The town of Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan popularly called the gateway of Ranthambore National park is situated along the hills of Vindhyas and Aravallis. It is the town of forest, gods and history. This place was originally called Madhopur; it was founded in 1765 and was named after Sawai Madho Singh-I.
The town is famous for one of the most famous National parks in the world, called Ranthambore national park that is in the foothills of Aravallis and is 14 km away from Sawai Madhopur. It is covered with dry deciduous forests with a spread of Pine, Banyan and Dhok trees. It comprise of Ranthambor tiger reserve, which is part of the tiger project. Here the tigers can be easily spotted during daytime, giving you one of the rare sights ever. The park contains three artificial lakes Padam Talab, Rajbagh and Milak Talab.
Other famous places to see in and around Sawai Madhopur are Ganesh Temple and Ranthambore Fort. Ganesh Temple is a famous holy place devoted to lord Ganesha. It has a Ganesh Chatturthi festival every year that is the largest fair in the town with a gathering of people in lakhs. The Ranthambore Fort near the national park is situated 200 meters above sea level. It was built in 994 by Rajputs, and was the main center of historical progress in Rajasthan. It includes a number of monuments, pavilions, cenotaphs and chattris singing the sagas of antiquity.
Swai Madhopur offers its tourist an array of hotels, ranging from forest lodges and guesthouses to budget hotels. There is Taj Sawai Madhopur Lodge, Ranthambore Forest Resort, Oberoi Vanya Villas, and many others. All the places in Sawai Madhopur makes it tranquil retreat for its travelers.
