An intricate mix of HISTORY, WILDLIFE and MYTHOLOGY... this is what SARISKA is. The Sariska Tiger Reserve is a national park inIndia located in the Alwar district of the state of Rajasthan.
The contour of Sariska supports scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, rocks and lush grasses. This area was a hunting preserve of the erstwhile Alwar state and it was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955. In 1978, it was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part ofIndia's Project Tiger scheme. The present area of the park is 866 km². The park is situated 107 km from Jaipur and 200 km fromDelhi.
Some of the wildlife found in the Sariska Tiger Reserve includes the Bengal tiger, leopard, jungle cat, caracal, striped hyena, golden jackal, chital, sambhar, nilgai, chinkara, four-horned antelope 'chousingha' (extinct) , wild boar, hare, hanuman langur, Rhesus monkeys, and plenty of bird species as well as reptiles. Birds include Peafowl, Grey Partridge, Bush Quail, Sand Grouse, Tree Pie, Golden backed Wood Pecker, Crested Serpent Eagle and the Great Indian Horned Owl.
There’s a temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god of Hindu mythology) at Pandu Pol, located at about 20km from the main gate of the reserve. In fact, it’s quite simple to reach here as the metal led road ends at the temple. Archaeologically, it is an interesting site, for there’s a naturally formed gateway here which has some kind of an association with the Pandavas (of the Mahabharata fame). A cascading spring emerging from the hard limestone rocks gives the place the most delightful look.
Other major attractions in Sariska include Kankawari Fort, Nilkanth, Naldeshwar,JaisamandLakeand Siliserh.
Park Timings: 0700 hrs to 1600 hrs. in winter (October to end of February) and 0600 hrs to 1700 hrs rest of the year.
