Fort Trip Part 3
Third edition explores Ranthambore
It lays well hidden in the dry brush, deep inside the Ranthambore National Park. As we inch forward down the road, we squint and strain our eyes to see if we can make out the shape we know are there. And suddenly, we see it. No, not the Royal Bengal tiger. But the equally elusive, and far less famed, Ranthambore Fort.
Starting from Delhi, it's a 380km journey down the excellent Taj Express highway and some passable state highways, to the gate of the National Park. The trail through it is cobblestoned, and we could see people bouncing around in the safari jeeps we were sharing the road with. We, however, were relatively undisturbed inside the Elantra – if the plushly damped suspension can handle rustic trails with ease, our rutted city roads shouldn't be a hassle. Follow it right to the end and there's the often overlooked Ranthambore Fort. We guess that's because, even driving alongside its 7km long outer wall, it's hard to spot. Given that it was designed, and built, to remain hidden, of course. Rising 700 feet on a rocky ridge above the plains, the stone walls themselves blend in to the surroundings.
Opposite the entrance gate to the fort, is also the entrance to a safari zone, which somewhat explains why the fort is skipped. Zone 3 is famous for housing two of the large watering holes of the park, Padma Talao and Rajbagh, where the animals gather. Obviously then, wildlife inside the fort has been reported. Thankfully when we visited, we didn't spot leopards, which we were told sometimes stalk the walkways of the fort, but just peacocks and monkeys hustling for tourist's attention.
Back in its day, the fort was famously known to be impregnable, for humans at least, though its construction itself is somewhat of a mystery. Some date it back to before the Christian Era, some say it was built in the 10th century. Signs point to human settlement at the site of the fort dating back earlier, but most accounts agree that it was built under the rule of the mighty Chauhan Rajput dynasty. The region was important, as it lay on the trade route between North and Central India, so with the construction of the fort, the Chauhans were able to further establish dominance. The fort was an integral point in the run of history of the region, with the last Chauhan king, Hammiradeva, putting up a brave fight against Alauddin Khulji of the Delhi Sultanate, in the 13th century. The fort remained impregnable against all manners of weapons, including trebuchets. It was only taken when famine struck the occupants of the fort after being sieged for several years.
From then, ownership changed hands several times under the Mughals. Akbar the Great dissolved the state of Ranasthamba, as Ranthambore was known, sometime before the mid-18th century when it was handed over to the Jaipur state, and Sawai Madho Singh. Thus the surrounding city came to be known as Sawai Madhopur. If you're visiting the Ranthambore National Park, this city will be your base. Your choices, are far as stay is concerned, ranges from high-end luxury to tents. The Nahargarh by the Alsisar Group was modelled after a Rajput hunting palace, complete with a 16th century style fortress around the property. And, of course, a splendid dining room that serves up some of the best Rajasthani staples we've tasted
so far. Like anywhere else in Rajasthan, summer is a great time to get great deals on luxury stay like this. Not to mention the fact that summer is also your best chance to spot tigers venturing from their caves to the watering holes, especially since the safari is timed to match their summer routines as best as possible.
The heat also keeps away the large herds of tourists who otherwise flock to the national park. It is India's largest tiger reserve, after all, at 1,334 square kilometres. Most of the 67 tigers that call it home can be spotted in any of the ten zones, though some zones give you better chances of a tiger sighting. Unfortunately you don't get to choose your zone, unless you pay far extra for a VIP safari. Booking a safari through your hotel might be marginally more expensive, but it's far less of a hassle. Rates start at Rs 1,100 per seat in an open-top Gypsy, though the 30-seater canters are cheaper but ultimately less successful when it comes to spotting.
The smaller Gypsy is also better able to manoeuvre itself into tight spots from which you can get good photographs when a tiger does decide to make itself seen. We got lucky and spotted not one, but three of them. Ladli (T8) a tigress and her two cubs were returning from their morning trip to the watering hole and our driver pulled off some great driving to keep us by their side.
Seeing a tiger in the flesh takes a while to process just how graceful and magnificent they are. The ones we saw were merely out for a stroll, and we could see the heat was getting to one of the cubs, who was panting the entire time we were watching. Though, that might've been due to the crowds. It's great to see that once we got our share of pictures, the drivers insist on leaving the tigers be, to continue on their journey back to their cave undisturbed.
We'd like to think we got lucky spotting an entire family of tigers on the first go, but the truth is almost everybody who visits the Ranthambore National Park will go back home with a memory or two of seeing this majestic animal up close and personal. For most wildlife enthusiasts, sighting gives a high that really can't be replicated. Most actually plan to stay a week or more, just to do multiple safaris in different zones. After our own sighting, we would actually recommend that too. We would also urge that you book your safari in advance, or speak to a trustworthy agent to get a good deal. Even if you only have time for a quick getaway, that you can spot a tiger and have a luxurious stay makes a road trip to Ranthambore a must-do. Just remember that with the Ranthambore Fort, the area offers more than just a safari.