Everybody wants to go to the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary. It?s green, serene and so close to home. But what many happy troopers don?t know is that Sariska used to dance to a very different beat not too long ago. The beat of royal drums, to be precise, heralding the arrival of the Maharajas of Alwar and their hunting dogs.
Sariska was the hunting preserve of the Alwar royals, and its palace has been privy to many of these shoots. Reams have been written on the hunting escapades of these princes. Cookbooks have been written on the fancy shikar cuisine that evolved during those years. Now, an entirely different chapter has been added to the story of Sariska, that of wildlife protection.
Gone are the traps in which hapless goats were tied to a pole to attract tigers for the princes shooting pleasure. Now, fences prevent humans from further endangering the animals. And more books are being written, detailing the efforts being made to preserve the hundreds of species endangered over the years by callous hunters. So, hopefully, you can count on wild weekends in Sariska for many years to come.