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Ranthambore is a national park and tiger reserve in Rajasthan state of western India. It is located in Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, about 130 km from Jaipur, which is also the nearest airport. The nearest town and railway station is at Sawai Madhopur, 11 km away.
The park lies at the edge of a plateau, and is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. It is named for the historic Ranthambore fortress, which lies within the national park. The park covers an area of 392 km², and is famous for its tiger population, and is one of India's Project Tiger reserves. Other major wild animals include the leopard, dhole, wild pig, sambar, chital and the gaur.
Major wild animals found in the national park include the tiger, leopard, nilgai, dhole, wild pig, sambar, chital and the gaur. It is also home to wide variety of trees, plants, birds and reptiles.
The former hunting ground of Maharaja of Jaipur, Ranthambhore National Park was declared a game sanctuary in 1955; it became a national park in 1980. But, with the commissioning of Project Tiger in 1972, it was included in the project. The Park sprawls over an estimated area of 400 sq kms. Set between the Aravalli and Vindhya ranges, the park is a heritage site because of the picturesque ruins that adds to the beauty of the wildlife park.
The landscape is rugged and there are rocky ridges, hills and open valleys with lakes and pools. The jungle is dotted with deciduous forests.
There are lake palaces, 'chhatris', old fortifications and a majestic 1,000-year-old fort, overlooking the park. The lovely Jogi Mahal is located at the foot of the fort and gives magnificent view of the Padam Talao, dominated with water lilies.
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The fortress of Ranthambore was founded in 944 by the Chauhan Rajputs. The fortress commanded a strategic location, 700 feet above the surrounding plain. After the defeat of the Chauhan king Prithviraj III by Muhammad of Ghor in 1192, Ranthambore, led by Govinda Raja, grandson of Pritviraj, became the center of Chauhan resistance to the expanding Sultanate of Delhi. Govinda Raja was succeeded by his son Balhana.
The Delhi Sultan Iltutmish captured Ranthambore in 1226, but the Chauhans recapture it after his death in 1236. The armies of Sultan Nasir ud din Mahmud, led by the future Sultan Balban, unsuccessfully besieged the fortress in 1248 and 1253, but captured from Jaitrasingh Chauhan in 1259. Hamir Dev succeeded Jaitrasingh in 1283, and recaptured Ranthambore and enlarged the kingdom. Sultan Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji briefly besieged the fort in 1290-91. In 1299, Hamir Dev sheltered Muhammad Shah, a rebel general of Sultan Ala ud din Khilji, and refused to turn him over to the Sultan. The sultan unsuccessfully besieged the fortress in 1299, but returned in 1301 to personally oversee a long siege, and succeeded in capturing the fort.
The fortress was captured by the kingdom of Mewar under Rana Hamir Singh (1326-1364) and Rana Kumbha (1433-1468). After the reign of Rana Kumbha's successor Rana Udai Singh I (1468-1473) the fortress passed to the Hada Rajputs of Bundi. Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat captured the fortress from 1532 to 1535. The Mughal Emperor Akbar captured the fortress in 1559.
The fortress passed to the Kachwaha Maharajas of Jaipur in the 17th century, and it remained part of Jaipur state until Indian Independence. The area surrounding the fortress became a hunting ground for the Maharajas of Jaipur. Jaipur state acceded to India in 1949, becoming part of the state of Rajasthan in 1950.
Ranthambore was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955 by the Indian Government, and was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973. Ranthambore became a national park in 1980. In 1984 the adjacent forests were declared the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary and Keladevi Sanctuary, and in 1991 the tiger reserve was enlarged to include Sawai Man Singh and Keladevi sanctuaries, a total area 1334 km².
Inside Ranthambore fort there are three Hindu temples dedicated to Ganesh,Shiva and Ramlalaji constructed in 12th and 13th centuries from red Karauli stone.
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The Flora
The Ranthambore National Park Rajasthan is dotted with ancient Banyan Trees, Dhok & Pipal trees, clusters of mango trees and crisscrossed with evergreen patches. The forest is the typically dry deciduous type, with Dhok, being the most obvious tree found through out the region.
Apart from Dhok, other species found here are - Am (Magnifera Indica), Imli (Tamarindicus indica), Babul (Accasia nilotica), Banyan (Ficus benghalensis), Ber (Zizyphus mauritania), Dhak or Chila (flame of the forest), Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Kadam (Authocephalus cadamba), Khajur (Phoenix sylvestris), Khair (Accacia catechu), Karel (Capparis decidua), Khejda (Prosopis specigera), Kakera (Flacourtia indica), Mohua (Madhuca indica), Neem (Azadirachta indica), etc.
The Fauna
Tigers, the park's pride makes it one of the best places in the country to observe them. Apart from that a large numbers of Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Sambar deer, Chital, Nilgai, Common or Hanuman langurs, Macaques, Jackals, Jungle cats, Caracals, Sloth bears, Black bucks, Rufoustailed Hare, Indian Wild Boar, Chinkara, Common Palm Civets or Toddy cat, Coomon Yellow Bats, Desert Cats, Fivestriped Palm Squirels, Indian False Vampires, Indian Flying Foxes, Indian Foxes, Indian Gerbilles, Indian Mole Rats, Indian Porcupines, Longeared Hedgehogs, Ratels, Small Indian Mongoose, Small Indian Civets and Common mongoose are seen in the park.
The Avifauna
Ranthambore national park is also one of the richest reserves in bird species. Ranthambore, due to its varied terrain and abundance of water bodies, has an excellent population of birds, resident and migrant. There are about 272 different species of birds found in the Ranthambore National Park Rajasthan. The birds in the Park includes a large number of migratory birds. Some of the many varieties of birds seen here are the great Indian horned owl, various species of eagles such as Bonelli’s eagle and the crested serpent, spoonbills, partridge, quail, parakeets, kingfishers, owls and storks, geese and ducks. The most visible bird in Ranthambhore is the peacock, India's national bird.
The Reptiles
Snub Nosed Marsh Crocodiles, Desert Monitor Lizards, Tortoise, Banded Kraits, Cobras, Common Kraits, Ganga Soft Shelled Turtles, Indian Pythons, North Indian Flap Shelled Turtles, Rat Snakes, Russel's Vipers, Saw-scaled Vipers and the Indian Chamaeleon.
The Fishes
Ranthambore due its numerous water bodies has a relatively large variety of fish to boast of. These species consist of : Bita (Labio Rohita), Catla (Catla catla), Greyei (Chhana matulion), Lanchi (Walago auto), Mahseer (Tor tor), Mirgal (Cirrchinus mrigala), Rohu (Labio rohita), Savank (Chhana punctatus), Seenghari (Mystus seenghala).
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