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Decide your favourite colour and pick a city to
match, Rajasthan's kaleidoscope of colours covers all.
Bastions of history, bristling with memories,
these splendid treasures stand battling the vageries of time.
 Fort
Amber
The
City Palace, Jaipur
Wind
Palace, Jaipur
Chittaurgarh
Fort
City
Palace, Udaipur
Jaisalmer
Fort
Mehrangarh
Fort
Nahargarh
Fort, Jaipur
The desert sands shimmer and pulsate with an
energy and a spirit of festivity permeates the air, every season
provides many reasons to celebrate.
Camel
Festival
Mewar
Festival
Elephant
Festival
Gangaur
Festival
Pushkar
Festival
Desert
Festival
Ride a camel over the dunes or horses through
the hillside, speed ahead in a jeep and camp under open skies.
A delicate ecosystem, part desert part marshy
lands and even a small section of lush water filled valleys, sports a
wildlife rich in variety.
Whichever Budget Hotel you choose you will
always experience a traditional hospitality that you may never want to
forget.
Jaipur
Budget Hotels
Jaisalmer
Budget Hotels
Bharatpur
Budget Hotels
Bikaner
Budget Hotels
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Rajasthan
Tours Travel » Wildlife
in Rajasthan » Sariska Wildlife
Sanctuary
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary
About Sariska
Sariska lies in the heart of the dry deciduous forests of the ancient
Aravalli range, it is a wooded valley surrounded by barren mountains on
all sides. It gained fame initially as one of the few places that
guaranteed a tiger sighting. In the olden days these grounds were a
favourite hunting destination of the erstwhile royalty.There was a time
when goats were tied to poles to attract tigers for these shikar outings
but those days are now long past, in 1958 Sariska was turned into a
sanctuary and since then hunting, shooting, trapping and capturing of wild
animals has been made illegal. In 1982 Sariska became a national park and
in 1979 it came under aegis of the Project Tiger.
The
main entrance of the park through the Sariska Gate will bring you to the
center of the park and all around lies the forest, just waiting to be
explored. The main path will take you first to Pandupol which is not only
a beautiful spot but also has a mythological significance, it is believed
that the Pandavas spent part of their exile here. A picturesque 35-ft
waterfall is another attraction here and next to the fall is a charming
little Hanuman temple. This area is abundant in langurs, peafowl,
spurfowl, and ubiquitous tree pies.
On the way to Pandupol you will pass through Karnakabas Lake, Brahmnath,
Kalighati Chauki and Bhaironghati. Riding in a jeep through this hilly
terrain, in chase of a tiger is quite an adrenalin rush. The rust coloured
leaves of the Dhok and the overgrown Guler and Pilkhan, line the path and
provide a tree fringed protection to the wildlife within. Some of the
common sights you can expect to see are the eagles attentively watching
for their prey from atop the evergreen trees, porcupines scurrying across
paths seemingly in a hurry, Langurs climbing up on trees, sambars
concealed in grass and maybe even a tiger, just ambling along or drinking
water from a water hole.
Sariska also boasts of two vast plateaus, Kankawari and Keraska, each of
these is 5 km wide. The three large lakes within the park are the
Mangalsar, Siliserh and Somasagar, they provide a perennial supply of
water and are some of the key places for spotting the wildlife that comes
here to quench its thirst. On a clear day one can even see crocodiles in
the water, besides water birds.
Sariska has a captivating variety of wildlife, at last count in 1985,
there were 35 tigers here, the carnivores of the area are the panther,
jungle cat, jackal and hyena. The sambar, chital, wild boar, hare and
porcupines can also be spotted easily. The 'Chowsingha' (four horned
antelope) is commonly found here is exclusively Indian, it is the world's
only wild creature, which has two pairs of horns. The Park's terrain is
also congenial to the chinkara (Indian Gazelle) and nilgai. Ferocious by
nature the langur at Sariska, surprisingly enough, tolerate human
closeness with astonishing equanimity.
The bird-life comprises of the pea fowl, gray partridge, quail, sand
grouse, tree pie, white breasted kingfisher, golden - backed woodpecker,
crested serpent eagle and great Indian horned owl.
Other than the wildlife an alluring part of Sariska is its innumerable
temples and monuments. Magnificent ruins dot this landscape and add to the
regions fascination.The Neelkanth (Shiva) temples (6th-13th century AD),
houses the ruins of old Hindu and jain temples. It has some beautiful
carvings which resemble those of the Chandelas of Khajuraho. Talvriksh is
another ancient temple here which attracts pilgrims from far and near. The
Bahratrihari temple is located at the edge of the sanctuary and is very
famous for its fairs. The ancient Kankwari Fort inside the Reserve, stands
on an isolated hill, surrounded by a vast plateau, it was here that
Emperor Aurangzeb once held his brother Dara Shikoh captive. A beautiful
palace complex built in 1902 has been converted into a hotel.
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Best time to visit
Sariska is open to visitors throughout the year, although certain
jungle tracks are closed during the monsoon and the breeding season.
The best time to visit the park is late in the winter around January
or February. If you are adventurous enough to beat the heat, April to
June is a great time to see animals at the water holes.
Getting There
The town closest to Sariska is Alwar, and the park itself lies off
the Delhi-Alwar-Jaipur highway, just over 100 km from Jaipur, and
about 200 km from Delhi.
Air : The Delhi and Jaipur airports are both well
connected.
Bus : Rajasthan Roadways run very comfortable
deluxe buses from Jaipur. Regular services link Alwar with key
destinations in Rajasthan and Delhi. The roads are very good, and it
takes around 3-4 hrs from Jaipur to reach. Private taxis are also
available.
Train : Alwar, a mere 21 km from Sariska, is the
nearest railhead, and has frequent trains from Deeg, Bharatpur, Jaipur
and other towns, some important train connections are:
Shatabdi Express(New Delhi-Alwar_Ajmer) : Superfast Express (New
Delhi-Alwar-Ajmer); Intercity Express (Delhi Sarai
Rohilla-Alwar-Jaipur); Marudhar Express (Varanasi-Alwar-Jodhpur) :
Mandore Express (Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Alwar-Jodhpur
Entry Requirements
All visitors to Sariska Tiger Reserve need entry permits to get into
the park. for these permits, available at the office of the Field
Director, or at the gate to Sariska. Within the sanctuary jeeps can be
hired from the Forest Reception Office to tour the park. The other
option for avid wildlife-watchers is to hire a machan or `hide' near
one of the water holes.
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