Akbar, the great Mughal Emperor, took over the fort and it remained a property of Mughal Empire till mid-18th century. Later on, Ranthambore Fort was turned into a royal hunting reserve.
It was only after Rajasthan Forest Act of 1953 that some serious steps were taken for the preservation and conservation of the area. The reserved area was declared as ‘Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary’ in 1955 by Indian government and later transferred under ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973. In 1980, 282 sq km of the reserve was changed into Ranthambore National Park while the adjacent forest areas were named under Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and Keladevi Sanctuary. But in 1991, the National Park was expanded to 392 sq km by including some of the parts of both Sawai Man Singh and Keladevi sanctuaries.
There are many water bodies located in the park, which provide relief during the extremely hot summer months for the forest inhabitants. The three main lakes are Padam Talab, Raj Bagh Talab and Malik Talab.
Avi – Fauna
Ranthambore, due to its varied terrain and abundance of water bodies, has an excellent population of birds, resident and migrant. In total 272 species have been documented. These include Graylag Goose, Woodpeckers, Indian Gray Hornbills, Common Kingfishers, Bee Eaters, Cuckoos, Parakeets, Owl, Nightjars, Pigeon, Gulls, Eagles, Darters, Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Bitterns, Ibis, Pelicans, Storks, Treepies, Crows, Drongos, Flycatchers, Sparrows, Wagtails, Bulbul, Mynas, Falcons etc.
Four species of the now endangered vultures namely white-rumped, longbilled, white scavenger and king vulture can be seen in good numbers in the Reserve.
Climate
The park experiences drastic variations in climatic conditions. The temperature range is extreme with the mercury dipping to around 2 º C in the winters and rising all the way up to 47 º C in the summers. The best time to visit is between November to January when the climate is pleasant but April – June are better suited for wildlife sightings.
Fauna
The park has a huge variety of animals, reptiles and birds. The population mainly consists of Tigers, Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Sambar deer, Chital, Nilgai, Common langurs, Macaques, Jackals, Jungle cats, Sloth bears, Black bucks, Indian Wild Boar, Chinkara, Common Palm Civets, Desert Cats, Five striped Palm Squirrels, Indian Flying Foxes, Indian Foxes, Indian Porcupines, Hedgehogs, Small Indian Mongoose, Small Indian Civets and Common mongoose. The park also has a large number of Snub Nose Marsh Crocodiles, Desert Monitor Lizards, Tortoise, Banded Kraits, Cobras, Ganga Soft Shelled Turtles, Indian Pythons, Rat Snakes, Russel’s Vipers, Saw-scaled Vipers and Chameleon.
The park is most famous for its diurnal tigers. Tigers at RNP have been known to even hunt in full view of human visitors. These tigers are famous for being seen in the daytime too, due to their lack of fear of human presence in vehicles. This National park is a wildlife enthusiast and photographer’s dream.
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