Dekho Apna Desh: Tourism Ministry Takes Viewers On An Online Journey Of Wildlife, Temple Ruins Of Sariska Valley  

In a virtual tour of wildlife and wilderness besides the ruins of ancient temples and step wells, Sariska Tiger Reserve was recently showcased to several enthusiasts who participated in the Dekho Apna Desh webinar conducted by the Tourism Ministry.

Offering unique opportunities at wildlife parks and wilderness areas for independent experiences to everyone, the 13th session titled, ‘Destination- Sariska Tiger reserve’ was a presentation and virtual tour of wildlife adventure, safari experience for the traveller within the Sariska Tiger Reserve’ in Alwar district in Rajasthan.

Located 35 km from Alwar and 250 km from Delhi, Sariska Tiger Reserve in the Aravalli Hills is home to a variety of flora and fauna besides its famous tigers.

Sariska is the first tiger reserve to have successfully relocated Royal Bengal tigers in India and at present, there are around 20 tigers in the reserve, said a Tourism Ministry official.

Project Tiger is an ongoing Centrally sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change providing central assistance to the tiger states for tiger conservation in designated reserves.

India now has as many as 2,967 tigers in the wild, with more than half of them in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, according to the latest tiger estimation report for 2018.

The tiger count has increased by 33 per cent since the last census in 2014 when the total estimate was 2,226.

Maintaining the source values of tiger reserve populations through good management, protection and making the core areas inviolate through incentivised voluntary relocation of human habitation has been the most important reason for continued improvement in the status of tigers in India.

The former hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Alwar, the Sariska park has of tigers, leopards, Nilgai, Sambar and chital among other animals.

According to the Tourism Ministry, Sariska valley is also a paradise for bird lovers which shelters a large population of Indian peafowl, crested serpent eagles, sand grouse, golden backed woodpeckers, great Indian horned owls, tree pies, vultures and many others.

The sanctuary is strewn with ruins of ancient temples dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries. Some of the highlights are the ruins of the Kankwari Fort and the 10th century Neelkanth temples.

The way to the temples is rough but the architecture and the Khajuraho-like carvings will simply leave the visitor in awe of the place.

Neelkanth Mahadeva houses the ruins of over 300 Hindu and Jain temples constructed between the 8th and 12th centuries.

Chand Baoli (step well) at Abhaneri, enormous with 3,500 steep steps and built by the Nikhumbha dynasty, is one of the largest stepwells in the world.

Alwar is a city dotted with heritage buildings, Forts, tombs and palaces. Some of the important sights not to be missed are Bala Qila, Vijai Mandir Lake Palaces, Fateh Jung ki Gumbad, Moti Doongri etc.

The objective of the Ministry of Tourism’s webinar series is to create awareness about and promote various tourism destinations of India – including the lesser known destinations and lesser known facets of popular destinations.

The webinar was presented by Gajendra Singh Panwar, founder, Sariska Manor and Dhiraj Trivedi, CEO, Immense Marketing.

The webinar sessions are now available here and also on all social media handles of the Ministry of Tourism.