Ranthambore National Park
Where is Ranthambore National Park located?
What are the major fauna found in Ranthambore National Park?
What concerns exist regarding the tiger population in Ranthambore?
What is Project Tiger?
Ranthambore National Park, wildlife preserve in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan state in northwestern India. It is located about 112 miles (180 km) from the state capital, Jaipur. The region was once the hunting grounds of the maharajas of Jaipur. In 1955 the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary was established in the region, which was designated as a national park in 1980. A tiger reserve had been established before that, in 1973, with the launch of the country’s flagship conservation program, Project Tiger. The tiger reserve, comprising the national park, two wildlife sanctuaries (Keladevi and Sawai Mansingh), and several smaller protected wilderness areas, extends over 545 square miles (1,411 square km). The national park has an area of about 151 square miles (392 square km). The Banas and Chambal rivers form its border on the north and south, respectively.
Flora and fauna
...was a tigress called Machli (also spelled Machali), who ruled the park for almost 20 years until her death in 2016. The fish-shaped markings on her left ear (and perhaps also her left cheek) inspired the name Machli, which means “fish” in Hindi. She was one of the most photographed tigresses in the world and the progenitor of most tigers in Ranthambore, including the crocodile-hunting tigress Arrowhead. Known for tackling animals much larger than she was, Machli was the subject of documentary movies and even had a Facebook page.
The park lies in the foothills where the Aravalli and Vindhya hill ranges meet. The terrain varies from rocky outcrops and thick woodlands to open grasslands, interspersed with perennial lakes and streams. The vegetation of the park is tropical dry deciduous and dry mixed deciduous, although human activities have reduced it to deciduous scrub and grassland types in some areas. Ficus benghalensis, Acacia species, Terminalia pendula, Azadirachta indica, Butea monosperma, Capparis decidua, Prosopis cineraria, and Zizyphus mauritania are some of the representative flora of the park.
The woodlands, grasslands, and water bodies of the park host more than 35 species of mammals, dozens of reptile and fish species, and more than 300 species of birds. Major fauna includes tigers, leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, civets, caracals, sloth bears, jackals, wolves, chital, sambar, nilgais, marsh crocodiles, banded kraits, pythons, monitor lizards, peafowl, flamingos, pelicans, pipits, flycatchers, falcons, and storks. The critically endangered great Indian bustard is an occasional visitor to the park.
As one of the first tiger reserves in India, Ranthambore saw significant success in the conservation of its iconic big cat soon after the launch of Project Tiger. The number of tigers in the park and reserve increased from 14 in the 1970s to 40 in the 1980s. Although the tiger population dwindled in the next two decades, it bounced back in the mid-2010s, and Ranthambore reportedly had more than 80 tigers in 2022. However, because the current tiger population descends from only a handful of individuals and remains largely geographically isolated from tiger populations elsewhere in the country, experts fear that Ranthambore’s tigers may face reduced genetic fitness due to inbreeding. Animal safaris and other human activities, as well as direct conflict with humans, also threaten tigers and other fauna of the park.
In 2025–26 cheetahs introduced into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh began venturing into and around Ranthambore National Park, increasing the number of big cat species in the landscape from two to three, alongside tigers and leopards. This unexpected overlap of three apex predators has raised questions about their behavioral interactions and ecological dynamics. Experts are particularly concerned about the safety of the cheetahs, as no extant cheetah populations coexist with tigers in the wild.
Historical monuments
The 10th-century Ranthambore Fort is located inside the national park. Built by Rajput rulers of the Chauhan clan, the fort later came under the control of the Delhi sultanate and the Mughals before returning to the Rajput rulers of Jaipur. In 2013 it was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan. The fort and its surroundings have several monuments of architectural importance, including temples, mosques, tanks, and gates. The Trinetra Ganesh Temple inside the fort draws pilgrims throughout the year. The park, its wildlife, and its human-made structures are visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.