Ranthambore National Park

The picturesque Ranathambore Fort in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan is one of the six forts under UNESCO's WHS hill forts of Rajasthan. The Ranathambore Fort holds ground and manages to draw attention for its unadulterated beauty, breathtaking view, pristine surrounding and and colorful history laden with saga of valour and sacrifice. 

The panoramic view of the expansive Ranathambore National Park from the ramparts of this fort is any photographer's delight and adds to the magnificence  of this citadel, whose walls extend 7 km in length and accumulates a total area of around 4 sq km. Tourists while enjoying their stay in a forest resort at ranthambore rejuvenate the magnificent nature in its purest form.

The name of the fort is derived from the two small adjacent hills- Ran and Thambore. The tenth century fort, once the capital of the powerful Chauhan dynasty, sits on the top of Thambore hill at a height of 700 feet surrounded by the ancient Vindhyas and Aravallis.

Ruins of temples, cenotaphs, step wells, mosques dot the plains of the fort. Notable among them are that of Hammir's court, Badal Mahal and Dhula Mahal. The heavily guarded fort with fortified gateways is surrounded by massive unbreachable stonewalls.

The fort also plays host to a number of animals like cats and leopards. They are concentrated on the inhabitable eastern part of the fort. You can catch the splendid sunset while staying at the Treehouse Anuraga Resort.

One of the major attraction of the fort is the age old Ganesh temple, which sees heavy rush of devotees on every Wednesday. Also during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, people make a beeline to have a glimpse of their saviour.  Apart from the Ganesh temple, there are a few old hindu temples and Jain thirthankars Sumatinath and Sambhavnath.  A stream of Gupta Ganga in one corner of the fort also adds to the charm.

The foundation of this fort was laid in 944 AD by Sapaldaksha of the Chauhan dynasty. This fort was sought after by many rulers since it controlled the trade route from North to South. From Qutubuddin Aibak to Alauddin Khilji, from Firuz Shah Tighluq to Bahadur Shah and from Akbar to the British, all lay seige to this coveted fort. However the fort saw its golden days in the time of Raja Hammir Deva, who was the last ruler of the Chauhan dynasty befor the barabarian kings of the Delhi Sultanate made this fort their prey.

Treehouse Anuraga resort is a luxury resort in ranthambore, just 2 km from the ranthambore fort. This ranthambore resort offers several package tours to visit the ranthambore fort and safari.

The Ranathambore Fort can be reached by road, rail and air. Nearest railway station is Sawai Madhopur (12km) and Kota (110 km on the main Delhi- Mumbai line) and nearest airport is Sanganer in Jaipur (160km).