Sariska National Park

Sariska National Park, India is home to plenty of forest lands and wildlife reserves of which Sariska National Park is one of them. Located in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, the place is stretched over 866 square km and is laden with scrub-thorn arid forests and lots of delicious green forests. It’s located amid the green and rocky hills and is a well-known hunting region of India.

The Sariska National Park falls in the Aravalli Range and is part of the Kathiawar-Gir dry forests eco region. The place was named as the wildlife reserve in 1955 and was later on awarded with a much higher status of a tiger reserve in 1978 as part of the Project Tiger. The area was further named as the national park in 1990 and was one of the very first in the world to have relocated the tigers on a successful basis.

The Sariska National Park is easily accessible and lies at a distance of 106 km from Hinduan and 107 km from Jaipur. If you’re one hailing from Delhi, it would take you just over 200 kms to reach the place. The place is well known for its mineral resources and is known for marble mining even though it was put on hold by the Supreme Court. The Sariska National Park is covered with dhok trees all along and is spread over almost 90 percent of the total sanctuary. It houses plenty of animals apart from tigers like a leopard, sambhar, nilgai, wild boar, langur, hyena, and more. It also has remains of the medieval era temples of the Garh-Rajor.

History of Sariska:
Set against the backdrop of the majestic Aravallis, Sariska is regarded as the place in the Mahabharata where the Pandavas found sanctuary during their last year of banishment. According to legend, it was here that the strongest Pandava brother, Bhima, was defeated by Hanuman. A shrine dedicated to Hanuman at Pandupol, which means “gateway of the Pandavas” in Sanskrit, is thronged by thousands of pilgrims on certain auspicious days.

Historically, the beauty of the forests here has caught the eye of royalty too. The Kankwari Fort, located within the core of the reserve, was built by the Rajput Maharaja Jai Singh II in the 17th century and was recently reopened to visitors. It had gained notoriety when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb imprisoned his elder brother Dara Shikoh here. Despite the intrigue surrounding Kankwari, it is Bhangarh, another fort located on the southern border of the reserve that is more well-known. Bhangarh Fort is older, constructed by Maharaja Man Singh I, one of Akbar’s foremost military commanders and navratnas. It is famous for being one of the most haunted places in India.

Best time to visit
Sariska tiger reserve is during the months of October to June. This is the peak time for the tourists and the park remains open for all the seven days in a week. But, unlike the other wildlife reserves of India, Sariska also remains open for visitors even during the monsoon i.e July to September only for two days in a week.

How to Reach Sariska National Park?
By Air: Jaipur Sanganer Airport is the nearest airport to Sariska National Park which is located at a distance of 110 kilometer from the tiger reserve. The National Park is well connected by road and rail network to airport.
By Train: Alwar is the nearest railhead, which is located at a distance of 35 kilometer from Sariska National Park. Once you reach Alwar railway station, private taxi/cab is available to reach Sariska National Park.
By Road: Sariska Tiger Reserve is well connected via excellent network of road to major cities and places of Rajasthan. There is a number of government and privately run vehicles that go to Sariska National Park at regular intervals.