SARISKA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY District : Alwar Region Mewat Location : Along the Aravalli Ranges, 35 km from Alwar Famous For : Tigers What To See : Sariska Mirage

A Tiger At Sariska Wildlife

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Sariska National Park - The Forgotten Story of The Hunt and The Hunter

Located in the lap of Aravalli Hills in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, is probably one of the most frequently visited parks in India. Everybody wants to go to the green, serene and so close to the heart, hub of wild animals. But what many happy troopers don't know is that Sariska used to dance to a different beat not too long ago. The beat of royal drums, to be precise, heralding the arrival of the Maharajahs of Alwar and their hunting dogs. Sariska was the hunting preserve of the Alwar royals, and its palace has buried many secrets of these shoots. Bundles of paper carry the hunting memoirs of these princes. Cookbooks have been made on the fancy shikar (hunting) cuisine that evolved during those years. Now, an entirely different chapter has been added to the story of Sariska, that of wildlife protection.

Gone are the traps in which infelicitous goats were tied to a tree to attract tigers for the princes' shooting pleasure. Now, fences prevent humans from further endangering the animals. The famous Sariska toger reserve was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and became a tiger reserve under ' Project Tiger' in 1979. Multiple books are being written, and rewritten, detailing the efforts being made to preserve the hundreds of species endangered over the years by apathetic hunters. So, hopefully, you can jovially enjoy the wild weekends in Sariska for many years to come.

The Wild And The Beautiful

Travel to Sariska tiger sanctuary Despite not featuring among the sanctuaries favored by wildlife enthusiasts, it is one of the best parks to spot a number of herbivores at close range. That's not just on account of the diminishing tiger population but more because of the terrain; the undulating low hills, wide valleys and hill plateaus are hardly ideal for tiger spotting. These hills get higher and the cliffs get sheerer as you progress further into the park, indeed an ideal location to play hide and seek with the jungle king. There are some excellent grasslands with water channels criss-crossing all over them. The forestscape is mostly of the dry deciduous type with Dhok, Khair, Ber and Goria making up a majority of the flora family. The park bears a completely different look in the summer months and in the months post-monsoon. It appears awfully dry in the summers and becomes so acutely dense and lush green after the monsoons that it is hard to see beyond a few feet off the track.

Wildlife at Sariska sanctuary is hard to see (though you can try your luck at the watch towers built near the water channels) are the leopard, jackal, wild dog and hyena. Relatively easy to see are chital (spotted deer), sambhar (the largest deer in Asia), barking deer and langurs gamboling on the tree routes.. Wild boar may suddenly cross the jungle road as you go by. Huge males wander in sounders with females accompanied by striped piglets. If startled by your presence, the group often takes a moment or two to regroup from their foraging and make their getaway through the undergrowth almost in single file.

The famous Sariska national park is also a habitat for a robust avian population. During late summer and in the monsoon months, it is credible to see large numbers of peacocks with their tail feathers fanned out and doing their famous shimmering "dance". Wildlife at Sariska Sanctuary does not end here. Birdwatchers can also spot red jungle fowl, white breasted kingfishers, golden backed woodpeckers, great Indian horned owls, crested serpent eagles, parakeets, drongos, and vultures quite easily.

Take a trip to Sariska Wildlife sanctuary. Frankly though, the most enjoyable part is the drive through the ornate green forest, where paths dip down into the valleys, birds chirp in some unknown corner and sinister shadows cross the jungle.

The Sariska Mirage

Deer At Sariska Wildlife

Enjoy wildlife tours at Sariske wildlife park that also has another temptation, which very few people know about or have noticed. Around 6 km from Kalighati, while heading to the park, the road gives a perception of sloping down ahead of you. If you shift your vehicle into neutral gear and let it roll, it soon comes to a halt and then starts rolling back in the direction it came from. What appears to be an uphill incline! Try it out, it's good fun but don't let it shift your focus from the surrounding wildlife for too long.

Mesmerizing Proximities

As with most areas in the state of Rajasthan, Sariska too is surrounded by numerous barren hills with forts and ruined temples located atop them. One of these forts is the Kankwadi Fort, located at the apex of a beautiful lush green hill. Commissioned by Mogul emperor Aurangazeb to confine his brother Dara Shikoh, whom he later guillotined to gain control of Hindustan. The villages in the amazingly vast surrounding grasslands appear to be lost in the past eras. From the fort they look much like drawings from a child's illustration book. You will see different shades of green originating from the same mixture of blue and yellow, spread over a vast arena of landscape, like a sheet covering the silhouette of a sleeping bambino.

Enjoy the famous Sariska Tiger reserve in these forests, once a part of the ancient 'Matsya' kingdom, are also supposed to have sheltered the exiled Pandavas. It is believed that Bhima, smote the rock face of a cliff with his cudgel at Pandu Pol and made a passage through a gorge in the sanctuary. The sight of the huge gaping orifice with a picturesque spring emerging from the rocks, is an awe-inspiring sight.

Wildlife Safaris

To enjoy wildlife attractions of Sariska it is possible to take private vehicles into the park, they are limited to metaled roads only, minimizing the chances of spotting wildlife. The ideal way that one can explore the interiors of the jungle is by hiring a jeep from either your hotel or from the local jeep operators. These tend to be a little bit expensive but if shared among the six possible passengers, it doesn't seem too much. While on your safari tour of Sariske wildlife national park, entry for Indians is free on Tuesdays and Saturdays (from 8 am to 3 pm), because devotees cluster here to pay offerings to the monkey god, Hanuman, temple located within the park parameters, on these two auspicious days of the week. Hundreds of locals with flowers, sweets and coconuts gather at the sacred shrine, which is believed to grant every desire, if wished by heart.

Getting To The Jungle

Sariska tiger reserve is 35 km from Alwar, which is a advantageous town from which you can approach the sanctuary. There are direct buses to Alwar from Jaipur and Delhi. Though some people attempt to visit Sariska on a day trip from Jaipur, this option is expensive and largely a waste of time. Plan a night stay to enjoy the sinister aspect of jungle life; glowworms decorating the tree tops as bulbs in Christmas, sounds of vicious animals drinking water at pond sides together with the spine-chilling howls of jackels, and if you are lucky enough, you can even record the roar of tiger, feels as if million thunderbolts going off at the same time.