Ranthambore’s story begins long before it became a tiger reserve. At its centre stands Ranthambore Fort, built by the Chauhan Rajputs around the 10th century on a rocky hill roughly 700 feet above the surrounding forest. Its defensive position — protected on most sides by cliffs and dense forest — made it one of the more formidable forts in the region for centuries.
The fort changed hands numerous times: besieged by Alauddin Khilji’s forces in the early 14th century, later controlled by various Rajput rulers, before eventually passing to the Kachwaha rulers of Jaipur. In 2013, it was inscribed as part of the “Hill Forts of Rajasthan” UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From royal hunting ground to tiger reserve
Long before conservation became the priority, the forests around the fort served as the private hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur. That changed dramatically through the 20th century: the area was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955, declared one of India’s first Project Tiger reserves in 1973, and became a full national park in 1980.
Today, Ranthambore’s fort and its forest are inseparable — the ruins, temples and lakes within the park boundary are as much a part of a safari as the tigers themselves, and many resident tigers are regularly seen resting in the shadow of centuries-old walls.