Wildlife In North India

The thought of Rajasthan might reflect images of arid land and desert. This, of course, is just one aspect. Rajasthan is also immensely rich in culture, archaeology… and wildlife.

About 350 Bishnois sacrificed themselves in order to prevent the local king from cutting down the trees in their area and a cenotaph erected in their memory at Khejrli near Jodhpur stands as testimony to their fight for conservation.

It is among such traditions that the erstwhile princely rulers of the State maintained the best forest tracts as hunting preserves and consequently several jungles with varied flora and fauna have been conserved.

Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Bharatpur Bird sanctuary (now, Keoladeo National Park) of Rajasthan are among the best and most popular in the world. Sariska Tiger Reserve and Desert National Park are two other important wilderness areas among the many others in the State.

Finally it must be added that this is merely a sketch of the prominent biodiversity of Rajasthan the water lily and lotus, peafowl and tree pie, dung beetle and looper caterpillar, cobra and viper, to name a few of the great variety, are all part of the rich natural heritage of this state.

Ranthambore National Park
The Ranthambore Tiger Reserve named after an imposing, more than a thousand year old Ranthambore Fort, is set atop a broad hill, 700 feet above the ground. Ruined pavilions, mosques, guard posts, cenotaphs, tombs, a summer palace and other structures-relics of a historical past, are scattered all over the area lending it a unique magical touch.
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Keoladeo Ghana National Park
Keoladeo National Park, better known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, has the distinction of being a World Heritage Site. This small Park with an area of 29 square kilometers consists of extensive marshes and scrubland. It is considered the best waterfowl sanctuary in the world.
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Desert National Park
Spread over 3000 square kilometers of the Great Thar Desert, near the medieval city of Jaisalmer, the Desert National Park comprises undulating sand dunes, fixed dunes and compact salt-lake bottoms. While the sparse desert shrubs provide food and shelter to the fauna, it is a harsh land nonetheless even for the most hardy.
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Sariska Tiger Reserve
The Sariska Tiger Reserve is a rare mingling of natural history and the historical past. This dry, deciduous Reserve located in the undulating plateaus and wide valleys of the Aravali hills, is home to the 10th century Neeklanth temple, medieval Kankwari fort and rims of 32 Hindu temples of the 6th to 13th century which are of archaeological importance. An eighteen feet high, mutilated Jain idol stands prominently among the ruins.
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Darrah Sanctuary
An erstwhile royal hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Kota , it is a t hickly forested sanctuary lying along the southeastern border of Kota. This hilly sanctuary with thick forests is worth a visit.
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Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary
Is located in the most rugged of the Aravali in Pali , Rajsamand and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan. It takes name after the impressive historic fort of Kumbhalgarh, which come into view over the Park. It is 578 sq Kms in area and at an altitude of 500 to 1,300m . It is home to a very large variety of wild life, some of which are highly endangered species. The wild life includes wolf, leopards, sloth bear, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, smabhar, nilgai, chaisingh ( the four horned antelope ), chinkara and hare.
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Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary
The sanctuary comprises the oldest mountain ranges - The Aravali. It was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1960. Apart from having several sightseeing places this sanctuary is a draw for nature lovers as it has great potential for Eco-tourism , In shape this sanctuary is long and narrow but the top spreads out into a picturesque plateau which is about 19 km. is length and 5-8 km. in breadth.
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