National Forest Reserve of Ranthambhore in the State of Rajasthan in India

The National Forest Reserve of Ranthambhore, which is situated in the State of Rajasthan in India, is one of the most important forest reserves of India. The viewing of famous Kublai tiger moving freely in the forests of Ranthambhore is a rare opportunity in anybody's life. I got such opportunity to visit Ranthambhore during last winter in the year 2007. I am going to share my experience of visiting Ranthambhore with all my AC readers and friends.

The tourists can reach Ranthambhore from the city of Savai Madhopur by road through the State Transport buses or hired cars and taxis. The city of Ranthambhore was established in the eleventh century and is situated between Arvalli and Vindhyachal Mountains range. Ranthambhore was the capital of the Yadav rulers in the beginning and there after it became the capital city of Chuhan rulers from the twelfth century onwards. There are many site seeing places here at Ranthambhore. Ranthambhore National Park is the most vital of all. This forest is especially reserved for the Project Tiger by the government of India. The tourists can move around this forest reserve in an open jeep with forest guides to see various wild animals moving freely in this thick forest. If you are lucky, you will be able to see the famous Kublai Tiger moving freely in his own kingdom. We were lucky to view one such gorgeous tiger moving freely in the forest. The tour of the forest starts at around 7 pm in the evening and ends at around 2 am in the early morning. This forest is spread in to a vast area of around three hundreds and ninety two square kilometers and has been one of the chief tourists attractions of India. There are log huts available for the tourists to stay at this thick forest. This old design log huts are very impressively designed and it is a real pleasure to stay in such huts, at least for one night. We were able to stay for one night here at the log hut, operated by the Government of Rajasthan. The rates for staying at such huts are around Rs.4000 ($100) per day for a nice luxurious suite. Such suite can accommodate 4 persons quiet easily. However, you need to book such accommodation, well in advance as there is a very heavy rush of tourists here almost all through out the year.

The next place to visit is historical fort of Ranthambhore. This fort is 760 feet tall and around 1500 feet long. This fort has seen many enemy attacks in the past but have remained undefeated since centuries. The historical war between Mogul King Allaudin Khilji and the Rajput King Hamirsinh is the latest example of the strength of this historical fort. Mogul King Allaudin Khilji was not able to conquer this fort even after the war of eight years. There is an ancient Lord Ganesh temple here at the fort. Thousands of pilgrims visit this temple on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi every year. The Sunheri Kothi is the next place to be visited by the tourists. This building looks quiet simple from outside. But have lots of rare and invaluable collection of the Rajput kingdom stored in it. This palace cum museum attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. The village of Tonk, which is situated at around 56 miles away from Ranthambhore, is also worth visiting. This village was in the possession of Pathan Rulers from Afghanistan during twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The rare collection of the most ancient hand written books is worth seeing here at this small village.

There are few hotels available at Ranthabhore for the tourists. Some of them are Hotel Hamir, Hotel Padhmini, Hotel Forest Palace, and the well known log huts operated by the State government. The most preferred option is to stay at the wooden log huts at the Ranthambhore National Park. It is better to visit Ranthambhore during the winter months from October to March in view of severe heat in summer. It would be advisable to carry your own supply of mineral water bottles for drinking purpose with you as the water here at Ranthambhore may not be that hygienic.

I would be really delighted if this article would encourage at least some of my AC friends and readers to visit Ranthambhore during their next visit to Western part of India.