Sawai Madhopur – the beautiful, rugged town home to Ranthambore National Park

Sawai Madhopur is the town that houses the Ranthambore National Park and the Ranthambore Fortress (a World Heritage Site). It is a popular tourist destination in Rajasthan and sees a large influx of tourists year long. Visit the ancient town for a fun holiday and pick from the best hotels in Sawai Madhopur.

 

Home to the world-famous Ranthambore National Park and the Ranthambore Fort, Sawai Madhopur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in western India. It is a municipality in Rajasthan and the headquarter of the Sawai Madhopur district. It is a small town and is named after Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I of Jaipur, who is the founder of the town. The guavas grown here are popular throughout the nation. These guavas are referred as the Madhopur Guavas and exported across the nation. The town is about 130 k.m. from Jaipur, the capital city of the state, and is just often referred as the Gateway to Ranthambore National Park.

It is a small but significant part of Rajasthan because the town occupies an important place in Rajasthan’s history. It can’t be termed as a fully developed city as it still lacks some basic parameters of modernization. Yet, it is a major centre of learning. There is a well established infrastructure for education; a number of good schools and colleges run in the town. Thus, improving the educational scenario in the region. It has a small population and Hindi, Dhundhari, and English are most spoken languages.

Sawai Madhopur was founded in 1763 with a layout that can be classified as well-planned. The Rajput rulers were the first rulers of the town. Raja Hammir Dev, a Chauhan king in particular is one of the most illustrated rulers of the town. An interesting fact about the city is that some parts of Sawai Madhopur were destroyed when Alauddin Khilji invaded the town, and the present city is built over the ruins.

The Ranthambore National Park is situated about 11 k.m. from the town. Since the town is the gateway to the national park, so it receives almost all the visitors visiting the national park. The national park is a major attraction of the town. Famed as one of the best wildlife sanctuaries in India, the national park is known particularly for the tigers. The park was first established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Reserve in 1955 and later was declared a National Park in 1980. Today, the reserve forest sees thousands of nature-lovers and adventure buffs, who come to explore and experience the flora and fauna of the park.

Amongst the other significant places to visit in Sawai Madhopur: Shilpgram, Rajiv Gandhi Regional Museum of Natural History, Ranthambore Fort, Surwal Lake, Chamatkar Temple, Chauth Mata Temple, Rameshwaram Ghat, Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary, Khandar Fort, and Jogi Mahal.

Summer starts in mid-March and stays till July. The days during the season are quite hot and dry. However, the evenings and nights are still quite pleasant. Monsoon lasts from July till September and the climate is generally hot and humid. Winter is the time of the year when the weather is most pleasant. During mid-winter, there are often some rains and fogs, which make the climate more soothing.

Sawai Madhopur has its own railway station connecting it to all major neighboring cities and states. Sanganer Airport of Jaipur is the nearest airport. It is at a distance of 175 k.m. Taxis and cabs are available from outside the airport.