Sariska Tiger Reserve is a national park and tiger reserve located in the Alwar district of the state of Rajasthan, India. The topography of the protected area comprises scrub-thorn arid forests, rocky landscapes, dry deciduous forests, rocks, grasses and hilly cliffs. This area was a hunting preserve of the Alwar state and it was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955. It was given the status of a tiger reserve making it a part of India's Project Tiger in 1978. The wildlife sanctuary covers an area of 866 km2 (334 sq mi). The reserve was declared a national park in 1990, with a total area of about 273.8 km2 (105.7 sq mi). It is the first reserve in the world to have successfully relocated tigers.
The park is situated 106 km (66 mi) away from Hindaun, 107 km (66 mi) from Jaipur and 200 km (120 mi) from Delhi. It is a part of the Aravalli Range and the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests' ecoregion. It is rich in mineral resources, such as copper. In spite of the Supreme Court's 1991 ban on mining in the area, marble mining continues to threaten the environment.
History of Sariska National Park
The historical background of Sariska National Park can be dated back to 9th and 10th centuries when the park had several archeological sites like Neelkanth Mahadev Temple and Garh Rajor temples and the Kankwadi fort. During the medieval period, it was in this Kankwadi fort where Arangzeb imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh when the war of Mughal succession was on its peak. Not only this, it also severed as the hunting ground of the Maharajas of Alwar where the royal hunting lodge in the name of Sariska Palace is the living example of its historical importance. The area of Sariska was declared as a wildlife reserve in 1955 during the Prime Ministership of Jawaharlal Nehru and it was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978 as a part of India’s Project Tiger Scheme.
