Sawai Madhopur

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Aditi Ghosh

Sawai Madhopur lies between the Aravalli and Vindhyachal mountain ranges within a landscape of hills and forests. The town was gifted by Mughal Emperor Shah Alam to Madho Singh I, who named the township after himself and was known as Madhopur till the time Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, impressed by Jai Singh’s wit, bestowed him with the surname of ‘Sawai’. From then onwards, Madhopur became Sawai Madhopur. Sawai Madhopur’s claim to fame today is the Ranthambore Fort and Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.

Viewing a Tiger/Tigress is a matter of luck, but the forest and its wilderness continue to enchant you. This morning we were in search of a big cat for 4hrs in the jungle, heard a few calls, but had no luck with the Tiger. In the end, Rajesh’s patience wore off and while waiting silently for another last call, Rajesh murmured-it could have been easier to spot Yetis in the hills with so much effort. I could not stop laughing! We did see plenty of spotted deer, sambar, wild boars and a variety of birds though. Coming from the eastern part of India, we are always awed by peacocks.

As a child, I used to think our national bird is very rare. But in Rajasthan, you see them everywhere. Sawai Madhopur is also known for its rich traditional handicrafts. And yes, this is guava season and the Madhopur guavas are famous. Our driver also gave us a local tour and a taste of roadside delicacies in the afternoon. We are again going to try our luck for the big cat tomorrow. Till then….