Once the
hunting reserve of the maharajas of Alwar,
in whose jurisdiction it fell, Sariska's
forests are typical of the Aravallis with
their undulating terrain of low hills, teep
escarpments, wide valleys and hill plateaus.
A atural habitat for the tiger, it ould have
held a commendable population of these
tigers had the forests around the park not
been vandalised in the recent decades.
Today, the region is a ajor milk pocket, and
cattle have eroded the forestlands and
pastures around the park, so that the
population of wildlife has shrunk to the
limits of the park alone. Human population
and the resence of religious spots around
and inside the park have further led to the
deterioration of the environment.
For all
that, Sariska is a heavily forested reserve,
and a drive through the park shows up a
large number of deer species (sambhar,
chital, nilgai) as well as largurs that
inhabit the tree cover. Also residents of
the reserve, though almost as elusive as the
tiger on account of the cover of vegtation,
are leopard, jungle cat, jackal, hyena, and
wild dog. Observers often gather at hides
close to waterholes to view and photograph
wildlife thougt, of course, they cannot stay
beyond evening light. When deer come to feed
at these waterholes, they attract the
presence of leopards, tigers and wild dogs,
especially in summer when all other sources
of water shrink and vapourise.
Like all parks, there is also a variety
of birdlife in Sariska that includes the
gray partridge, whitebreasted kingfisher,
golden- backed woodpecker, serpent eagle,
great Indian horned owl, and others.
Best time to visit
Open year round, the best period being
November-April, especially March-April.
How To Get There
The
nearest airport is at Jaipur (115 km 3 hours
) and the nearest railway station is at
Alwar (36 km). The drive from Delhi takes
5-6 hours.
ell, Sariska's
forests are typical of the Aravallis with
their undulating terrain of low hills, teep
escarpments, wide valleys and hill plateaus.
A atural habitat for the tiger, it ould have
held a commendable population of these
tigers had the forests around the park not
been vandalised in the recent decades.
Today, the region is a ajor milk pocket, and
cattle have eroded the forestlands and
pastures around the park, so that the
population of wildlife has shrunk to the
limits of the park alone. Human population
and the resence of religious spots around
and inside the park have further led to the
deterioration of the environment.