When you think of Ranthambore, you think of forests and animals. You also think of the fort. Wrapped in historical significance, the fort is a relic of a bygone era. It was built to withstand invasions and attacks from conquerors. And by the looks of it, the fort has done a fine job of defending the people inside it. Now it just stands there as a reminder of the royalty which is so evident all over Rajasthan. Let us take a look at the history of the Ranthambore Tiger National Park.

The fort was built by the Chauhan dynasty of Rajasthan. The foundations were laid in 944. It was planned as a big complex of palaces, temples and courtyards. It was built according to the plan and everything went well for centuries. However, the fort was captured by Emperor Akbar in 1586. From then onwards the fort remained under Mughal control till the end of the 17th century. After that, it was passed back to the royal families of Jaipur. They kept the fort under their control till India gained independence. Finally in 1966, the government took over the fort and the park. 

The royals who built the fort were all into hunting. It was a major pastime for them. And the biggest pastime was to hunt down tigers. This was further elevated when the British arrived. Hunting was encouraged and tiger hunting was encouraged even more. As a result of this, hunting tigers continued for decades and their numbers continued to dwindle. Both British and Indian royals were responsible for shooting down tigers. Six years after the government took over the fort, they finally conducted a tiger census. The results were appalling and shocking. The census revealed that there were only 1827 tigers left in the country. The results jolted the government into action.

They came up with the Wildlife Protection Act. This act made hunting of tigers an illegal activity. Tigers were listed as Schedule 1 animals and the highest protection was accorded to them. Along with prison time, hunting tigers attracted huge fines as well. The government decided to turn the Ranthambore Park into a national park to protect tigers and their habitat. Right now, the park has 80 tigers and various other animals. Project Tiger was started in 1973 by prime minister Indira Gandhi and the Ranthambore park was designated as an area of tiger conservation.